When Will We Wake Up To This Clear Cutting Of Trees!

[Kim Brown]

If we work together we can stop these developers from encroaching on areas of wildlife and green space. Who in the world wants to live on .2 acres and not have one mature tree in sight. FOR WHAT REASON! STOP CUTTING TREES AND DESTROYING THE BEAUTY! WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER STRIP MALL OF ANY TYPE! How about a beautiful park in the town donated and funded by developers. They must be held accountable or you can write ordinances all day long. We need a petition signed and I will be first.

[Scott Meyers]

How about if YOU want a park, then YOU pay for it.

Guess what- those developers buy land from farmers, and if they are forced to "donate and build a park" then the farmers receive a lot less money for their land.

But hey- I'm sure you have never owned more than 1 acre in your entire life so it's pretty easy to say "let the evil developers pay for my open space and recreation!"

Let me guess- you moved to waxhaw from somewhere in the northeast a few years ago, because of the rural lifestyle, and now you are horrified to learn that open space BELONGS to someone and they might build houses on it!

Your hypocrisy is disgusting. Go back home, Yankee.

[trees are good]

Obviousely, Scott, you are not open to dialoge on this topic and are completely shut off to any discussion as to how we could WORK TOGETHER regarding the destruction of so many trees at one time. There is indeed much for us to learn and appreciate about trees. They are an incredible benefit to our environment. From the perspective of arboriculture, if you desired to educated yourself that is, you would be quite impressed with what trees bring to this planet. For example, just a simple benefit like keeping our air cleaner and adding moisture, naturally, to our environment. Or, the many thousands of other creatures that benefit and depends on the trees for survival.(Side note, are you a hunter, do you sit in a tree stand.) OR the simple fact of the shade they provide for us. Oh, isn't that a thought!! Let's spend hundreds of dollars on electricity to cool our homes....or plant a tree for natural shading. You have to admit, it is something we need to ask ourselves...is clear cutting really good for the long haul, the big picture. REMEMBER also that it is individuals make up a community. And by the way, we all are immigrants to some degree, if you really think about it. My grandparents came into America through Ellis Island, during the great depression. And fully committed themselves and their lives to the USA and served our county, as did my father serve in the US Navy. But, from your perspective, because I am different, and orignially from here, maybe I need to go back to Russia. Let's really THINK through some of these comments.

[Laurie W]

Scott, that ain't no example of Southern gentility! I hope you know how to speak nicer than that or I'd say you sounded like a New Yorker.

My family's been in the south since the 1600s; how's that for not being a Yank? But I've lived all over -- Europe, the Northeast, California, and North Carolina & I've NEVER seen a more beautiful place than our state, anywhere on the planet. You think all the money flowing in here for land is new & different? Let me tell you, son, it's an old story -- in fact, many non-southerners move here to escape the mess they've made wherever they're from. Overdevelopment; trees & wildlife gone, replaced by condos, malls, roads & cranky crowded people. Taxes to support the whole thing. Who gets rich off this? Developers & a few landowners. They take their money, laughing all the way to the bank at us rednecks who don't have the sense to preserve the great beauty God gave us. And then they move on to the next bunch of rubes once they've used up all the land here. That doesn't mean NO development -- but it does mean we should be a whole lot smarter & not let developers design OUR hometowns. WE'RE the ones who have to live with it, not them, you can believe that. It's happened a lot of other places. And, chew on this: farmers don't make less money selling out for crammed-in development. People pay a large premium to live where it's green, less crowded & quiet -- so they'll pay more for less land. And housing values STAY higher. Look at fancy towns all over the country: Greenwich CT, Buckead in Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Gross Pointe Mich., all have large lots & cost a heck of a lot more per acre than a place with 10 houses per acre.

