Thursday, January 01, 2015

Whitefish Subdivision Seeks Intervention in Lawsuit Over Gated Communities - Flathead Beacon

Whitefish Subdivision Seeks Intervention in Lawsuit Over Gated Communities - Flathead Beacon: “Notably, gates have been generally disfavored and disallowed by the City Council in a number of other neighborhoods as antithetical to the type of community in which the majority of Whitefish residents would like to live,” according to the lawsuit. “To that end, on Oct. 6, the City passed Resolution 14-48 which prohibits any subdivision or residential neighborhood from gating its streets so as to prohibit public access.”

Grouse Mountain Homeowners Inc. wishes to intervene in the lawsuit to “oppose Grouse Mountain Estates proposed installation of gates, enforce and defend its contractual rights, and to otherwise protect its residents’ rights to unimpeded and unobstructed use of Mountainside Drive.”

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More pushback against Fortress Privatopia.

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

West Sacramento council OKs development – without gated entry | The Sacramento Bee

West Sacramento council OKs development – without gated entry | The Sacramento Bee: Council members told the developer that a gated community would defy their long-held notion of what West Sacramento stands for and what it wants to be.

“This is not a city that gates its neighborhoods off. That’s not who we are as a town,” West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said at the Dec. 17 City Council meeting. “It’s a pretty open-and-shut issue as far as what our values are.”

Gated neighborhoods are not prohibited in West Sacramento, and the city already has three of them. But the idea has been widely unpopular for years in this town with working-class roots. A gated single-family development has not been built in the city in 20 years, Cabaldon said at the meeting
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West Sacramento declines to join Fortress Privatopia.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Zombie Christmas display owner defies order to remove

"CINCINNATI (AP) — A "Zombie Nativity" scene in a southwest Ohio suburb remained undead Tuesday, days past the deadline to remove it.
Sycamore Township officials said last week they had received complaints about debris at the home and concluded that the display violates rules on size and placement of yard structures. They sent resident Jasen Dixon two zoning violation notices and gave him until the day after Christmas to take it down."
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Apparently there is some esoteric freedom of expression idea at the root of this, but I confess that it eludes me. In general I'd agree that people should be able to have whatever holiday display they want, but I don't understand the  motivation behind being intentionally and purposefully offensive. 

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB4204

Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HB4204



Governor Quinn just signed this into law, creating the office of Condominium Ombudsperson for the state of Illinois.  I helped State Rep. Elaine Nekritz with this bill over the last year.  The Ombudsperson's functions are mainly ADR and education.  In addition, condo associations will be required to have an ADR policy and they will have to register with the state.

You can get the full pdf version of the bill at my mckenzie-law wiki page here: