Tear Downs on 30-A?

[Mermaid]

My parents live in Naples now. They've been going tear down crazy there for years and it's really escalated in the past two years or so. Ranch houses from the 50s and 60s are been leveled to make way for McMansions.

It made me think, has this started on 30-A? I know there are tear downs caused by Mother Nature, but are there any deliberate ones? I've never really paid much attention. I see there's lots of new construction, but is it all "virgin" land that's being used for building?

 

[SlowMovin]

I think it has mostly been virgin land, but those days are close to over. There ain't many virgins left, but there are a lot of "razers" out there.

Look at it this way...let's say you own a nice, basic 3-BR/2-BA ranch a short walk to the beach with a Gulf view built in the late-90s. Several years ago you gritted your teeth and paid, oh, $250 K for the place (lotta money in those days).

Now you got realtors telling you they can get you anywhere from $900 K to $1.2 M for the place. In my opinion, any buyer in that range is buying the lot, not the structure on the lot. My guess is they will bulldoze your nothing-fancy-but-still-a-nice-little-place and build their own McMansion (as people like to call them).

Kinda puts a whole new perspective on the idea of doing things like adding a deck or a pool or finishing a garage because you think it will increase the resale value, huh?

 

[RB]

believe or not there has already been one tear down in Rosemary Beach. About two years ago someone bought a house one off the beach for a little over $2 mil. and tore it down. The house was a beautiful 3 year old 3000 s.f. home. The one that took its place is even nicer.

 

[Smiling JOe]

It is usually easier and cheaper to buy a vacant lot and build, rather than tearing down a house and hauling it away. There are places in Destin where there are not many lots available, so if someone wants to build there, they have to buy a house and level it before building. I have seen it done. Actually, I know a guy who bought a house on the Harbour in Oct '04 for $895K with leveling it in mind. He tore it down and cleared the lot in order to build a new home. In December '04, before construction began, someone offered him over $1.2M for the lot. He refused and built his own house.

 

[Mermaid]

Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

 

[bsmart]

It is usually easier and cheaper to buy a vacant lot and build, rather than tearing down a house and hauling it away.

You are correct. I am a proponent of re-development over new development especially when it comes to commercial development. For instance, in my community here in Atlanta, a K-mart store closed about two years ago and when this happened all of the tenants of the same shopping complex jumped ship and went elsewhere. Across the street from this abandoned center--which by now is an area riddled with all classifications of crime, was a large expansive acreage of beautiful old growth hardwood trees. Well the gorcer Kroger comes into the picture, and a developer levels this beautiful piece of property with the large expanse of trees and the nice stream, instead of the eyesore across the street. Why? Because it was cheaper and easier. There are so many redtape obstacles that must be overcome when one approaches re-development projects, especially when they are for commercial use. I ask myself, what are we doing? I am not a staunch environmentalist, I just think that there is a much better way of doing things, if not for the love of the environment, at least for an appreciation of the aesthetic beauty of our natural areas.

 

[DBOldford]

This happened on Hwy. 331 in DeFuniak on what was once a beautiful, pine tree-lined drive out of town Two huge "big box" strip commercial centers went in when only one was needed. Now the one that attracted a Publix is filled, to the neglect of what was once a bustling little Main Street downtown, and the big box across the highway sits empty and dilapidated. Yet they keep approving new commercial development on that highway instead of encouraging in-fill in those underused areas. The problem comes in with zoning. If the land has already been zoned commercial, the City's hands are pretty much tied in terms of saying "no" to development proposals that are consistent with the zoning. The solution is to avoid rezoning properties until there is a specific development proposal that is consistent with the City's vision for that area. This is usually predicated by the General Plan Land Use Element. Unfortunately, Walton County was a late bloomer in the area of planning and only started with same with the advent of Seaside. That's also how we got all those ugly highrise buildings in Blue Mountain and Seagrove...spot zoning when the world seemed a more benign place.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Smart & Donna, you both bring up some good points. The (human) falling of trees truly makes me boil. I'm sure it's all about the dollar, but can't something be done to save trees instead of clearing the entire parcel of land? Also...I've always wondered how and when the high rises were built on 30-A...what's the story?

 

[bsmart]

Often times, a county will enact an ordinance which states that for every tree knocked down, one to three new trees must be planted in its place on the site of the new development. This may deter the developer from knocking down as many trees for the devopment. There is a county ordinance where I live in Atlanta which states that three trees for every one knocked down must be planted. But I wonder who is keeping tabs? Also, a parking lot filled with scrawny Bradford Pear trees does not come close to a grove of old growth oak trees. Besides, it only takes a strong summer thunderstorm to break a couple of these newly planted trees, and from then on out the entire planting is neglected and the people who are suppose to be enforcing the ordinance just let it slide.

 

[TooFarTampa]

It's clear to me that the vast majority of developers can and will do whatever is easiest for them to make a buck (ask me how I know :roll. There are a few good ones who do things carefully and with good will toward the neighborhood ... but most won't do this on their own. That's why we need a strong county government. Seems to me that they are getting a lot more tax dollars right now than ever ... maybe it's time to get them to tighten their restrictions -- NO wetlands building!! NO increased density!! etc. etc.

Cindy Meadows, are you listening?