Posted on 10/30/2006 11:16:30 AM PST by dave k
Cul-de-sacs are getting cul-de-sacked.
Cities across the country including many in Minnesota are declaring war on the stubby dead-end streets that are icons of suburban life. Northfield has virtually banned cul-de-sacs, and many new suburban projects limit or eliminate them.
"Why would anyone do that?" asked Sherri Fassbender, 41, on Thursday as she watched her children cavort on the quiet expanse of street that is her Woodbury cul-de-sac. "You'd have to be crazy not to want to live on a cul-de-sac."
Families love them and officials hate them for the same reason. Cul-de-sacs limit connections to the outside community, creating an enclave for residents.
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1670281/posts
Both stories refer to Minnesota; there must be some sort of effort to convert MN to some socialistic society in which we all live in our designated squares of property and submit to mass transit (light rail for those of you familiar with Jason Lewis' pet topic). Of course, then I think of what this state has produced in terms of politics/liberal mindset: Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, Al Franken, Paul Wellstone, Mark Dayton....ok, I digress...
I thought this was a joke at first...I cannot believe that there is an effort to BAN cul-de-sacs because the are not conducive to some socialistic agenda. First the schools were highjacked by teacher unions and their socialist agenda, now the city councils across that state are poisoned by this mind-set.
I am at a loss...
before they got trendy, we used to call them 'dead ends'.
Well as I live on a nice quiet cul de sac, such legislation will only serve to make my property more rare, and valuable, hence driving up my property values.
That's to bad.
I have always been fortunate to live in one through out my life.
If they do put an end to them I wonder how long before the Govt. decides the old ones gotta go too and some folks lose property or life long homes to open up the roads.
ass of a bag is the translation.. at least that's what it comes out to in French Canadian.. 7th --> 12th grade for me...
But when you try to dress up your subdivision with a little dimestore French, you gotta take your chances.
I don't care for cul-de-sacs because you don't wind up with neighborhoods, just one main street and maybe a stub or two off it around where I live. Gone are the days of true neighborhoods, with parks, and such.. Just one main street maybe one or two little stubs and a total of maybe 20-30 houses.
I am not advocating their banning by planners, just my personal preferrence is I don't care much for them.
I really don't see the appeal of this 'new urbanism' bs. I guess people are buying them, but I don't understand it.
Casinos.
Sorry, court is ......French.
Court (kOrt), n. [OF. court, curt, cort, F. cour, LL. cortis, fr. L. cohors, cors, chors, gen. cohortis, cortis, chortis, an inclosure, court, thing inclosed, crowd, throng; co- + a root akin to Gr. chorto`s inclosure, feeding place, and to E. garden, yard, orchard. See Yard, and cf. Cohort, Curtain.] 1. An inclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different building; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
How dare freedom loving citizens try to create an "enclave" for themselves! Back to the concentration camps for them!
Let's hope not. When we last moved we narrowed our choice down to two homes, similar size, one $50K cheaper. The cheaper one was located on a fairly major through street linking an elementary and middle schools to the main north-west drag in town. The second was located at the end of a nice, fairly long culdesac. We took a walk along the street of the cheaper home and watched the cars zoom by to and from the schools. That was enough for us to choose where we wanted our little ones to play and learn to ride bikes.
Culdesacs limit traffic to those who live at the culdesac, those who are lost or those turning around. Either way, they tend to drive a lot slower by the time they reach our home and I consider that safer. On the other hand, our community is growing so quickly that what used to be pleasant neighborhood streets have been turned into major thoroughfares where it is hazardous to back out your driveway and you certainly can't maneuver to back in. Culdesacs limit the chance of that happening to our home.
I knew someone who pronounced it as "cuddly sack". I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
Developers say ... officials and theorists are only preventing people from buying what they want. Homebuyers will pay premiums of $10,000 to $25,000 for cul-de-sac lots in the Twin Cities area.
If people wanted "connectivity," then cul-de-sacs wouldn't be in demand," said Mike Black.
And there you have it. Ordinary eople want to live on cul-de-sacs but a small but determiened group of slimy clowns insist otherwise.
There must be a special place in hell for the arrogant pinheads who want to force Americans to accept their oddball elitist notions of how people should live.
What a ridiculous statement. I grew up on a cul-de-sac. All of our neighborhood games -- kickball, frisbee, catch, baseball, etc. took place in the cul-de-sac because it was free from traffic. Our cul-de-sac brought all of the neighborhood kids together. Where the hell are kids supposed to play after school or ride their bikes without worrying about cars? Most new developments don't even have sidewalks.
This move is anti family. Anyone with school age children will prefer a cul de sac house for obvious reasons. The cul de sac banners are evil socialist types with too much time on their hands
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