Corrupt People's Republic of Montgomery County - The Latest

The Washington Post ^ | Thursday, June 8, 2006 | Miranda S. Spivack

[khnyny]

CHEVY CHASE Panel Says House Is Over the Line Unhappy Neighbors Want Walls Moved

By Miranda S. Spivack Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, June 8, 2006; Page B02

Marianne and Marc Duffy say their dream home renovation in Chevy Chase has turned into a suburban nightmare. Their neighbors say the Duffys intentionally flouted building rules when they expanded their $725,000 house on Thornapple Street and have no one to blame but themselves.

Yesterday, a Montgomery County appeals board reaffirmed an earlier ruling that the Duffys had rebuilt their house too close to the street and to neighbors. The Duffys say the decision leaves them two choices: Move the house a few feet at a cost of $100,000 or continue an expensive battle in court.

Marianne and Marc Duffy's house, seen from the rear, is too close to the street and to neighbors, an appeals board says. (Photos By Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)

"My husband and I did nothing wrong, and literally, our property was taken," Marianne Duffy said.

[khnyny]

Jane Mayer - one of the neighbors complaining the loudest regarding this family's predicament (due to Montgomery County) is a reporter for the "New Yawker" now. She co-wrote an "interesting" book back in 1994, which really was a hit piece on Chief Justice Clarence Thomas, called: "Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas" by Jane Mayer, Jill Abramson

Ms. Mayer's husband is William Hamilton, an editor at the Washington Post.

The other people involved are equally "illustrious" in their own pretentious, sad little way.

I guess that about says it all.

[George - the Other]

"My husband and I did nothing wrong, and literally, our property was taken,"

When I lived in Montgomery County, I befriended a young man who's parents fled Cuba after Castro took over. He said almost those very same words about his father, who had been a successful businessman in Cuba - that Castro came along and stole everything his father had worked hard for (I read a story recently where Castro has now made Forbes billionaire list ... so much for the promise of Socialism).

Roland, my friend, said that after fleeing Cuba, his father settled in Aspen Hill, began his life over, and once again, through hard work and courage, became a successful businessman :)

Hooray for America - Hooray for Freedom!

[khnyny]

Good for your friend and his family. Some of the hardest working, honest people in America are of Cuban descent who fled in terror from Castro. The stats on the percentage who are entrepreneurs is staggering.

Montgomery County really has some of the stupidest, most corrupt people at the helm at virtually every level. It is notoriously liberal and so are most of the people who live there. I am so thankful to live in Virginia.

[khnyny]

This story written by the Washington Post appeared on the front page of The Drudge Report too.

http://www.drudgereport.com/

I still can't believe Jane Mayer wrote that stupid book which trashes a sitting Chief Justice. I didn't make the connection, but my brilliant husband did the minute he read the name.

[freespirited]

The problem can be fixed for 100K? Great! Let Montgomery County pay the money. This problem is the fault of their bureaucrats who issued the permits. They screwed up, they should take responsibility for their mistakes.

Isn't Montgomery County MD known as one of the country's biggest tax hells? Time to fork over a little of those taxes to make good on their goof.

[khnyny]

Yeah, it's a tax hell alright. Not only is MC one of the highest regions in the country for property taxes, but they are taxing businesses to death too, and have seen business flee as a result. Dumbsh*ts.

[dagogo redux]

I grew up a few miles from Chevy Chase, but that's neither here nor there.

Twice in my life I've had my property values ruined by neighbors building massive, oversize monstrosities way over the easements. I guess they just figured, both real arrogant construction/developer dudes who must have known they were in violation, that no one could get them to move it once it was done. Sued both times and won. I'm not happy about having to go that route, but the substantial damage to my property's value could not be rectified in any other way without forcing them to re-build their bloated structure to a smaller scale. So I've got no sympathy for these folks. Sounds like they are simply in violation, and the laws are being enforced.

[Fruitbat]

Yeah, and complicating the matter is the fact that everyone in the DC area thinks that they're more important than anyone around them. That's one enormous drawback of living in the region. If you live there, in order to maintain sanity, I've always held the belief that you have to get the hell outta there frequently to "normal America."

[Fruitbat]

They also say they have been treated differently from big builders.

They need bigger knee pads.

[khnyny]

The house is BUILT ON THE SAME FOOTPRINT as the old house which was built in 1923. It is a TECHNICALITY in the law, which was changed many years later, after 1923 when the house was built. The neighbors legal stance is that the Duffy's did not do this renovation in "stages", because if they had (which they say they did, and had county approval for, btw), the neighbors and the county have no legal recourse.

From the article:

[Building regulations enacted long after the house was built in 1923 require houses to be farther from the street and from neighbors. A renovation means the house can stay where it is; a new home would have to be sited differently on the lot.]

[khnyny]

[They also say they have been treated differently from big builders.
They need bigger knee pads.]

Google "clarksburg, maryland" and read all the info about the corruption involving building permits. In this one development alone, there are over 500. No developer/builder has ever had to tear down or even move one house. It was and continues to be a huge scandal.

Builders and developers donate lots of $$$ to politicians and political campaigns.

[Intolerant in NJ]

...ruled against the Duffys, saying their house is seven feet too close to the street and two feet too close to the Mayer-Hamilton property line...wow, two whole feet! - the tolerant, open-minded, diversity-loving people of Montgomery County really do seem to put strict adherence to a lot of essentially arbitrary rules before harmonious relationships and personal satisfaction - there's a planned community there in the County which raises this to a new high - every home repair or improvement made must be first reviewed by the community's architectural review panel, including a public hearing attended by the homeowner and contractor - even down to such details as what kind of external light fixtures can be used (all must be the virtually the same) and what color the front door can be painted (to match the original decor of the development - which might have been determined by what colors and types of paint the contractors got the best deal on) - when our own town fathers start to impose such terrible policies as no tree larger than twenty inches in diameter can be cut down without a permit, I visit the community's web page to remind myself of just how bad it could really be.....

[khnyny]

Your points about Montgomery County's "image" are right on target. Indeed, MC promotes itself, like you said, as some kind of tolerant, open-minded, diversity-loving utopia where the liberal elites love to congregate. The reality is actually far different. My personal experience has been that liberals don't "tolerate" anything or anyone that doesn't fall lock-step with their own ideology. The left especially despise politically conservative, (perhaps Republican, gasp) religious (perhaps Christian, double gasp) people whose value systems question the liberal/elitist psuedo superior stances.


Lol, yes, the good ol' "architectural review board". These boards are examples of what can happen when some people get a little power - and it isn't pretty. Oftentimes, these boards turn into gestapos, headed by some neonazi-like character who vaguely resembles the Kansas City serial killer.