Posted on 02/09/2014 8:47:56 AM PST by EveningStar
Pick on someone your own size! Why an elderly lady with a big fighting spirit refused to sell her home to developers
When Barry Martin took on the role of construction supervisor of a huge Seattle shopping complex, he never imagined that he would end up caring for Edith Macefield, a stubborn 84-year-old who had refused $1 million from the developer to move house. Here he describes their unlikely friendship.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Thread from 2008: Edith Macefield, 1921-2008: Ballard woman held her ground as change closed in around her
WA Ping A good story from close to home. Barry Martin is a stand up guy. (I didn't know about the movie connection)
We have one here. Back in the 1930s, a loving father built a house for his 2 daughters (twins, I think). One of them was/is disabled and the other cared for her. A fancy, schmanzy retirement home wanted their land to expand their complex and tried to force the sisters out, claiming for one thing that they kept their windows upstairs open to the elements so that birds could nest there.
The sisters won, and the house still stands. The retirement complex expanded down the street.
What a wonderful story - thanks so much for posting it.
I love this story.
| Free Republic 1st Quarter Fundraising Target: $85,000 | Receipts & Pledges to-date: $38,752 | |||
|
||||
| Woo hoo!! And the first 45% is in!! Thank you all very much!! | ||||
Great story…thanks for posting. She is one smart woman: “‘I’m not sure why I need $1 million. If I get sick it probably won’t cover the medical bills and if I don’t get sick I don’t need it. And if you’re going to make the new place look just like this one, well this place already looks just like this one, so why should I bother?’”
It is so sad watching your old world crumble around you. Our little town has been overrun by developers building monstrously huge commercial buildings in our downtown district. The old lovely California architecture of low mission-style buildings with heavy shake roofs set far back from the road is now gone and replaced with four story buildings that come right out to the narrow sidewalk. It’s like walking down a skyscraper lined city street now.
Stand Up Guy indeed. Nice story.
The smartest developer I’ve heard of when faced with a similar situation, made the homeowner an honest deal.
They would keep their home, but it would be rebuilt to be their dream home, with all the bells as whistles they wanted, designed as the homeowner wanted it but integrated into the development with their architects, so as not to be a nuisance to either the development or the homeowner.
The developer figured that since he was spending tens of millions of dollars on the development, another million spent on a dream home for the homeowner would be worth it for the calmness it brought.
It would about quintuple the value of the homeowner’s property. The only condition being that if the homeowner or his children wanted to sell the home, they had to give the owners of the development first crack at buying it.
The developer noted that by not having to fight one or more lawsuits, bad publicity, and not being seen as a bad neighbor was well worth the million.
nice story. Undoubtedly the construction company was hoping he could get her to move in time for the original plans to proceed
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.