Archive for the 'Stuff I like to talk about' Category
Rural Charm, Brain Tumors and Private Property Rights
categories: Local Affairs, Milton Real Estate, Stuff I like to talk about
A Tree Grows in Milton
Actually three trees….and they are made of steel. Many of you may be aware of T-Mobile’s plans to locate three new cell towers in the city of Milton.
The locations and towers proposed are:
149′ Tower on 10 acres at 2880 Mountain Rd
154′ Tower on 26 acres at 14495 Hopewell Rd (Seven Gables Farm)
154′ Tower on 52 acres at 13340 New Providence Rd.
On January 13th there was an informational question and answer meeting held at Milton City Hall. There T-Mobile provided photos of the three locations with renderings of the towers in each photo. These renderings were made from balloon tests, to determine how visible each tower would be from various vantage points. Since that meeting there has been some uproar about how citizens of Milton can stop this from happening. Groups want city officials to deny T-Mobile and the property owners a permit to install the towers, pressuring them with future votes. They dispute T-Mobile’s business case that coverage is lacking or simply suggest that T-Mobile customers can just switch to a different carrier.
The Issues
There are 2 main concerns that residents have with the cell towers, the first of which is that the towers will ruin the rural charm and pastoral views of our fledgling city. On a search of cell towers within a 4 mile radius of my community, a cell tower search site revealed that their are 26 tower locations. It surprised me that there are that many, I can think of 2 that I have seen. I guess they blend in or I just don’t pay attention to them. I know of one behind the Union restaurant on Providence Rd. that is made to look like a pine tree. It doesn’t look like a real tree, of course, but looks better than a silver metal pole.
The other concern some have are the unknown dangers of radiation from the antennas. A quick Google search will reveal websites that say there has not been enough research to be conclusive but we risk health effects ranging from reduced immune system competence and mood swings to brain tumors and leukemia. With over 4 billion cell phone users in the world and over 270 million cell phones in the US; dangers from an antenna a quarter of a mile away seem infinitesimal at best, especially when seemingly everyone in the world is running around with their phone pressed to the side of their heads. I don’t know of anyone planning to get rid of their cell phone, do you?
Don’t Tread on Me
The one issue that hasn’t seem to come up though is private property rights. The owners of the three sites have the right, as property owners, to: rent, sell, mortgage or develop their property - as long as it is within the constraints of zoning restrictions. Just like, thankfully, all Milton residents have the right to voice their concerns at the council meetings. We have a process and by-and-large it seems to work. My concern is that if the City Council votes to deny the permit simply because some people don’t like the towers, then the Milton City Council Members would be voting against private property rights . In my mind, that is theft. The property owner who had the rights to develop or profit from their land is now prevented from doing so, in spite of meeting the zoning laws that are in effect.
What comes next? Then any group of homeowners can get together to have that horse-farm get rid of their horses because the manure stinks. That small business owner that grows orchids on his agricultural land might have to cease and desist because his greenhouses aren’t ascetically pleasing to some. I’m sorry private property owner, but I don’t want you to sell your land to a developer to build more homes - I like the rural charm of your pastures. Oh, but don’t let your horse manure pile up or it will offend me. Never mind the fact that you were here years before my home was built and changed the rural view from your house.
Even though I think that we’ll all get used to the towers being there - just like we have with the hundreds of other towers that surround us, I agree that a cell tower is not an attractive addition to the landscape. We should be working to make the towers that do go in as unobtrusive as possible. If that means making it look like a tree, then we should be pushing T-Mobile to do that. But I hope we didn’t become the City of Milton so we can take away private property rights.
“The right of property is the guardian of every other right, and to deprive a people of this, is in fact to deprive them of their liberty.” Arthur Lee, “An Appeal to the Justice and Interests of the People of Great Britain, in the Present Dispute with America” (1775)
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 3 Comments »
Increase The First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and Extend it to Everyone
categories: First time home buyers, Local Market Conditions, Stuff I like to talk about
I know, the title of this post sounds completely self-serving. You’re saying “Of course a Realtor wants the tax credit extended, oh, and even increased in size”. Here me out though.
Like it or not, both administrations passed stimulus bills to the combined tune of about 1 trillion dollars. There is no shortage of opinions on whether or not the bills were good ideas. My argument is if we are going to do something (and I think we should) then where should that money be spent. So far, according to ProPublica, a site that tracts stimulus spending, the government has spent about 19% of the most recent $792 billion dollar bill.
Economic Dollars Spent as of This Week:
- $111 billion spent
- $146 billion in process
- $324 billion left to spend
- $63 billion in tax cuts issued
- $150 billion in tax cuts remaining
Now, I’m not saying that because it’s there we should spend it all but I agree with many who are of the opinion that what has been spent so far isn’t delivering the intended effect. I think the question we should be asking is “what is the best use of those stimulus dollars?”