[Scott Meyers]

Laurie, you obviously know nothing about land prices in the area.
Go down to the border of mecklenburg county and union county, along new town rd.
The land on the mecklenburg county side of the line goes for around 400,000 dollars per acre. But if you go just 20 feet into union county, the land is only worth about 75,000 dollars an acre.
Why? Because mecklenburg county allows higher density than 1 house per acre, thus a developer can afford to pay more for the land if they can put three houses on it.
According to YOUR logic, however, the land in union county (just 20 feet away, mind you) should be worth MORE per acre because it is greener, less crowded, and more quiet.
How do you sleep at night, knowing your "smart growth" bull can't stand up to reality?
Hell, according to you, if we make the minimum lot size 20 acres per house, then the land should be worth more than solid gold!
And I hate to tell you, but Union County is not Greenwich, Beverly Hills, or Grosse Pointe. It's not Manhattan either, but I can see how since your argument has fallen flat on its face you try to pick the most extreme hosuing markets and use them to show why union county should have stricter development rules.
Let me guess- you're the president of your subdivision's homeowners' association, aren't you?

[Laurie W]

Scott, there are 4 reasons for property to maintain a higher value -- it's convenient to where you want to go; schools are very good; its atmosphere is pleasant, safe & livable; and supply is smaller than demand.

In Union County the 1st one's getting there, with roads being widened & built & 485 extending. Schools in Union are better than Meck's. If we crowd as many houses as we can fit onto each acre, clear out the natural greenery & put a little stick tree in each yard, build a mall every 2 miles, this area will look like all the rest & be no more desirable to buyers moving up. That's ok for somebody who wants his money NOW & plans to use it to move somewhere nicer. I'm speaking for us who can't do that. Over the long term those houses will not increase in value as fast as ones where lots are larger, there's more privacy & it's shady and pretty. I used the examples I did as illustrations of areas of continued high value amid densely populated towns where property sells for less. Look up polls -- you'll find in each place, that's why buyers go there -- or aspire to. These conditions give a cachet, which is worth money.

In ten years you won't recognize land values in our part of Union County. As it is developed & supply dwindles, if the other conditions remain good, demand will grow while supply decreases. Would you have predicted 10 yrs ago that prices here would be what they are now?

Where I live, we don't even have an HOA, sorry about that. I'm just an old(ish!) critter who grew up in a small town surrounded by farms, near a bigger city -- after most of a lifetime since spent in & near big urban centers with traffic, frustration, expenses, high taxes, not knowing neighbors, I found I like it better where I started. Thought I'd found it here and don't want to lose it.

[Scott Meyers]

You "don't want to lose it" but you don't want to pay for it either.

Here's an idea- if you live next to a big farm and want to keep the rural "look and feel" why don't you offer to buy the farmer's land at current market prices?

Oh wait- that would actually cost you money. It's much easier to try and change zoning rules so the farmer can never develop his land.

[Curt Gillock]

If you own the property you can cut it at your discretion its as simple as that. No one has any say in what a property owner does with his trees.

[Tired of Excuses]

Curt Gillock wrote:

If you own the property you can cut it at your discretion its as simple as that. No one has any say in what a property owner does with his trees.

Sorry Curt,you are wrong,since the tree hugging transplants have arrived,WE have lost all property rights,because the southerners dont show there a--es,therefore you grease a squeaky wheel to shut it up,so thats whats being done here,I say let them squeak,maybe they will wear out and hit the road!!!!!

[Scott Meyers]

Tired of Excuses,

You are correct. Most towns in union county have ridiculously long "tree ordinances" that wont allow you to cut down a single tree without paying a fine.

[Curt Gillock]

Tired of Excuses wrote:

<quoted text>Sorry Curt,you are wrong,since the tree hugging transplants have arrived,WE have lost all property rights,because the southerners dont show there a--es,therefore you grease a squeaky wheel to shut it up,so thats whats being done here,I say let them squeak,maybe they will wear out and hit the road!!!!!

And this will continue as long as we keep electing carpetbaggers.

[Tired of Excuses]

Curt Gillock wrote:

<quoted text>
And this will continue as long as we keep electing carpetbaggers.

It seems like they have us out numbered,people with common sense dont stand a chance,seems like the ones that gets elected is the whiners,probaly to shut them up.

[REBEL ROUSER]

A carpetbagger,is that someone from the north with a big Mouth and little money?

[tom in waxhaw]

The more trees that are cleared for more residential development, actually leads to more northerners/carpetbaggers relocating to the area. The state and local realators are always advertising for people to come to the state. They usually sell NC based on the environment. But all you are starting to see anymore are a bunch of ugly developments where every house looks the same and you can practically touch your neighbors house from your window. So if native NC keep selling their land to developers for quick profit, we are going to keep getting more northerners moving to the area. By the way, trees rule.

[BeeHee]

Oh you guys are funny. Fight amongst yourselves. I see some of you realize that this is a two way street and that some level of compromise is needed for realistic solutions. I recently relocated from Chicago, by way of St Louis, Nashville, Albuquerque and Tulsa but raised in TN. I have seen both worlds and while trees are great, but there needs to be some developing in this state. I don't know why anyone would choose to live here for long if you are raising a family. There are little resources and the schools get half the scores that Chicago gets. This place could use some more Fortune 500 companies, not just 7, I think was the last total I read. There is a dire need for more recreational spots. How about a real zoo that isn't 2 hours from Charlotte. How about some real museums and theaters. An aquarium? Nicer parks with safe gym equipment. Higher standards in education without paying for private schools. As someone who grew up in a small town, I see it all too well. You grow up not knowing your options and what the rest of the world is like and get blindsided when you finally see what everyone else already knows. Big businesses bring big jobs with big payrolls that attract employees who are educated and worked hard to be good at what they do and thus can choose the jobs they want. They also (because of thier salary)usually have more $$ to spend and drive a city's economy. The more the city has to offer, the more attractive it is for the companies and people who can afford to choose where they live, versus just living there because it is all they can afford or all they know. Make sense? Keep in mind, diversity is the key. Keep some acreage and develop some too. Not everyone wants to live in the city and not everyone wants to live like Grizzly Adams. Again, diversity is the key. And this whole yankee thing....please tell me the civil war is over. I mean, really. These blanket accusations cannot apply to everyone who was raised north of the Mason Dixon. That just doesn't make sense anymore than saying everyone born in the south likes grits or is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Nothing wrong with either, but southerners aren't stupid because they are from the south, and northerners aren't concrete loving a-holes just because they live in Boston or some other northern city. I am sure someone will just rip me a new one for this post, but I can't understand why people can't see the forest for the trees, no pun intended.:) Carry on.....

[MrAmerica]

here we have the people who claim to be southerners who want to develoup the land thier ancestors purchased for next to nothing,and sell it for it at maximum price jaming as many houses on it as possible just for the maximum profit! And becuase thier elected officals say no to that we want balance to our community they cry like babies and blame the people who have raised the prices for them in the first place. The people of the south are just like the people of the north they want what is good for them and f**k every one else. Its the American way dont try to blame the notherners because they have been doing it for years making money and living big lives while you have been eating grits and picking up chicken sh*t thats your fault stupid rednecks.

[TIRED OF EXCUSES]

MrAmerica wrote:

here we have the people who claim to be southerners who want to develoup the land thier ancestors purchased for next to nothing,and sell it for it at maximum price jaming as many houses on it as possible just for the maximum profit! And becuase thier elected officals say no to that we want balance to our community they cry like babies and blame the people who have raised the prices for them in the first place. The people of the south are just like the people of the north they want what is good for them and f**k every one else. Its the American way dont try to blame the notherners because they have been doing it for years making money and living big lives while you have been eating grits and picking up chicken sh*t thats your fault stupid rednecks.

What a whiney yank,get your mouth off your mothers ------,and move back where you came from,or have you spent all yor parents money.

[myamphibian]

It's a fine time to start complaining about development. Retail stores and service establishments follow residential construction. The imbalance in the tax base here worries me more than the cutting of trees. You can re-plant trees, but once you shun the business community, it's practically impossible to get them back. The only commercial development will be multi-family and more pizza joints. Which is great for property values I suppose, but rough on traffic, school overcrowding, and overall quality of life. I would rather live in a trailer on my own property than pay rent, but that isnt the mentality of the transplants that are trying to take over. I guess only the rich and priveledged should own their own homes. Laurie, we all love trees. But one of the neatest things about a tree is what you can make after you cut it down. another is the fact that you can buy and plant new ones. Using terms like clear cutting sounds alot like environmentalist wacko lingo to go along with mr america's blatant bigotry toward southern fare. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto.