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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Western Shore Bankers, Realtors and Special Interests Threaten YOUR Way of Life

Be here tomorrow for an important post on the truth of the "downzoning" issue. In the meantime, here is a comment from an earlier thread worthy of posting:

MALPF is NOT some crazy scheme. The segmentation of property rights is as fundamental to American property as private ownership. Landowners have the right to sell or donate certain rights, just as they have the right to sell ALL rights (development, mineral, farming, etc.). If you don't get that, you don't understand land ownership.

The ONLY folks railing against this are the people who want to see us look like New Jersey or Long Island or Suburban Atlanta. The ONLY people railing against this are single-family real estate developers and the farmers who have been brainwashed to believe that they would lose value, equity, or loan collateral through downzoning or an effective TDR program.

The FACT of the matter is that every scholarly paper published and every after-the-fact research report done in this region has shown that property values INCREASED (admittedly only marginally) for farms following an effective downzoning and TDR implementation. Property values increased because the market adjusts positively in the face of certainty. When it is more likely that land will be farmed in perpetuity, or at least more contiguous land is likely to be farmed, higher market value is placed on farms in that area. NO bank stopped lending, or reduced the lending amount for seed or equipment.

Anyone who tells you differently is simply lying, saying what they FEEL, not what they KNOW.

Someone attacking MET, Lower Shore Land Trust, or another land preservation entity is laughable. These organizations have nothing to do with "taking someone's rights or land away". Quite the opposite. The only way development rights end up with these organizations is when a LANDOWNER sells or gifts them (for enormous tax benefits). It's so funny to me that people are confused by this, seeing it as some sort of conspiracy.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is this drivel? I have no idea what is being said.

get to the point.

Anonymous said...

If you own a farm and have the ability or right to sell 50 development rights off that property to preserve it, and the County gov't passes legislation that now says you only own 10 rights that you can now sell to Malph or donate to the Lower Shore Land Trust, you have just been screwed by the proponents of this legislation. This is the exact thing that will happen in the exact proportions 1 in 3 going to 1 in 15. So the comment that you won't lose any value is BS...

Anonymous said...

3:25, your comment is all supposition. Straw Man at its best. Fact is, other counties with higher densities (Worcester for example) have higher land values.

Anonymous said...

Well, I am now SBY news' newest nutjob. When fittysentz and I agree on something I MUST be completely wrong in my thinking.

Anonymous said...

You lost me there borther, this doesn't make much sense.

Anonymous said...

3:56, straw man or not, its common sense. Comparing Worcester or any other county to Wicomico requires a great deal of adjustment. You are talking average appraised price per acre not property to property. Worcester has alot of waterfront farms near the resort areas that distort their values. Also appraised value doesn't assess potential value. You need to talk to David Cadell about this.

Anonymous said...

I bought a farm and the first thing I did was get it out of the program. I was able to because no money had been handed over to the previous owners.

I have no intention of developing my property, but I do NOT want anyone to tell me what to do with land I paid almost a million dollars for!!!! (in Worcester County). Same reason I am not enrolled in CRP, or any of that mess.

Anonymous said...

WOW. Whatever you do... do NOT talk to David Cadell. That hackjob bases every word he speaks on supposition, not one ounce on evidence. Wicomico County will do just fine without him poisoning our community. Whatever you think about this legislation, keep shameless snakeoil salesmen out, that means YOU David Cadell.

Anonymous said...

David Cadell might be a nut job, but he stands up for farmers and property rights. He calls this downzoning exactly what it is....a taking of rights without compensation. I own some timberland and I want WET to keep their damn hands off my property. When you buy my property from me, than you can tell me what you want to do with it. There are too many people out there telling landowners what they can and can't do with their land.

Anonymous said...

4:35-

Cadell is worlds above Wm. McCain, whose sales data for Wicomico is contrary to his "professional" opinion. He has a conflict and should abstain from the screwing that they -- Pretl, Burnett, Groutt, Johannsen, etc. -- are trying to give us.

Anonymous said...

Nope. Cadell is just a nut job. Leave it at that. If anybody wants to force farmers to lose their land, its David Cadell.