Property Rights

It was good to see DHA getting back to its job, being a watchdog to represent the interest of the 13 thousand plus Dunwoody homeowners who usually vote. The problem they will encounter is that the City of Dunwoody Master Plan is riddled with U.N. Agenda 21 concepts that are foreign to U.S. citizens and will result in violations of the Constitutional rights of property owners.

Thomas Jefferson originally wrote that the federal government would exist to ensure citizens’ rights to Life, Liberty and Property. He later changed Property to “Pursuit of Happiness” , some say, because of the slavery issue. That was a mistake. He should have used his original draft and said “Life, Liberty and Property (except the slavery thing).” The “Pursuit of Happiness” is less confining language than it should be. Our Congress has perpetrated countless scams over 200 years in the name of “Happiness” to limit our Liberty. They were sure we wouldn’t mind sacrificing a little liberty for someone else’s happiness.

There is a businessman in Roswell who sold a large parcel land for a major mall development, all except 5 acres, that is. The EPA showed up and declared his left-over 5 acres, once valued at $1 million per acre as a “wetland”. Now he is stuck paying the taxes on a $5 million property he can’t sell or build anything on. No wonder private investors have taken to the hills.

The owner of the PVC Farm is the City of Dunwoody. Why should anybody but the City Council have anything to say about what they do with the property ? Furthermore, why should the City Council have anything to say about what strip mall property owners do with their property ?

Zoning was invented to prevent clowns from operating a pig farm, junkyard or landfill in the middle of town. Neighbors of clowns should have some protection from clowns and legal expense, so zoning came to be entrusted to local government. Even having a Master Plan goes way too far.

If the City pays off the property (with its surpluses), it will be able to zone it single family residential and sell it to whoever they want to sell it to, unless they made up their own rules forcing them to take the highest bid.

The real problem with the PVC Farm is its original cost of $5 million for 16 acres or $312 thousand per acre. Dunwoody residential property is closer to $100 thousand per acre. Can a developer make a profit developing overpriced land ? If so, let the City sell it. The city should not offer to put any taxpayer money at risk on the deal, just sell it and put the $5 million in the reserve fund.

I know the original intent for buying the PVC Farm was to keep it from becoming apartments. I also know that the City Council said it would become a park, but that was before we voted down the park bonds. Now it appears the City might be able to return the land to productive use.

I prefer single residential zoning to be the dominant zoning category in Dunwoody. I also prefer subdivision owned and managed swim and tennis clubs as our primary “open space” strategy. I think PCID is the only part of Dunwoody that will benefit from “open space” and their own public schools. So far, mixed use developments are failures, so I wouldn’t want any. Also, Tax Authorizing Districts and Private Public Partnerships don’t work. I would oppose any City funds, bonds or backing for private development. Also, all transit (trains and buses) should be private.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader