You know, I've never really loved trees. I mean they are expensive when you're landscaping, never seem to prune the way you really intended, and in most cases they leave a mess of leaves, sap, and so on in your yard and on your car. That being said, if I were a Lancaster city representative I would certainly overlook those issues and consider becoming a Druid. Yes, a tree hugging, weird robe wearing, chant loving Druid! "Why" you may ask? Because under consideration of Lancaster's current tree ordinances there is some ambiguity associated with the Eastern Red Cedar. A local TREE that grows almost wildly throughout the area. Confused with regular cedar trees, the Eastern Red is actually considered by some to be a scrub instead of a tree. At least, that's what the builders and especially the developers want you to think. The reason? Tree mitigation as it relates to heavily wooded areas that require clearing for development. Not only does the developer have to encumber the expense of clearing such growth but if a city holds its ground and proclaims that the Eastern Red is indeed a tree and not a scrub, the developer is forced to PAY the city based on the total diameter volume of the intended trees to be cleared. Imagine, the city being paid (per lot) for the open space requirements (usually 500.00 per lot/ approx. 300 in Lancaster), they'd have to pay for impact fees per lot ( usually 1500.00/ approx 1200 in Lancaster ), and now with tree mitigation off the table ( untold $ based on the volume of Easter Reds on the property )
Of course, it's important that the city pay close attention to those that may cut and clear before presenting a preliminary plat. Scum that would do such a thing behind the vail of a large development are clearly deserving of aggressive enforcement and a careful eye. After all, we have to save our trees.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Yeah it's me...so what?
As most of you that have been awake in Lancaster for the past two years know, this is the token Black guy that Tommy brought to Lancaster to " help folks appreciate that developers are not bad guys." After all, as he told me once,"Nobody thanks developers for helping to build homes for them to raise their families..." ( In case you're wondering, I quote because I have some of this nonsense corroborated by others that were present when it was said )
What a jacka$$! Nobody thanks you because you're a scumbag! Raping the land and leaving cookie cutter homes littered among the countryside. Hiring untrained salespeople that present payments based on unimproved property standards knowing full damn well that the payment will go up in a year and the new owners may not be able to afford it! It's people like you and your "boy" Steve that give good developers a bad name. Your half baked scams and used car salesman tactics (no offense to used car salesmen by associating them with this goat) are the cornerstone to the hatred people feel for you and your whole genre. Try building something like Lantana, without fine tuning it to pad your pockets more than you already do...and speaking of padding...
I bet most don't realize the general economics behind a snake like you, so here goes a small lesson. remember this North Texas land owners when your approached by this clown. Land is purchased (as cheap as possible) and cut up into the coveted 11-12 lots per acre. the motto being, if you can touch your neighbor's home with a mop handle it's just right! Anyway, after stealing the land these guys chop it up to the tune of 12-$16,000.00 per lot development expense ( that's presumably moving dirt, contractors stealing materials, rain delays and so on.)
Take the above expense and add the cost of each lot (divide acreage cost by lots proposed) example 4,000 per acre? Divided by 12 is...uh...$333.33 so now you're at $16,333.00 now here is where it gets interesting. The per lot sales value to the builder is determined well in advance in accordance to the area and price of homes proposed for that area, so in an area with such small lots we'd expext smaller, less expensive homes. Since the property for a home in a tract neighborhood rarely costs more that 20% of the home value we'll assume that to build a $100,000 home the lot would bring a maximum of $25,000. Take out the average gross profit percentage of 20% and you get a lot with a builder's value of $20,000. Profit is a paltry $3667 per lot! Take that times 12, and then imaging a 200 acre development! Granted some homes will be on larger lots and others on smaller lots but even if you reduce your per acre take to 9 homes you're still talking about a boat load of money.
Now it's more involved than that and there are other factors to consider but the base factors are pretty close to what you just learned. Here's the catch... The lot value can't and won't go up because the builders are just as cheap and greedy as the developers. Therefor when a guy like Jim Landon comes in and costs a developer $100,000 on permitting delays, it comes from the bottom line. When code enforcement comes a calling for trash to be handled ( hint hint Meadowview look to the North ), it comes from the bottom line. My favorite, impact fees and tree mitigation denials are the best, they really hit em' in the wallet! in short, any delays, public work sessions, complaints about trash or mowing needs, etc. all cost the developer so much that in some cases (The Preserve) the developer just gives up.
More later...my wife is looking at me like I spilled something.
But before I go, Happy New Year to all but Tommy and Steve, I hope you're struck by lightning.
What a jacka$$! Nobody thanks you because you're a scumbag! Raping the land and leaving cookie cutter homes littered among the countryside. Hiring untrained salespeople that present payments based on unimproved property standards knowing full damn well that the payment will go up in a year and the new owners may not be able to afford it! It's people like you and your "boy" Steve that give good developers a bad name. Your half baked scams and used car salesman tactics (no offense to used car salesmen by associating them with this goat) are the cornerstone to the hatred people feel for you and your whole genre. Try building something like Lantana, without fine tuning it to pad your pockets more than you already do...and speaking of padding...
