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End of the road for the iconic cul-de-sac
St Paul Pioneer Press ^ | 10/30/06 | Bob Shaw

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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: 2littleliberty; 2muchgovernment; 4thecommongood; nofreedom4you
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A similar story showed up a few months ago, under a different title:

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...

1 posted on 10/30/2006 11:16:32 AM PST by dave k
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To: dave k

before they got trendy, we used to call them 'dead ends'.


2 posted on 10/30/2006 11:18:32 AM PST by camle (keep your mind open and somebody will fill it full of something for you)
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To: dave k

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.


3 posted on 10/30/2006 11:19:46 AM PST by Kozak (Anti Shahada: " There is no God named Allah, and Muhammed is his False Prophet")
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To: dave k
Here in Indiana - we like them, we just call them "courts", because "cul-de-sac" sounds so...

french! shudder
4 posted on 10/30/2006 11:22:06 AM PST by Hegemony Cricket (Expect a lot of democrat poll-smoking between now and 11/7)
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To: dave k

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.


5 posted on 10/30/2006 11:23:05 AM PST by Global2010 (VOTE YES on 43 in Oregon)
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To: Hegemony Cricket

ass of a bag is the translation.. at least that's what it comes out to in French Canadian.. 7th --> 12th grade for me...


6 posted on 10/30/2006 11:23:09 AM PST by MD_Willington_1976
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To: MD_Willington_1976
Yup.

But when you try to dress up your subdivision with a little dimestore French, you gotta take your chances.

7 posted on 10/30/2006 11:27:52 AM PST by AnAmericanMother ((Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment)))
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To: dave k

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.


8 posted on 10/30/2006 11:28:09 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: Hegemony Cricket
Here in Indiana - we like them, we just call them "courts", because "cul-de-sac" sounds so... french! shudder

So what do they call them in French Lick?
9 posted on 10/30/2006 11:28:36 AM PST by The Lumster (USA - where the innocent have nothing to fear!)
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To: dave k

I really don't see the appeal of this 'new urbanism' bs. I guess people are buying them, but I don't understand it.


10 posted on 10/30/2006 11:29:12 AM PST by Always Right
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To: The Lumster
So what do they call them in French Lick?

Casinos.

11 posted on 10/30/2006 11:30:02 AM PST by Always Right
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To: Hegemony Cricket
"Here in Indiana - we like them, we just call them "courts", because "cul-de-sac" sounds so... french! shudder"

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.

12 posted on 10/30/2006 11:31:05 AM PST by Prokopton
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To: dave k
Cul-de-sacs limit connections to the outside community, creating an enclave for residents.

How dare freedom loving citizens try to create an "enclave" for themselves! Back to the concentration camps for them!

13 posted on 10/30/2006 11:33:31 AM PST by unixfox (The 13th Amendment Abolished Slavery, The 16th Amendment Reinstated It !)
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To: Global2010

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.


14 posted on 10/30/2006 11:35:05 AM PST by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)
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To: dave k
I grew up on a cul-de-sac. It was a great time. You could run all over the street and be pretty safe. My mother always tells the story of me getting out of the house naked while she was trying to get a diaper on me and I was just running all around the street. I was two or three. lol. My wife and I always look for a house with a cul-de-sac when we look for homes in the many different areas we have lived. Sometimes you luck out...other times not so much. I am saddened that legislators want to ban them. Too bad.
15 posted on 10/30/2006 11:37:21 AM PST by napscoordinator
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To: Hegemony Cricket

I knew someone who pronounced it as "cuddly sack". I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.


16 posted on 10/30/2006 11:38:42 AM PST by Buck W. (If you push something hard enough, it will fall over.)
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To: dave k
Bill Hudnut, a fellow at the Urban Land Institute, said New Urbanism compares cul-de-sac kids to prisoners in a safe but unchallenging environment. "Cul-de-sacs feed that kind of inappropriate design. They disconnect people rather than connecting them."

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.

17 posted on 10/30/2006 11:40:27 AM PST by BenLurkin ("The entire remedy is with the people." - W. H. Harrison)
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To: dave k
Bill Hudnut, a fellow at the Urban Land Institute, said New Urbanism compares cul-de-sac kids to prisoners in a safe but unchallenging environment.

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.

18 posted on 10/30/2006 11:40:29 AM PST by New Girl
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To: dave k
It is thick as thieves here on the left coast. Smart Growth, Sustainable Communities, Anti-Sprawl are all socialist programs being forced onto us as more communities adopt policies described here; http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/index.htm

People think the above link is Black Helicopter stuff, but banning cul-de-sac's are in there.
19 posted on 10/30/2006 11:41:42 AM PST by bigfootbob
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To: dave k

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


20 posted on 10/30/2006 11:43:38 AM PST by dennisw (Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and her lawyer)
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