From the NY Times:Many New Yorkers have not heard of Royal Ranch — an enclave of just five or six streets on a hill in the farthest reaches of northeastern Queens — and the residents like it that way.
The postage-stamp neighborhood, near the Nassau County line, was built as a single development of one-family ranch houses in 1954. And to this day, that 1950s ambiance is what Rhonda Kontner, the president of the local civic association and the program director of a nearby special-education school, loves most.
It is best embodied by the Royal Ranch Club, a grand name for the simple outdoor pool that homeowners built in 1960. Long the prize of the neighborhood, the pool is falling victim to an unexpected side effect of the recession.
And Ms. Kontner, 55, worries that the downturn is also accelerating another change in the neighborhood that makes her wistful for the old days: the increasingly transient, work-focused vibe of its residents.
6 comments:
In Kentucky,folks started selling their land when the gov't stopped subsidies to the tobacco farms.Many horse ranches also downsized.Many counties adopted a law that a home could not be built on less than 2 acres.See how government works when folks can legally own firearms!
About five years ago, we found out that one of our blocks was mistakenly zoned for two-family houses.
NO MISTAKE - THIS WAS PLANNED.
It was a big zoning battle.
NO BIG BATTLE. YOU HAD NO SUPPORT FROM THE PRESERVATION COMMUNITY AGAINST THE JUGGERNAUT OF CITY PLANNING.
THERE IS NO PRESERVATION COMMUNITY.
There was a compromise that said they could only build two-family detached houses.
THROWING ROCKS AGAINST TANKS IS NOT A COMPROMISE UNLESS YOU CALL GETTING RUN OVER BY THE TREADS OR BLASTED BY ITS GUNS A 'CHOICE'.
Almost that entire block has become two-family houses, very radically changed from everything else in the surrounding area.
SURPRISE! SURPRISE! SURPRISE! AND WAS IT COVERED BY ANY SCHOOL DOING A PROJECT? NAW, PRATT ET AL ARE DOING STUDIES ON (roll the drums) MORE DEVELOPMENT1
It’s brought a lot more density, more parking, more cars, more everything. It’s become a little more transient.
A HELL OF A LOT MORE TRANSIENT, AND YOUR NEIGHBORS NO LONGER GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR LITTLE COMMUNITY. THEY ARE ALL SITTING ON A GOLD MINE OF LAND AND CARE ONLY TO EXPLOIT, SLASH AND BURN.
NICE THAT THE PRESERVATION COMMUNITY CAN DO SOMTHING FOR SOMEONE LIVING OUTSIDE OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS!
Quoting from the article: "..change in the neighborhood that makes her wistful for the old days: the increasingly transient, work-focused vibe of its residents"
If the median house price/income ratio was as it was in the 50's or even 70's you would be able to have one breadwinner and a lot more time for stuff like a pool.
If you want to blame someone for this current state of affairs, blame those that sold, made a killing and left a community too expensive for such luxuries.
It's the same reason you are seeing multi-family and apts replacing those old houses everywhere.
If you want to curb this sort of thing you have to pass -very- restrictive zoning and you'll find yourself up against fellow residents that expect to cash out and leave.
What stinks around here? Oh yeah, Lino's back!
What stinks around here? Oh yeah, Lino's back!
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Rumor has it that his front doesn't smell that much better!!!
is that you 'wade?'
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