Planning Board & the annoying neighbors UPDATE 5/26/2011 Happy Ending!

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Might not be legal. Cities can have so many rules about residential structures these days that it is nearly impossible to meet them all without getting contractors involved! No telling what rules they have about a residential space attached to a barn...

Heck, in my city there are laws saying what the minimum temperature in your home is required to be during the day and during the night, and laws stating that you cannot have ANY habitable room of the house at a lower temperature at any time. (Uh, okay....do they want to pay my heating bill?) They are regulating every aspect of our lives...

That is probably to protect renters who do not have control over their heating/cooling. Imagine, if you will, renting a room or apartment or duplex, or even a house and discovering htat the landlord provides no heat in a Michigan or Maine like winter, or no cooling during a Texas or Arizona like summer.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Hmmm, since you have previously done business with this attorney, then HER talking to another attorney in his office is a conflict of interest (by those standards). Bring that to his attention, and politely ask him to refer you to another attorney whoe will charge a reasonable rate.

 

[Drk_Wlf]

Quote:
Hmmm, since you have previously done business with this attorney, then HER talking to another attorney in his office is a conflict of interest (by those standards). Bring that to his attention, and politely ask him to refer you to another attorney whoe will charge a reasonable rate.

She got to him first, by we I mean our real estate agent friend does allot of work with the attorney and so did I when I use to work in real estate; he has never represented myself and my husband before. The psyco got to his partner before we asked him and he did suggest a few attorneys, it is just 2 of them work with the town so they are out. The last attorney works in a firm so he has very little control over pricing.

 

[Drk_Wlf]

The 10th is fast approaching, our title search should be completed by today and we have found an attorney to give it his stamp of approval. Now it is just a waiting game, but while I wait and worry I decided to read over the zoning laws... again (

I should just go to law school). While I was reading I notice something under the definitions, the last time we met with the town we were told if we get the barn all of our "temporary" shelters what they call "Accessory Buildings" must be removed after the barn is constructed and if we don't get a variance they have to be removed. Because you can't have any "Accessory Buildings" without a "Principal Building". Which would leave our animals with no shelter at all. We could solve this by putting living quarters in the barn which would make it a Principal Building and therefore not require a variance but that would leave the animals without shelter until the barn is completed.

So then I noticed the an "Accessory Building" is - A freestanding building or use that is clearly and customarily incidental and subordinate to the principal building or use and is located on the same lot with such principal building or use. To have an accessory building on a lot there must be a principal building already in existence.

then a "Building" is defined as - Any structure wholly or partially enclosed within exterior walls, or within exterior and party walls, and a roof, affording shelter to persons, animals or property.

And a "Structure" is defined as - Anything constructed or erected with a fixed location on the ground, or attached to something having a fixed location on the ground. Among other things, structures include buildings, towers, poles, mobile homes, walls, fences, signs, billboards and poster panels.

So if it's not a structure if it doesn’t have a fixed location, then it must not be a building and therefore not an "Accessory Building". I am thinking that we put skids on all their little shelters and call them movable or portable shelters and then they have no grounds to make us remove them. At least that is what my thinking is.

 

[Drk_Wlf]

OMG today is the day and we still haven't heard from our attorney! Hopefully he calls us by the end of the day with the paperwork or I don't know what we are going to do!

Wish us luck!

 

[SillyChicken]

Good Luck!

 

[Brindlebtch]

Best of Luck! Kick that ol' biddy's butt!

 

[dandelionheart]

Lots of sparkly lucky blessings on your quest. *You* are in the right here... hope things go your way (as they should)

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I may have missed it, but at any point did you and yours simply ask the woman what she is objecting to? If she is getting an attorney on her own she is spending money on this. Why?


Don't get me wrong I know full well there are mean people on the planet. My brother in law married one and we all bear the scars!

But, what does she have to gain? or lose??

 

[Criskin]

Good luck! I've been following this thread since you posted it and I'd love to hear that you come out on top!