I bet most don't realize the general economics behind a snake like you, so here goes a small lesson. remember this North Texas land owners when your approached by this clown. Land is purchased (as cheap as possible) and cut up into the coveted 11-12 lots per acre. the motto being, if you can touch your neighbor's home with a mop handle it's just right! Anyway, after stealing the land these guys chop it up to the tune of 12-$16,000.00 per lot development expense ( that's presumably moving dirt, contractors stealing materials, rain delays and so on.)
Take the above expense and add the cost of each lot (divide acreage cost by lots proposed) example 4,000 per acre? Divided by 12 is...uh...$333.33 so now you're at $16,333.00 now here is where it gets interesting. The per lot sales value to the builder is determined well in advance in accordance to the area and price of homes proposed for that area, so in an area with such small lots we'd expext smaller, less expensive homes. Since the property for a home in a tract neighborhood rarely costs more that 20% of the home value we'll assume that to build a $100,000 home the lot would bring a maximum of $25,000. Take out the average gross profit percentage of 20% and you get a lot with a builder's value of $20,000. Profit is a paltry $3667 per lot! Take that times 12, and then imaging a 200 acre development! Granted some homes will be on larger lots and others on smaller lots but even if you reduce your per acre take to 9 homes you're still talking about a boat load of money.
Now it's more involved than that and there are other factors to consider but the base factors are pretty close to what you just learned. Here's the catch... The lot value can't and won't go up because the builders are just as cheap and greedy as the developers. Therefor when a guy like Jim Landon comes in and costs a developer $100,000 on permitting delays, it comes from the bottom line. When code enforcement comes a calling for trash to be handled ( hint hint Meadowview look to the North ), it comes from the bottom line. My favorite, impact fees and tree mitigation denials are the best, they really hit em' in the wallet! in short, any delays, public work sessions, complaints about trash or mowing needs, etc. all cost the developer so much that in some cases (The Preserve) the developer just gives up.
More later...my wife is looking at me like I spilled something.
But before I go, Happy New Year to all but Tommy and Steve, I hope you're struck by lightning.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
My Randomness knows no bounds...Oh and Hi Pegasus
Yes, that's right, the Pegasus News network online has picked me up. They'll probably be sorry, but hey, we'll see. So I guess you all are expecting me to clean up, offer a more accommodating points of view, and paint Lancaster and those that do business there in a better light... Sorry. I once told a Lancaster resident (in response to a rude comment that I didn't care about Lancaster) " I most assuredly do not, Furthermore, if you lit a match on the east side of town and it burned everything up to Desoto's edge, it would only mean I'd have to get off I20 two exits earlier!" Of course I didn't mean it, I could take I35 straight to Pleasant Run also. In any case, my point was that no one doing business in Lancaster has an unfaltering love of the city. For that matter, not very many that live there do! Why would they? The city couldn't attract a grocery store if they carried them in on a golden cart like Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (great movie by the way). The schools are, well... we'll leave that one alone for now (Merry Christmas Larry). The city leadership, COME ON! There's one...maybe two people on counsel that have any foresight whatsoever beyond their own personal ambitions or agendas. One in particular has no idea what she's... (oops did I say she?) doing. Winning (if you can call it that) her last election by 100 votes or so...against nobody. I would think that working on ones approachability and accessibility would be the first move of a counsel person with such dismal response to an unchallenged election. This would build respect without placing a barrier between the constituents and their representative. (By the way, I got more than 100 votes for "Most Artistic in High School and I wasn't that good.) Yet I digress, I guess you're right Mrs. Lankford, correcting those that neglect to add "-berly" to your name may just be the answer after all.
I forgot to add a person to look for in the future of Lancaster politics;
Jeff Morgan in District 6, This guy is very similar to Marcus Knight in many ways but lacks the support of the city's "who's who" crowd. Trust me, this guy would go a long way to creating a young and intelligent counsel of the future. The great thing about it is that he's in Kimberly's district so it'll cost about as much as a Sonic "Cherry Lime-Aid" to get him elected next term!
Now, before anyone gets their feathers ruffled...keep in mind that I'm just a poor share cropper from the back woods of Georgia and these are only my observations. Albeit qualified truthful observations, still just observations.
I forgot to add a person to look for in the future of Lancaster politics;
Jeff Morgan in District 6, This guy is very similar to Marcus Knight in many ways but lacks the support of the city's "who's who" crowd. Trust me, this guy would go a long way to creating a young and intelligent counsel of the future. The great thing about it is that he's in Kimberly's district so it'll cost about as much as a Sonic "Cherry Lime-Aid" to get him elected next term!
Now, before anyone gets their feathers ruffled...keep in mind that I'm just a poor share cropper from the back woods of Georgia and these are only my observations. Albeit qualified truthful observations, still just observations.
Pig in a suit Part I
I guess using the word suit is a stretch because he never dresses to the occasion but anyway... It was just before the Tillotson campaign and a few invited guest were asked to have a nice lunch in Desoto to support Joe in a much anticipated ( and begged for ) race for Mayor. For reasons that still perplex me today, Tommy received an invite, and therefor me (because he was subject to piss someone off and I needed to be there to "smooth his rough edges." Oh yeah, his son also came. Why you ask? Me too!