First, I believe that reducing home inventories will help the housing market recover which is right up there with job creation in helping the economy recover. Secondly, I don’t believe in letting the markets do their thing, on their own, with the idea that how it all falls out will be better. That line of thinking is right up there with the people who don’t believe they should vaccinate their kids. If you’re sick, you go to the doctor. If you have the flu, take an antibiotic. We wouldn’t be good stewards of our economy if we didn’t try to lessen the impact or speed the recovery of the economic crisis.
Why do I think an expanded home buyer tax credit will have a more profound impact?
Let’s start with the current first time home buyer tax credit that is set to expire on December 1st. It’s had a firm impact and has worked in spurring home purchases, in the lower price ranges mostly. These buyers did not just suddenly become capable of purchasing a home. But why haven’t they taken advantage of deals that have been available over the past 12 months? There are many buyers in a position to buy but are concerned about where their market is heading. Or they have perceptions that they’re going to get an already aggressively priced foreclosure for another 50% off - they get mired in searching for an unrealistic “deal”. The tax credit incented them to move forward now.
Buyers in other price ranges will respond to that same incentive that first-time home buyers did. They’ll want to take advantage of a tax credit opportunity while it’s there. Those home purchases will allow sellers to move and buy. It will spur purchases of durable goods like refrigerators, washers, TV’s etc. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that extending the program would create more than 347,000 jobs, generate over $16 billion in wages and over $12 billion in business income.
It’s a topic that can initiate a lot of arguments but I’m curious to hear what you think.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 1 Comment »
Pure Expands and Woodstock Says Thanks!
categories: Local Information, Stuff I like to talk about
I had the opportunity to take part in a pre-opening event Friday for a new Pure restaurant in Downtown Woodstock and it looks like another hit for Sedgwick Restaurant Group. For most everyone in Alpharetta and Milton, we know how popular the original Pure is every night of the week and by all accounts the new location will be just as busy, but with a rooftop bar and more space for patrons.
This pre-opening event was a chance for the community to try out the great food and for the staff to ramp up for what I’m sure will be a local favorite. We started with margaritas on the roof top and it felt like we were at a resort. The had live music and the view of downtown Woodstock was great. Chris Sedgwick came up with a design of canvas “sails” and the furniture is sleek, cool and comfortable.
Because this was a pre-openning “warm-up” for the staff, they let each table draw their appetizer and dinner selections from a cup so each dish was a surprise. The Tres Ceviche with shrimp, fish and octopus was light, fresh and a perfect appetizer. For dinner the chipotle chicken tacos and hanger steak with jalapeno mac & cheese was awesome.
For those loyal Pure fans, don’t worry! The food, atmosphere and awesome margaritas are just a delicious as they always are. This is the first of many new locations that the Franchise is planning to add, with Inman Park coming on line in a few weeks.
Coincidentally, this also happened during Downtown Woodstocks Friday Night Live event. Similar to Roswell’s Alive after 5 on historic Canton St., there is live music, art galleries, events in the park and, of course, great food from local restaurants.
I encourage you to check it out and let me know what you had that was the best, and if it was the margarita - that’s fine too!
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 1 Comment »
The Coolest Penthouse in America
categories: Miscellaneous, Stuff I like to talk about
No, it’s not in Atlanta but you have to see this, just for fun. It’s quite possibly the coolest penthouse you’ll ever see and only $25 Million! It’s located in Brooklyn’s Clock Tower building and has four 14′ synchronized clocks so you never have to set your watch. If it wasn’t so sleek, clean and modern it would be the perfect bad-guy hang-out in a Batman movie.
Now here is whats really interesting…it’s listed at more than double the highest price known to have been paid for a home in Brooklyn and more than triple the price of any condo sold. This penthouse is a 6400 sq. ft. triplex with views of the city skyline and the Brooklyn skyline. Is it worth it? I have no idea, but I know this. When you have something nobody else has, something really cool, then you can charge for it. I’ll be interested what it sells for, if it sells. If you had the money, would you buy it?
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 1 Comment »
Shaping the Future Of Milton Town Center
categories: Crabapple, Local Affairs, Local Information, Milton Real Estate, Stuff I like to talk about
“We shape our buildings…thereafter, they shape us”. It may seem odd to open this post with a quote from Winston Churchill but it has a lot to do with what local developer J.T. Adams is trying to achieve with his proposed plans for a City of Milton Town Center and gives us some insight into his philosophy of how communities should be designed.
Another way to look at it would from the perspective of James Kunstler. An outspoken critic of suburban sprawl, his view that “…public spaces should be inspired centers of civic life and the physical manifestation of the common good. Instead, he argues, what we have in America is a nation of places not worth caring about”. Public spaces should have an active and permeable outer edge where people go in-and-out. In-and-out of shops, stores, restaurants. These are places where people want to be, where they are drawn to.
A little over 3 years ago the City of Milton was born and much has happened with the local real estate market and development over that time. There are more than a few subdivision graveyards out there and while no one is benefiting from the downturn, the development and density in the area would be drastically different had this downturn not happened.
