'Street of Dreams' homes destroyed by blaze (live now, WA state - ELF)

Northwest Cable Newws ^ | 06:36 AM PST on Monday, March 3, 2008

[shhrubbery!]

And how I hate people who think they know what kind of house others should live in.

Show me anywhere in my post where I told you (or anybody) what kind of house you "should" live in --or in a bizarre stretch of paranoia,
"what kind of house/car/washing machine/lightbulb/food we ought to be able to buy." Lightbulbs?

I don't tell anybody how he or she should live.

But I DO reserve my Constitutional right to say:
McMansions / Hummer Houses / Starter Castles are hideous and a blight on the landscape.

And as soon as these cheaply built pieces o' crap start to deteriorate, I hope their overextended owners abandon them and they rot into the ground. Free market solution!

[Proud_USA_Republican]

There has alot of talk lately about what is going to be the next bubble, after the dot com and housing bubbles. It bet its going to be “green” technology. I already see the ground work in place for this.
You going to end up with a lot of stupid people paying high prices for questionable technology and government regulation that will end up not doing anything to improve the environment. Or like hybrid cars, you rob peter to pay paul (You have slightly less gasoline being burned, but the massive batteries in these cars will be polluting the environment in horrible ways)

[goodnesswins]

If you don’t like these homes....you should see Bill Gates house!

[NavyCanDo]

Lets look into the minds of some very twisted people.

Here are ACTUAL “DU” titles of replys regarding this Echo Terrorist story on the DU: All the replys and followup comments are against calling this terrorism, in fact many blame the developers.

BARF ALERT......
• Somebody needs to follow the money.
• ELF are arsonists, not terrorists.
• Not to cast undue aspersions for there’s still much investigation to be done.
• Anyone checked the developers for financial problems?
• Some bankrupt developer/builder trying to hide arson is probably more like it.
• Good thing developers deep in debt with unsold homes can’t use spray paint, huh?

[4woodenboats]

They did just pass the Land Clearing burn ban in Pierce, King, Kitsap & Snohomish counties, and very likely would have passed the residential burn had it not been for homeowners with large lots not having a viable alternative.

They're going to take another look at it this fall - that should give Olympia time to pass a bill outlawing trimming your bushes and picking up windfall...expect it right around the 3rd week of November.

I've been on the BS clean air agency's email list for over a year, and it was one of the deciding factors in moving to Skagit county

http://www.pscleanair.org/news/newsroom/releases/2008/02_29_08_BOD_ruling.aspx

[Right Wing Assault]

I wonder if ELFs are flammable.

[Red Boots]

There has alot of talk lately about what is going to be the next bubble, after the dot com and housing bubbles. It bet its going to be “green” technology. I already see the ground work in place for this. You going to end up with a lot of stupid people paying high prices for questionable technology and government regulation that will end up not doing anything to improve the environment. Or like hybrid cars, you rob peter to pay paul (You have slightly less gasoline being burned, but the massive batteries in these cars will be polluting the environment in horrible ways)

I agree, and it's already happening. A case in point: a friend I know works on luxury homes in the Aspen area. A year or two ago, he finished work on a very nice home, buiilt for a man who made his money in windmill farms. He made money, not because windmill farms create cheaper power, or even better power, but because first, he got the voters of Colorado to pass a ballot initiative requiring the utilities to buy wind power. Of course, us ratepayers have to buy it, even if it's at 2x's the cost of gas fired power. Put the two together, and you have instant millionare.

It's not greener power either, but actually causes more CO2 to be produced than if not used, but lets not quibble about the actual greenness of it; it's all about the other green: MONEY.

[from occupied ga]

I wonder if ELFs are flammable.

If you get them hot enough

[SW6906]

"good luck getting your brush pile to burn in all this soggy weather."

Just requires more gasoline.

And sometimes a used tire.

[MooseMan]

RCD = Rural Cluster Development

[rednesss]

"Might be ELF. Might just be a strapped developer who has insurance and a keen sense of how to avoid bankruptcy."

Bingo, that was my first thought upon hearing this. What with the housing market in turmoil, I hope they take a look at the financial health of the developer. In Portland they are doing everything but giving away the kitchen sink to get high end homes to sell. One developer is paying the first year's worth of interest, the first year's HOA dues, giving away a fishing boat,etc....... just buy now.

[RobRoy]

Is it just possible that this was actually an “insurance fire” and ELF is a scapegoat.

I cannot confirm this but someone mentioned that of five homes sold, only four were burned and the surviving home is the one that was sold.

I was in commercial real estate in the early 80’s in Seattle. I know of one confirmed case at the time where a developer burned down his own under-construction complex. I believe there were more, but I only remember the one specifically.

[RobRoy]

>>There is nothing “green” about a $2 million home.<<

Hey, it’s on a postage stamp lot! ;)

[newfreep]

Where is that statue located? It’s disgusting!!!!

[SW6906]

Wow. You can see pictures of some of these kinds of ELF winners on this website (scroll down).

[MooseMan]

>>There is nothing “green” about a $2 million home.<< Hey, it’s on a postage stamp lot! ;)

The lots were 1/2 acre each.

[RobRoy]

>>I agree with you. I dislike like the McMansion trend only as a matter of taste. They look, to me, like personal islands for the overly self-indulgent, and provide nothing to enhance the exterior environment.<<

I’m with you. But I’ll add, I have no problem with the size of the homes, but this postage stamp lot thing is for the birds. We live in a 25 year old 2,700 sq ft home on a 1/3 acre lot. These new homes on cramped lots are what I see as 21st century trailer parks.

We LOVE our yard. The nearest house to ours is approximately 40 feet away. It is like living on a private park - at least compared to any new home in our area worth less than $1.5mm.

[RobRoy]

Oh. They just looked small in the front. My bad...

[Seattle Conservative]

It may have been an insurance fire, but I rather doubt it. The Street of Dreams is something that has been going on in the Seattle area for quite a few years. I’ve gone to quite a few of them. Each home has a different builder, landscaper, interior designer, furniture and accessory provider, etc.

Here’s a link to the website for it. There’s also a comment about the fire on the home page

http://www.seattlestreetofdreams.com/

[RDTF]

I guess that’s him - I didn’t realize it’s been 3-4 years since I saw the AMW epidsode.