Anyway, Tommy (true to form) proceeds to make irrelevant comments, make an embarrassingly unnecessary offer to give 20K to Joe's campaign, and complains about Lancaster, the city manager, and anything else he could think of all during the lunch. Hoping for a fire that would facilitate our expedient exit, I sat and smiled while he threw out promises like they were candy. All the while knowing he had no intention to make good. In fact, the next time you see Joe, ask him how much Tommy gave to his last campaign? You know what he'll say? He won't answer, because Joe unlike Tommy has class. I'll tell you though, (cause I don't) Nothing, Nada, Zero "zilch". Just goes to show you can't trust a Pig in a Suit...
Anyway, Tommy (true to form) proceeds to make irrelevant comments, make an embarrassingly unnecessary offer to give 20K to Joe's campaign, and complains about Lancaster, the city manager, and anything else he could think of all during the lunch. Hoping for a fire that would facilitate our expedient exit, I sat and smiled while he threw out promises like they were candy. All the while knowing he had no intention to make good. In fact, the next time you see Joe, ask him how much Tommy gave to his last campaign? You know what he'll say? He won't answer, because Joe unlike Tommy has class. I'll tell you though, (cause I don't) Nothing, Nada, Zero "zilch". Just goes to show you can't trust a Pig in a Suit...
Even I make mistakes...
Yes folks, even I make boo boo's. The last post was about another, yes another Tommy Tompkins all together! I should have known by the fact that this developer wasn't guilty.
Look what I found kids!
Could it be? That was the first thought I had when this link was sent to me from someone that wishes to remain "Deep Throat"ish. A "Tommy" Tompkins cleared of contempt charges in a case involving potential theft and misdealing? They mention local landmarks and people that have historically done business with him. I wonder, could it be that he's always been a crook?
Check it out Tommy's Tompkins
Check it out Tommy's Tompkins
To Anonymous with love...
Although I'm fairly sure that the comment on the last post was made by Topletz, I also feel that it has a point or two that need to be addressed. First of all, to all that were confused about the Tompkins/Topletz connection to Ten Mile or the post's address at TenMileCrook , the name was selected for its "catchiness" not their involvement in the Ten Mile Creek subdivision. I'm pretty sure they were screwing someone else when that was built. However, in answer to your question pertaining to the way it should have been done...
The developer would have submitted a preliminary plat for city review in an open meeting called a DRC. DRC's being a very serious time for plat review, the city would have reviewed various aspects of the plat to insure compliance to the existing city ordinances of that day. Depending on comments made by several experts in varied fields of engineering, the developer would modify the plat to conform then move for approval. The city then makes recommendations to the planning and zoning board which votes the development in or out. ( Keeping in mind that ANY plat submitted within conformity without waivers HAS to be approved for plat. However, if the project doesn't conform to the city's Master Plan for zoning it can be turned down on that alone. Think... The Preserve.
Now, how did Lancaster find itself swimming in their own living rooms a few years back? Well..that one was the city's fault as far as I can see. The developer of that project must have needed waivers to build off the creek in what's considered "property subject to 100-year flood." In fact, any land which in its natural state is subject to that 100 year flood potential or cannot be properly drained usually isn't subject to proper subdivision without such waivers. The storm drainage plan for the city was all but obsolete if it even existed, and the developer probably knew it but what do you expect. If you think one of these guys is going to do the right thing you're already in trouble! The short answer is that the city wasn't prepared for the flood because the past city ordinances and subdivision design guidelines weren't sufficient. I think, in a city that had gone without development for so long, the idea of these great homes on Ten Mile Creek sounded good and that's as far as the review went...
The developer would have submitted a preliminary plat for city review in an open meeting called a DRC. DRC's being a very serious time for plat review, the city would have reviewed various aspects of the plat to insure compliance to the existing city ordinances of that day. Depending on comments made by several experts in varied fields of engineering, the developer would modify the plat to conform then move for approval. The city then makes recommendations to the planning and zoning board which votes the development in or out. ( Keeping in mind that ANY plat submitted within conformity without waivers HAS to be approved for plat. However, if the project doesn't conform to the city's Master Plan for zoning it can be turned down on that alone. Think... The Preserve.
Now, how did Lancaster find itself swimming in their own living rooms a few years back? Well..that one was the city's fault as far as I can see. The developer of that project must have needed waivers to build off the creek in what's considered "property subject to 100-year flood." In fact, any land which in its natural state is subject to that 100 year flood potential or cannot be properly drained usually isn't subject to proper subdivision without such waivers. The storm drainage plan for the city was all but obsolete if it even existed, and the developer probably knew it but what do you expect. If you think one of these guys is going to do the right thing you're already in trouble! The short answer is that the city wasn't prepared for the flood because the past city ordinances and subdivision design guidelines weren't sufficient. I think, in a city that had gone without development for so long, the idea of these great homes on Ten Mile Creek sounded good and that's as far as the review went...
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