Avondale Property Owners Attempt to Close Public River Access

[MEGATRON]

Since when is the maintenance of a public park the obligation of adjacent landowners?  If the public wants the use of the park, it should pay for it.  Or, here is a novel concept, RAP actually steps up and does something positive for the neighborhood.  Perhaps, set up a separate fund (distinct from RAP's general fund) to which neighbors could donate.  Those funds could be utilized to maintain the pocket parks in the area.

[Gunnar]

Since when is the maintenance of a public park the obligation of adjacent landowners?  If the public wants the use of the park, it should pay for it.  Or, here is a novel concept, RAP actually steps up and does something positive for the neighborhood.  Perhaps, set up a separate fund (distinct from RAP's general fund) to which neighbors could donate.  Those funds could be utilized to maintain the pocket parks in the area.

It's not an obligation, but that doesn't mean they can't do it (with an OK from the city).
I live next to a small public parking lot and the city where I live did not really take much care of the green space, so it I cleared and re-planted the part adjacent to my house (actually had one lady come by and donate some plants after she saw me working on the public green space).

Win-win.

[finehoe]

Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening on land that the gardeners do not have the legal rights to utilize, such as an abandoned site, an area that is not being cared for, or private property. It encompasses a diverse range of people and motivations, ranging from gardeners who spill over their legal boundaries to gardeners with political influences who seek to provoke change by using guerrilla gardening as a form of protest or direct action. This practice has implications for land rights and land reform; aiming to promote re-consideration of land ownership in order to assign a new purpose or reclaim land that is perceived to be in neglect or misused.

The land that is guerrilla gardened is usually abandoned or perceived to be neglected by its legal owner. That land is used by guerrilla gardeners to raise plants, frequently focusing on food crops or plants intended for aesthetic purposes.

Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden in an effort to make the area of use and/or more attractive. Some garden at more visible hours for the purpose of publicity, which can be seen as a form of activism.

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

[TheCat]

Little page on the subject:
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/ron-littlepage/2015-05-26/story/ron-littlepage-fight-brewing-over-attempt-close-river-access

[Know Growth]

I believe Littlepage is spot on.

(except for the minimizing of kayak and stand up board facility...)

[SunKing]

Guerrilla gardening is the act of gardening on land that the gardeners do not have the legal rights to utilize, such as an abandoned site, an area that is not being cared for, or private property. It encompasses a diverse range of people and motivations, ranging from gardeners who spill over their legal boundaries to gardeners with political influences who seek to provoke change by using guerrilla gardening as a form of protest or direct action. This practice has implications for land rights and land reform; aiming to promote re-consideration of land ownership in order to assign a new purpose or reclaim land that is perceived to be in neglect or misused.

The land that is guerrilla gardened is usually abandoned or perceived to be neglected by its legal owner. That land is used by guerrilla gardeners to raise plants, frequently focusing on food crops or plants intended for aesthetic purposes.

Some guerrilla gardeners carry out their actions at night, in relative secrecy, to sow and tend a new vegetable patch or flower garden in an effort to make the area of use and/or more attractive. Some garden at more visible hours for the purpose of publicity, which can be seen as a form of activism.

http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

You know I actually like this idea right up to the point when someone pisses on my curly leaf kale

[Know Growth]

  *** River Window Public Palace ***





......now,if we could just somehow actually get out there on the water with our relatively inexpensive, easily stored and transported "hand launched" vessels............."Best Place" launch 

[Dog Walker]

...if it bothers them so damn much, why not be proactive and clean the area up themselves.

Bingo!

My thoughts as well.  There is a lot of underbrush that could be cleared out that would increase visibility and therefore make it harder for troublemakers to get away with making trouble. 

Both of these adjacent landowners have professional landscaping companies to maintain their property.  Additional cost for them to just mow the access would be minimal and would reduce the problems.  Each landscaper could do it once per month which would be plenty.

We are obligated to maintain the space between our sidewalks and the street which is actually city property.  This would not be much different.

[Adam White]

...if it bothers them so damn much, why not be proactive and clean the area up themselves.

Bingo!

My thoughts as well.  There is a lot of underbrush that could be cleared out that would increase visibility and therefore make it harder for troublemakers to get away with making trouble. 

Both of these adjacent landowners have professional landscaping companies to maintain their property.  Additional cost for them to just mow the access would be minimal and would reduce the problems.  Each landscaper could do it once per month which would be plenty.

We are obligated to maintain the space between our sidewalks and the street which is actually city property.  This would not be much different.

I thought the property between our sidewalks and the street was the homeowners' property - but the city has an easement. Is that not the case?

[Dog Walker]

...if it bothers them so damn much, why not be proactive and clean the area up themselves.

Bingo!

My thoughts as well.  There is a lot of underbrush that could be cleared out that would increase visibility and therefore make it harder for troublemakers to get away with making trouble. 

Both of these adjacent landowners have professional landscaping companies to maintain their property.  Additional cost for them to just mow the access would be minimal and would reduce the problems.  Each landscaper could do it once per month which would be plenty.

We are obligated to maintain the space between our sidewalks and the street which is actually city property.  This would not be much different.

I thought the property between our sidewalks and the street was the homeowners' property - but the city has an easement. Is that not the case?

Nope, it's City property.  Take a close look at the plat of any property on a city street.

You have to get a permit ($130) to do any construction on it other than landscaping.  The City had to cut down a pecan tree on my CROW.  It was in a big mound of dirt that I wanted to remove and make flat like the rest of the CROW around my home.  Had to get a permit to remove the dirt that made up the mound.  Also had to remove the stump at my expense since the City is years behind in grinding them out.

[Adam White]

Nope, it's City property.  Take a close look at the plat of any property on a city street.

You have to get a permit ($130) to do any construction on it other than landscaping.  The City had to cut down a pecan tree on my CROW.  It was in a big mound of dirt that I wanted to remove and make flat like the rest of the CROW around my home.  Had to get a permit to remove the dirt that made up the mound.  Also had to remove the stump at my expense since the City is years behind in grinding them out.

That sounds like a nightmare.

[Dog Walker]

Nope, it's City property.  Take a close look at the plat of any property on a city street.

You have to get a permit ($130) to do any construction on it other than landscaping.  The City had to cut down a pecan tree on my CROW.  It was in a big mound of dirt that I wanted to remove and make flat like the rest of the CROW around my home.  Had to get a permit to remove the dirt that made up the mound.  Also had to remove the stump at my expense since the City is years behind in grinding them out.

That sounds like a nightmare.

The only nightmare was removing the pecan tree stump.  Seems that they have root system deeper and more extensive that an oak tree.  The thing was the size of a VW beetle when we finally got it out which took two days of digging.  An oak tree stump would have been easy since they are actually quite shallow rooted.

The permit and removing the dirt was the easy part.

[MEGATRON]

Folks on here are really good at spending other people's money.

[Ming The Merciless]

Folks on here are really good at spending other people's money.

What is worse is how willing everyone is to let the City off the hook.  In a functioning city, this is what taxes pay for.  It's a remarkable commentary on the state of our government that the immediate reaction is a workaround, rather than trying to get the city to do the things it should already be doing.

[edjax]

Folks on here are really good at spending other people's money.

What is worse is how willing everyone is to let the City off the hook.  In a functioning city, this is what taxes pay for.  It's a remarkable commentary on the state of our government that the immediate reaction is a workaround, rather than trying to get the city to do the things it should already be doing.

Exactly.