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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;KikoBlueEyes, post: 5622136, member: 8363&quot;]I live in an historic district.&nbsp; There are very comprehensive and strict guidelines, which have the effect of law since you can&#039;t get a building permit without an expensive and time-consuming historic approval permit before they will even look at your application for a building permit.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>For example, recently, I expanded one bay of my three-car garage and increased the height of the opening.&nbsp; The garage is a &quot;noncontributing&quot; building (built after the historic period) and permitted before my house was added to the historic district.&nbsp; It took six months and over $1,000 to get this initial historic approval for a non-historic building. </p><p><br /></p><p>So many people just do whatever they want.&nbsp; This is when the committees become ineffective, and the process breaks down.&nbsp; </p><p>I put it to the ambivalence that the general community has to these historic districts that arise out an interest by residents in a certain area to retain the character of their neighborhood.&nbsp; So, there are no teeth.&nbsp; Just like in this case.&nbsp; Some people like the transformers, and don&#039;t care about the impact on the historic district because it lacks importance to them.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I am ambivalent too.&nbsp; I live in what is termed a very walkable area.&nbsp; I am not permitted to have a fence along my front yard because of the historic guidelines.&nbsp; At least 50 dogs walk past my house every day and about 30% of them use my yard as a toilet.&nbsp; My grass is pocked with urine spots.&nbsp; People sit on my rocks and enjoy a beverage and eat their lunch.&nbsp; Children pick my flowers. My decorative elements are stolen even from my front porch. </p><p><br /></p><p>I wouldn&#039;t live elsewhere, and I love my historic house, but I recognize the downsides too.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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