Robin Garr wrote:
Seriously, Doug? You think a property owner has no responsibility to the community he or she owns property in? Sorry, but neither common nor civil law supports that. Property owners have duties, and I'd suggest that the owners of historic property have an additional moral obligation. Certainly doubly so when they could well afford to keep it up AND chose to let it decay rather than maintaining it. Fines and jail time seem more appropriate to me than tea and sympathy.
They werent "historic" in most cases until some local busybody who wouldnt have to pay the cost of upkeep and renovations got them designated as such, without consultation or in consideration with the actual owner who would now be responsible for not only the increased maintenance costs but now being saddled with a building that can only be marginally changed due to its "historic" status.
If I knowingly bought a historic building and bought it understanding the responsibilities and costs there of, you might have a point.
Otherwise someone like Steve is now stuck with a moldy collapsing brick structure of NO USE to anyone and of no particular architectural significance that he cant tear down. Its frankly stupid.
And Im saying this as someone who lives in a 112+ year old house near Cherokee in the Highlands. I love old architecture. But I find it funny how no one cares about these "old buildings" until some developer, who the local busybodies thinks have deep pockets, buys the building and then they swoop in to save it. Most local developers arent wiping their behinds with $100 bills. Most are operating on pretty thin margins.
Again if you think its so historical then you (generic you, not you specifically Robin) and your community group should have raised the money to buy and restore the building yourself. Not only caring about it after its bought by a developer, and half falling in already.
The Iron buildings on Main are a perfect example. Steve is spending millions, because he is a nice guy to save facades! Thats it. The entire rest of the building has been torn down. There is NOTHING left. I mean my God they could have simply worked out a deal between the planning commission and development office, that after demo any newly built structures would have to have period reproductions facades built onto them so they maintained the architectural integrity of the neighborhood. Would have accomplished the same thing at a fraction of the cost.
I eat, therefore I am.