Petty Bureaucrat Tyrants

Recently, I had occasion to drive in Loveland, CO, and was once again reminded how government employees can put us under their thumb. In this case, the city “planners” deprived the property owner of the use and utility of the owner’s property with no consequence to the city drones.

At the intersection of Highway 34 (East Eisenhower Blvd) and Highway 287 (North Lincoln Ave) sits a block long vacant lot. The lot has been vacant for nearly twenty years.

This is a desirable property. The majority of visitors to Rocky Mountain Nation Park travel Highway 34. Until Interstate 25 was built, Highway 287 was the major Front Range highway North from Denver. A very high traffic count makes for a desirable commercial property.

In 2005, my employer wanted the property. The bank owner was eager to sell. The city drones said NO. To comply with all their demands, we needed to buy out two residential homes and demolish them before we could even apply for a conditional use permit. There was no certainty that we could ever get a permit.

The bank owned the property through foreclosure. Their debtor went broke trying to develop the property. Since then, the bank has been required to keep the weeds mowed, clean the sidewalks, and enforce “No Parking” stipulations.  The person I dealt with at the bank said my employer was just one in a long line of people who have tried to do something useful with the property. It should be noted the bank is not local.

How many times across this country can you find a variation of this case? I bet it is in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. These drones, who have no skin in the game, can sit and dictate their “vision” with little or no consequences. To me, this is bigger “intolerable acts” than what the Feds do.

Now, being the asshole I am, I found a piece of property across the road that formed the South city limits and put in our tacky eyesore of a used car lot complete with advertising pendants, balloons, and large signs. In fact, we went over the top with the garish theme. Sold a bunch of cars, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEGYa6GlgA