You want to what now?
Jul 27, 2010 OMG. So. Next door to us is a vacant lot. It’s small — smaller than a regular plot. There’s all kinds of weird-ass issues with the property lines for our house, and for awhile everyone in the neighborhood thought that this little vacant plot belonged to us. Sadly, no. It’s maybe big enough for a good-sized garden and a playset, so I WISH we owned it.
It turns out some older lady owned it, and didn’t want to sell. Why would you hang on to a half-ass plot of land surrounded by other houses? A plot that’s too small for you to do anything with? Beats me. It was vacant for 3 years before we moved in, and it remains empty to this day (we’ve lived here for almost 4 years). So for at least 7 years, if not longer, that sad little sorry piece of land has just been sitting there.
Two years ago I put my planter boxes out there, and we’ve kept the weeds down and spent COUNTLESS hours picking trash up out of that area. A) Because it’s next to my house and ew! and B) Because we figured if we were making it look nice, the landowners would sort of let well enough alone and let us leave our garden there.
Well, I hear that the owner of the land passed away about a month ago. Two weeks ago some dude shows up. Tells us we need to move the garden and asks us to sign some paper so that he can…. are you ready for this? PUT A TRAILER ON THAT LAND.
Oh hells no. No, no, no no no. So, I had Bryan call the city and ask 8 majillion questions. Basically it works like this: if they get 75% of the street to sign off, they can put their nasty ass trailer on that land. Right next to my house. On that tiny strip of land. If not, they can’t.
Now, I don’t begrudge you if you own that property and want to be silly and refuse to sell it to someone that actually wants it and can use it. You want to pull up a chair and sit out there every damn day? Fine. But if you want to put some trailer up? Please have more sense than to ask me to sign off on that.
A few points:
1) The land is very small.
2) It’s right next to my house, and I don’t care if it makes me seem stuck up: I don’t want to live next to a trailer. If I did, I’d be in a trailer park right now, thankyouverymuch.
3) It’s a husband, his wife, and THREE KIDS. You won’t have much yard (if any) after you put your trailer down. Guess where your kids are going to want to play? In my yard. No, thanks.
4) There is no driveway, so they’d be parking on the street. The few times these people have come out they’ve brought 3 vehicles with them. Can you say traffic jam?
5) Did I mention that it’s a trailer?
So — the husband and I had to rip up the garden. There goes my broccoli, carrots, peas, lettuce, peppers, and strawberries. There goes the beautiful fence Bryan set up. There goes hundreds of dollars and countless hours of time and effort.
But here’s the kicker: they measured the land AFTER I took out my garden, and I guess the trailer won’t fit. And they didn’t get their signatures. So they may be rethinking the whole thing. Which pisses me off since I ripped up my garden already. They couldn’t have let me leave it until they were 100% sure? They couldn’t have said, “Ok, the season’s almost over — at the end of October it has to go” or at least let me know that they weren’t sure what they were going to do?
Needless to say I’m pretty pissed, and will clearly cease and desist from picking up trash out of that area. And they can mow it themselves. And kiss my lily white ass, while they’re at it. So I don’t know if they’ll put the trailer up or not, but you guys. SERIOUSLY. Every time I think about it my head wants to explode.
So, I want to move. Anyone have a spare bedroom or 4?
Reader Comments (4)
Grrrr!
Seriously. Kids, dogs, cats, bb too, I suppose? come on down.
That dude owes you a pile of vegetables.
Yes! I have a spare room. You'll all have to share it but it's big so I think you'll be okay. =)
But seriously? That sucks. I'd probably fence my own yard off with a big, obnoxious chain-link or something.Wouldn't want them using YOUR land in any way now would we...?