Posted on 01/07/2008 6:29:43 PM PST by Lorianne
Norman Pishny is a soft-spoken former farm boy who loves nothing better than puttering around his 40-acre spread in south Johnson County.
But the 53-year-old financial planner — and hundreds of others like him who cherish their bucolic lifestyle — feel threatened by Overland Park.
The city wants to annex 15 square miles and extend its borders nearly to Miami County, the largest expansion in the city’s 47-year history.
Hundreds of angry landowners, including professional golfer Tom Watson, have packed hearing rooms in the past several months to tell the city the “land grab” is arrogant and robs them of a voice in their own future.
“It’s nothing more than suburban sprawl,” Pishny said with disdain. He sees it as a way for Overland Park to marginalize green space while perpetuating urban crowding and conformity.
(Excerpt) Read more at kansascity.com ...
As is their right.
I think she means NIMBY’s who want to tell other people what to do with *their* (other people’s) land (not the NIMBYs’ land). That is *not* their right.
He...she...sorry if I got that wrong...
No, It is the Overland Park busy bodies throwing their weight around in order to impose their version of Suburban America and their onerous tax code on people who don’t need and want their help.
Its all about feeding the monster of local government
The greedy Overland Park government has gobbled up three smaller communities (for tax purposes, don't you know), ignore the northern part of their city with homeowners not even having curbs, decent streets or other amenities, and continue with developers who desire new office, retail shops and more expensive homes, at the detriment of all of Overland Park!
Having once been a resident of O.P. I watched as they continued expansion, allowing developers to build offices and strip malls while allowing other buildings and shops to vacate, now ridden with crime and blight!
Not desiring to give up one's property to a greedy government so they can sell your land to developers, is very American, not the least bit NIMBY!!!!!
Lastly, though I no longer live in O.P. I do still live in the area but not in the southern part of the County that objects to Overland Park's land grab.
Did the OP goverment MAKE people sell their land to greedy developers?
Did the OP government annex areas without the land owners of that area’s consent?
Please inform.
From the article:
“When they hear a city can take over people and places without their say-so, they feel very scared,” Pishny said.
A Kansas legislator wants to change the law this year, requiring an affirmative vote of affected residents before an annexation can take place. But Overland Park officials think the idea is bad public policy that would end most annexations in Kansas.
Well then, I am all for telling the NIMBY/Anti constitutionalist A**holes where to go!
Fair enough.
Still, somebody sells to developers. They don’t get the land as a gift. If rural people want to keep their area rural, they shouldn’t sell to developers.
Actually, that's pretty common. Here in NC, Cary has made a habit of doing just this.
No, this was a case of the largest, wealthiest city in Kansas voting to give itself more land, that they immediately rezoned for all kinds of development and went to highest bidder, with Overland Park gaining the largess.
Oh, and not so insignificant, the land developers and speculators made huge donations to the campaigns of all elected in Overland Park and Jo. Co. Executives!!!!!
Another problem is that the totally corrupt Wyandotte County, KS government (right next to Johnson County) did the same thing, then sold the land to developers for the NASCAR track and big box stores, hotels, restaurants --- and donated loads to the dimocRAT party in KS and RINOs in Johnson County as well.
I imagine a lot of the would rather not, but end up having to after they're annexed and start getting hit with new property taxes they can't afford.
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