Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

DJ_German_Farmer t1_jdzsd90 wrote

Reply to comment by PopularMedicinetoday in CAR meets tomorrow to discuss removal of BustArt’s mural (info in comments) by nilsrva

I live in the Springhill historic district and can confirm that CAR’s inconsistency is the big problem. They allow developers to flout their own plans and do whatever they want, but homeowners have to justify replacing a window. It really is out of hand — it’s like what would happen if you gave the art kids in high school absolute dictatorial power. Their aesthetic opinions become law.

Our neighborhood confirmed that if you can get over 50% of owners to sign a petition you can start removing the old and historic district designation from your neighborhood. Don’t expect city hall to be nice about it though. CAR and their staff are very disrespectful and think our lives are their personal ideaboards.

4

PopularMedicinetoday t1_je05mrw wrote

Never knew that area was called springhill or that it's historic. Funny that they allowed those generic monstrosities of apartments to go up in that district.

I know the lines can be technicalities -get it a lot in JW when we randomly find out a developer's lot is not in the historic district and everyone is shocked - Looking at you "The Penny"

2

DJ_German_Farmer t1_je0743m wrote

We’re sick of CAR. They don’t deliver anything but hassle and frankly very little is historic about our neighborhood. The impunity with which the commission acts is really mind blowing but most people don’t know just how unappealable their arbitrary taste-based, subjective decisions are.

I had to do a presentation before this board to put up a picket fence. It’s ridiculous.

2

Far_Cupcake_530 t1_je069gz wrote

Your neighborhood got over 50% of the homeowners to vote themselves into the historic district. That was all well and good when the historic tax credits were given out. Now you are mad when you want to replace an architecturally relevant window with a cheapie vinyl window from Lowes.

2

DJ_German_Farmer t1_je07d7o wrote

Dodson built a house where they literally completely changed the plans they were following from what CAR approved. We appealed and they did nothing. I’m not mad that there’s a process; I’m mad that it puts actual homeowners in a bureaucratic nightmare while it lets big money developers do whatever they please.

2

DJ_German_Farmer t1_je06jqd wrote

Ain’t nobody got tax credits, but keep making things up. The neighborhood wanted to prevent condos and apartments from being built Willy nilly, it was a mistaken move that didn’t really work, a d now we’re stuck with it while the folks who voted it in moved out long ago

1