A developer just bought the property next door

[clanter]

@Rackonteur

Also ask about light pollution if they plan parking lot lights and floodlights and security lights. A church where I used to live planned new lighting for its parking lot until neighbors in nearby houses complained. That is why the church has such a dark parking lot – but it’s worth it! Especially as some of the people in those houses go to that church.

a church I belonged to want to put in a softball field with lights, the locals resisted until I looked up the zoning of the church’s land which was ag… and allowed pigs. So rather than a softball field we proposed a 4-H type project which would have had pigs… softball field with lights was built with limitation on night use

[clanter]

@hosspuller

Since you are on a private road, there must be easements and covenants for its use and maintenance. Otherwise explore state maintenance and conditions required for the number of homes served.

Normally a street or road has to built to specific minimum standard otherwise it would never be accepted as a town/city or state maintained roadway

Just because a developer builds it does not mean it would ever be accepted into any maintenance program.

[lorilu]

If it’s a private road, the OWNERS of the road have to give easement to him… jsut say no!! Unless, of course, the road already serves the undeveloped property. Then he must pay for upgrades it seems to me…

[Lord_Helpus]

I think the best thing you can do right now is to put up a FOR SALE sign and plan to get the hell outta Dodge before the plans become firm. At this point you can still say that the new owner has not received any OK’s from the zoning, environmental, etc boards. Soon, you will not be able to say that. I do not know how much equity you have in your farm, but it could disappear once construction starts.

[clanter]

@alteringwego

Do any of you live in an area where a development or new construction had to adhere to increased set backs or the developer had to buffer the property because your were agricultural? My point to the aldermen has been that it puts an undue hardship on agricultural farms to buffer themselves because of their size. However, when the developer has to build the buffer, in the grand scheme of construction costs, it’s nothing. Also trying to get the town to require increased setbacks when dense developments go in next to ag properties. Currently, with this zoning classification, they only require 25 feet. Not to mention that my home is only about 15 feet from the property line and has sat there since the 1940s.

to address this question… zoning regulations have to fairly applied, there is a “uniformity clause” of the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act to ensure that all similar properties are treated similarly

I was on a P&Z board for ten years, I cannot recall if it is even legal for additional setbacks to be required for a developer

in the grand scheme of construction costs, it’s nothing.

it is the good old Depends answer as here as in many places raw land if sold by the square foot rather than acres or sections

they only require 25 feet. Not to mention that my home is only about 15 feet from the property line and has sat there since the 1940s

very possible that when the house was built it was centered in the property, nevertheless your home most likely is grandfathered as if most likely was there before the setbacks were set at 25 feet . Even if you could convince the P&B board to updated the setback to 100 feet your home would still be legal as it would be grandfathered.

as others have suggested plant a buffer of coniferous trees

[clanter]

@JanM

When I lived in Colorado, new subdivisions of thousands of houses on former ranch land that required infrastructure resulted in higher taxes for the new residents to pay for schools, sewer and water installation, streets, etc. So the developer didn’t care at all. However, many people didn’t realize this, especially because we had so many people new to the area, and would buy and then get their tax assessment, with the extra tacked on. It was shocking to many of them.

here those would be Impact Fees and front loaded to the project that is why people are buying older homes then remodeling with a bulldozer as those lots are not subject to any impact fees since all utilities are in place and curb cuts have been made

as note:

SO what they were able to do was get the City to restrict the amount of homes being build. So the original developer pulled out because it wasn’t enough to make him rich.

many developers are women, just as all doctors are not men not all developers are men either

[Snaffle_Lass]

Literal nightmare scenario. I don’t know as much about zoning and buffers as other commentors, just wanted to chip in re fencing for your new neighbors. With lots of family homes in the area, I’d be worried about dogs chasing your horses and otherwise messing around your property, people feeding the horses without permission, people (children AND adults) trespassing to pet the pretty ponies, etc. I’ve heard multiple stories of parents trespassing so their children can ride, without permission. If you stay there and the property is developed, I’d personally want a double fence/pasture buffer with something like v-mesh on the outside and No Trespassing signs posted. That’s kind of expensive to install, but I’m paranoid.