"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Encroachment

 Encroachment is an intrusion, usually unwelcome, into the space of another

It had to happen sometime I guess.

Less than a mile from our home, a brand new three hundred home subdivision is going in.

Goodbye to the sounds of cows mooing and roosters crowing.

When we moved to Charlotte fifteen years ago we both knew that we didn't want to live in Charlotte. 

We wanted to be close enough to take advantage of her opportunities but far enough away to live a small, quiet country life.  The neighborhood we live in is modestly sized.  Most homes are about 2,000sq ft and sit on 1/2 acre lots.   

Ironically, if the Great Recession hadn't have hit when it did we would have had an "Eco-Sustainable" community built on that same patch of land.  Supposedly they were planning orchards, community plots for gardens and a "solar farm".  SM and were excited by this possibility. 

Blume Eco-Sustainable

So much for good intentions.

Obviously things fell through with that plan and now there's a new builder currently bulldozing every tree, bush and shrub available.  Earth movers start humming at 7am and you can hear a wood chipper grinding.  Dump trucks crawl in and roll out constantly. 

Here's a snippet from the press release back in September 2013.

M/I Homes intends to build 297 homes on 225 acres of beautiful, rolling farmland.  Nearly 50 percent of the site will be permanently preserved as common open space to create a beautiful landscape for the community. 

Prices have not been finalized but are expected to range from the $200s to the $500s.  Amenities will include a pool, cabana, walking trails and playground.  Buyers can choose from a wide variety of home styles, ranging from about 2,000 to more than 6,000 square feet.  Both ranches and two-story homes will be available.

At first, SM and I were not at all happy about this.  We didn't say anything to each other just watched all the activity as we drove by.  Considering.

One Sunday morning we started discussing the pros and cons of staying in our home.  I expect our conversation was mirrored in just about every house nearby.  I don't see any For Sale signs cropping up yet. 

We talked about moving out further.  Towns like Shelby, Hendersonville, Rutherfordton were tossed out.  Maybe Spruce Pine where we stayed a few months ago on our Fall road trip.  SM can work anywhere.  The problem would be me.  I work in a pretty specialized field and unless I want to change career paths and downsize too, than I need to be near a major city.

We talked about the traffic congestion.  How it's already bad and likely to get much worse.  The two country roads that hug our neighborhood will no doubt be widened to support the influx of traffic.  Knowing the county we live in that construction will no doubt happen later than sooner. 

Our neighborhood is already being used as a cut-through by a another neighborhood.  Fortunately the street we live on is not one of them.  But still.

We talked about the fact that 2 corners of the intersection near us are zoned for commercial development.  Gas station?  Grocery store?  Walmart?  Who knows. 

I searched online for more information.  Not much out there yet.  I went to Town Hall thinking that they'd have something to hand out.  No.  But I could set up a meeting with someone who could show me the community plans. 

Nah.  Don't bother. I'll see it soon enough.

I was close to calling a realtor.  But cooler heads prevailed.  Namely SM who wisely pointed out that it will take a year or two for everything to be completed.  That it might actually benefit our home value and make our neighborhood even more desirable.

Maybe. 

Our house needs a lot of renovation.  New windows, appliances, flooring.  The Master bath needs to be finished.  I really want an extended hard top back porch area with all the trimmings.  The exterior needs repainted. 

I really hate to do all these updates only to turn around and sell it but isn't that the way it usually goes?  

We'll wait and see for now.  Moving costs money.  And we're happy here.  Big lot.  Nice house.  Good neighbors.  SM tells me to take my little half acre and enjoy it. 

Mmph.

We'll see.


5 comments:

  1. When the economy crashes eventually you can walk around in all of those then empty houses and marvel at the luxury.

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  2. 300 homes on 225 acres doesn't sound like a lot of space will be left for all those "open spaces", but who knows, there ARE some really beautifully planned subdivisions that I've seen put in where we used to live. Still, more people means more congestion. I do wonder why they would start such a development now. Maybe they actually believe the news / gov't when they say we've been in a recovery.

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  3. This is the kind of thing we all dread. At least it isn't a 297 unit mobile home park. It will definitely mean more traffic, assuming these plans don't fall through too.

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  4. We are planning to rent for a year once we move up there to make sure we are where we want to be. We, like you, don't want to be near any big city. At least you have time to think about what you want to do.

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  5. Oh, no! The owner of the GD gravel mine down my road has grand plans on smoothing it over and selling it to a developer. The only plus, in a manner of speaking, is that no one in their right mind would develop there. Or so I hope.

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