Help Needed to Stop Clear Cutting..

best option, is to hold a land auction, sell it to the stupidest sucker for 10X its value (you set the price, let them decide)... then go buy 10X the land in a rural area, that isn't already overpopulated city...

and start the cycle all over...
I have never heard of someone having a problem with too many offers and too many people willing to out bid another for a property... sounds like the best problem to have...

trees are overated... they actually provide almost a zero sum of oxygen to carbon dioxide... they use montrous amounts of water, and in short, can cut off sunlight from other trees that are trying to grow...

they are pretty though... and plentyful in rural areas...
instead of saving a greenbelt, take your cash, and go save a whole forest with the dough...
no shotgun required...(bonus)

If you need ideas, I can show you many treeish lots in oklahoma for $2000 or less an acre... or there are several areas in arizona and NM that you can buy for $20 an acre... so you could buy half a county...

Originally posted by Merkeva
Yeh I forget everyone does not think along the same lines as people more eco-freindly. keep looking in to what you can do, there are people who care about these things out there, best of luck to you anyways.

Thank you, Merkeva, yes and that is the sad part.
I have to believe that the Cosmos-et will take matter in their own hands for all the injustice of this destroying the Earth Mother..

I'm not a real estate agent, and I don't know too much about Eminent Domain, so I don't know how plausible this is, but it might be worth a shot. I understand that they won't take "no" for an answer, so this might be a bit of a work around.

Next time they come around, come up with some outrageously huge number, maybe around the 10's of Millions--I don't know how much your plot is worth, but something that's astronomically higher than the going market value. Tell them you'll sell it to them, no problem, for what ever number they give you.

There's two potential scenarios I'll put forth here, depending on how everything plays out. The odds are definitely against them taking you up on the offer, but if for some reason they do, then you, your kids, and your grandkids are set for life. Or you can go out and buy much more land to save from clear cutting--you do loose one battle on that front, but you can get much more going on.

Most likely, they'll say no, and probably keep going after you to lower the price. If you keep it up and they try to pull the eminent domain card, tell the City you offered to sell it to them, they just didn't like your price. If the city doesn't like that and still pulls the ED card, then they've now set a precedence: anytime someone doesn't like the price of a property, the potential buyer can whine to the city to get it sold for a better price. I doubt the city would like that precedence.

If you're worried about your personal safety, I'd advise going to your local law enforcement, alerting them to your situation, and asking their advice. I don't think you should worry too much about that though; although I don't know the exact details of your encounters, these guys are most likely still regular professionals that are probably more of a nuisance than something to really fear.

EDIT: I see Lazarus has a similar idea...I hate taking so long to write my posts...

[edit on 11/1/2005 by MCory1]

Those are some options I have not considered..
I suppose that is lefal to ask for 20 times the value?
At this stage, I would prefer not to relocate, but I can always use that option.
My main concern is that Michael, the hood rabble rouser big time, is now dead..he was giving grief to any/all officials, died in August.
Does a person who is on a city council be of any help? I know one of them quite well.
You great people have given me a lot ot think about..please I cannot bear to think of a bare subdivision.
Thanks you all for the concerns and recommendations..

Originally posted by siriuslyone
Those are some options I have not considered..
I suppose that is lefal to ask for 20 times the value?

Real Estate laws are kinda screwy sometimes. It should be fine, but you may want to double check with how it is in your area. Heck maybe you could even put it up on the market through an agent--get a paper trail and everything, and that way you'd know it's legit. If everything's kosher with it, an agent would like to think they'd get their 3% of $25M (or whatever), whether it's a real possibility or not.

Does a person who is on a city council be of any help? I know one of them quite well.

Possibly. If you are close with one then you might want to talk to them about it and see what their take on the situation is. I'd be cautious if you don't completely trust them; they may get some ideas about being the one to bring big business to your community--looks good sometimes on a campaign sticker, depending on your local economy.

If it ever comes down to them forcing you out, you might be able to stage some kind of protest. I haven't the foggiest idea how you would do that, or what would be the best way of going about it, but it's something else to consider. Get a group of environmentalists to stage a sit-in on your property or something. Go on a hunger strike and chain yourself to the doors. Civil Disobedience can be fun as well as productive

[[[Real Estate laws are kinda screwy sometimes. It should be fine, but you may want to double check with how it is in your area. Heck maybe you could even put it up on the market through an agent--get a paper trail and everything, and that way you'd know it's legit. If everything's kosher with it, an agent would like to think they'd get their 3% of $25M (or whatever), whether it's a real possibility or not.]]]

I will try that route..I have been offered 3 times by buying value in cash, which I turned down..
I just want to live a peaceful life, and not bother anyone, but this is disrupting my zen existence.
As Steve McGueen said in The Hunter 'new stuff ain't no good'
I love my old house and my old car..perhaps there is a way I can put a call out to the Universe to put a protective dome over my house and car??

Originally posted by siriuslyone
....

Does a person who is on a city council be of any help? I know one of them quite well.

yes...maybe.....a counsil person could be of some help
IF THEY
are on a first-name-basis with either the Tax Assessor and/or
The Zoning Board

perhaps i'm wrong, but didn't the 'Trail Of Tears' begin in N.C. with the Cheerokee Nation in them parts??
years ago, i resided up at Burke County in NC, where the Honky-Tonks prospered....and all those nefarious operations were known by TPTB, but were allowed to continue until it was beneficial
to shut-em-down.

from my experience, you & your property have not yet been targeted by
anyone of any consequence. If there was an effort to covet your land/acreage/tract, you would be hiring a team of legal 'suits' to try to reverse the re-zoning or the tax assessments or the various special assessments the gov't officials (with an eye on your realestate) can levy on your plot/plat/whatever. include the '69 'stang

~~~
on the lighter side....i've still got my '65 econoline van, its not cherry but 'Wanda', keeps-on-truckin.
i'm figguring on the extent of her make-over in 2006...being that shes now over the Big Four-O

behave

dear Udio;

According to the old man who had this land in his family, there were Indians close to the mid-Georgia area..I have not researched it down to exact locale, but the previous owners had a painting of a log cabin from which this house was built around,,fascinating heritage, they have roads and streets named from this family.
It is voting time next week, and perhaps I need to call the council now.
As gar as vehicles fo, do you have an antique tag?
I only use my cars for local trips, I keep the mileage down, as if I need distance, I will rent a car.
IMO, If I won the lottery, I would still buy only old cars..it really brings out a crowd bugging me to sell it..I say 'if i sold it to you, where would I get another one?'

PS, I feel you have a wonderful soul..thanks..

edited for double post

[edit on 1-11-2005 by siriuslyone]

Many white Americans were also outraged by the dubious legality of the treaty, and called on the government not to force the Cherokees to move. For example, on April 23, 1838, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a letter to Jackson's successor, President Martin Van Buren, urging him not to inflict "so vast an outrage upon the Cherokee Nation." [2]

Nevertheless, as the 23 May 1838 deadline for voluntary removal approached, President Van Buren assigned General Winfield Scott to head the forcible removal operation. He arrived at New Echota in May 17, 1838, in command of about 7,000 soldiers. Soldiers began rounding up Cherokees in Georgia on 26 May 1838; ten days later operations began in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama. About 17,000 Cherokees — along with approximately 2,000 black slaves owned by wealthy Cherokees — were removed at gunpoint from their homes over three weeks and gathered together in camps, often with only the clothes on their backs. They were then transferred to departure points at Ross's Landing (Chattanooga, Tennessee) and Gunter's Landing (Guntersville, Alabama) on the Tennessee River, and at the Cherokee Agency on the Hiwassee River (Calhoun, Tennessee). From there, they were sent to the Indian Territory, mostly travelling on foot, or by some combination of horse, wagon, and boat, a distance of around 1,200 miles along one of three routes.

The camps were plagued by dysentery and other illnesses, which led to many deaths. After three groups had been sent on the trail, a group of Cherokees petitioned General Scott for a delay until cooler weather made the journey less hazardous. This was granted, and meanwhile Chief Ross, finally accepting defeat, managed to have the remainder of the removal turned over to the supervision of the Cherokee Council. Although there were some objections within the U.S. government because of the additional cost, General Scott awarded a contract for removing the remaining 11,000 Cherokees to Chief Ross. The Cherokee-administered marches began on August 28, 1838, and consisted of thirteen groups with an average of 1,000 people in each. Although this arrangement was an improvement for all concerned, disease still took many lives.

The number of people who died as a result of the Trail of Tears has been variously estimated. The official government count at the time was 424 deaths; an American doctor who traveled with one party estimated 2,000 deaths in the camps and 2,000 on the trail; his total of 4,000 deaths remains the most cited figure. A scholarly demographic study in 1973 estimated 2,000 total deaths; another in 1984 concluded that a total of 8,000 people died.

Wikipedia

You can donate the land to a concern that is devoted to preserving the land as it is. In that case, you have to practically make a gift of the land as they are "non-profit" and have high overhead. Even there, you have no guarantee. Some time in the future after you are gone, the concern can be offered a trade, to trade the land you donated for some other land that is more attractive but farther out. In that case you have been beat. There is not much you can do. Making a will is a lost cause as whoever the executor is can go against your wishes. Even if you could endow the land with a "lifetime" trust, that is no protection against cities who want the land. They can legally go to court and have your will put aside. We have a case like that here in Colorado. A man who made fortunes in gold mines left his fortune to "widows and orphans" along with homes and estates for those unfortunates to live on for the rest of their lives. The city came along and set up a philantrophic outfit to manage the fortunes and the "widows and orphans" have only the state to turn to now. The homes and estates have been broken up and developed. It didn't last even 100 years.
There's not much you can do, population is growing and people want places to live. There are just more of us now than there were before. Good luck!!!

[[[There's not much you can do, population is growing and people want places to live. There are just more of us now than there were before. Good luck!!!]]]

I am beginning to see that.. After I am gone, if anyone clear cuts this land. I will become the absolute most powerful POLTERGEIST there has ever been..