It's difficult to buy a house. It takes years to pay for it. Many people spend years getting accustomed to the surroundings, becoming part of a community, and customizing their homes. It's beyond wrong that our government would take homes and land from people who have put their lives into them whenever someone with what is perceived as a "better use" comes along. Trespassers should not have legal avenues to take land or homes simply by occupying them. Property ownership should mean something.
It should mean that a homeowner has more right than neighbors to decide how his or her property is used. Individuals should not have to "sneak in" home renovations or extensions. Rental agreements should be free contracts whose terms should be negotiated by landlord and tenant only. The anonymous reporting system of the Department of Buildings should not become a tool for neighbor-on-neighbor disputes.
I would support measures to:
1. End eminent domain and adverse possession
2. Simplify building permit process
3. Streamline zoning regulations so that people can use their land to greatest personal or business potential
4. Reduce property taxes to the minimum needed to pay for services required by the property owner
5. Allow simpler conversion of status of property to rental
6. Detach property ownership from responsibility for adjacent city land
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So you're saying property owners shouldn't be responsible for icy sidewalks?
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ReplyDeleteDelete Comment From: Derek Sacerdote for City Council
ReplyDeleteDerek said...
Exactly. We don't own them. The city reminds us of that fact every time we park our car 1 inch past our driveway. In every way, they are city property. The city wants us to maintain its land? Offer adjacent home or business owners compensation or usage rights.