So, the question is, how do we plan to move forward while keeping the City’s Vision Statement in mind, “..embracing our small town life while preserving and enhancing our rural character”. What J.T. Adams proposes, right in the heart of Crabapple, is to remove high density residential and put in its place a city center that would be part of a walkable community surrounded by dozens of unique shops, restaurants and well positioned parks with monuments, mature landscaping and water features. There is an opportunity to create something that would not only embody what I feel the City of Milton should be but to rival the small city centers around us, like Alpharetta and Roswell.
In this setting will exist the new Milton City Hall, a 250-seat performing arts center, a new public library, small outdoor ampitheater and a bed-and-breakfast / events center. All this rather than dozens of high-density townhomes and over-supplied residential properties.
While this plan hasn’t been formally presented to the city, it has been presented at some Town Hall Meetings. We have an opportunity to get involved, provide feedback and be a part of what the City of Milton could become. Please share what you think the City Of Milton should look like.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 2 Comments »
Reverse Offers: When She Asks Him To The Dance
categories: Listings, Real Estate Industry, Sellers, Stuff I like to talk about
Just like everyone wants to be liked, Sellers just want some buyer love. Your home gets shown, and show, and shown, you get the idea. Everybody “likes” you but who LOVES you? We can lower the price and wait some more. That’s the traditional approach, right?
Why do we feel it necessary to do what is normal. We’re in a very different market. One that acts like nothing most of us have ever seen. What used to be “normal” isn’t any longer. It’s like when we were kids, the boys ALWAYS asked the girls to the dance, right? Why didn’t the girls ever ask the boys? Maybe some did. Those girls who refused to do what was considered normal.
That’s what a reverse offer is like. I had a unique listing that received little traffic but great feedback when we had showings. After too much time on the market I decided to do something different. We had a buyer who loved the house but wanted to keep looking. I approached the Seller’s with the idea of making an offer to the buyer.
Now, here is the important part. If you do this, it must be a meaningful offer. Meaningful enough to pull the buyer off of the fence and say “Maybe I don’t need to keep looking”. At the same time, you want to deliver the offer in a way that says “We think this is meaningful and you shouldn’t see this as an opening offer to a protracted negotiation. We’re pretty much where we think we can go”.
Well it worked. We had to give up a little more than our original reverse offer price but the important thing is we motivated the buyer to make a decision. As most Realtors out there can attest, getting buyers to pull the trigger can be difficult in this market.
If we shift our thinking with the shifted market, we will survive…or better yet, thrive!
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently No Comments »
Alpharetta Farmers Market - A Good Morning Spent
categories: Local Information, Stuff I like to talk about
What are you doing Saturday morning? In historic downtown Alpharetta, the Alpharetta Farmers Market offers great locally grown food and locally produced goods.
It’s open for business every Saturday through October 24th from 8am to 12:30pm. This is the 3rd year for the Farmers Market and they have put more of a focus on locally grown organic food. The further we get into the season we’ll see more produce and more vendors, so go back throughout the season for different offerings.
So, wether you are getting fresh vegetables, locally produced honey or a straight-out-of-the-lemon glass of lemonaide, come on down, grab a coffee and meander around the street and see what looks good. Take a look at the video below and see for yourself.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 2 Comments »
Fulton County Presses Location for New Alpharetta Library
categories: Local Information, Stuff I like to talk about
At the May 27th meeting in downtown Atlanta the Fulton County Library Board of Trustees pressed for the new 25,000 sq. ft. library site to be located at 495 N. Main Street, at the intersection of Hwy 9 and Winthrope Park Drive. You can see the site plan here: Alpharetta Library.
The Friends of the Alpharetta Library (FOTAL) has released a position paper detailing what the potential site needs to achieve if the new library is to meet the community needs, you can read these characteristics here: Alpharetta Library. I have to say that while the 6-acre site will easily support the building and necessary parking, the location being pushed by Fulton County misses the target one very important detail. It isn’t a pedestrian friendly location within the Downtown Alpharetta Business District.
There are 2 other potential locations that have been proposed, one being the old Milton High School, or what is now called Independence High School. I’m all for that location becoming something that will draw people to downtown Alpharetta but I’m not sure the Library is the best option for that site. A mixed-use development would be great-once we get back to an economic climate that will allow a development like that to happen.
The other potential location is the new Alpharetta City Center. That will be located where City Hall is currently but will also include residential condo’s, retail shops, office condos, and approximately 50,000 – 80,000 sf government building, along with 2 double deck parking structures for parking; all on 9 acres of land. It is the perfect location for the library in my mind, offering easy walking access from the parking structures and another magnet to pull people into the downtown area. Your can check out the current site and all three proposed locations here: Alpharetta City Map.
In the end, the good news is that Alpharetta has long needed a larger, newer facility to support the surrounding communities. We all just need to make sure what Fulton County delivers is what will achieve that goal. Tell us what you think about the locations, or what location you think would meet our needs best.
Posted by Bob Strader | Currently 7 Comments »
