Would you sell?

[hillsidedigger]

A Real Estate consortium has identified a 4500 acre rural area currently owned by dozens if not more families in Haywood County, NC and claims they have $4billion and plan to buy out everyone and make this area what it should be, a mega-development of ski slopes, golf courses, lakes, condominiums, shopping centers, etc.

This is absolutely sick that a private outfit would draw such an threatening, ominous, ugly cloud across an entire community. The spokesman insinuates the current owners WILL sell, they have no choice.

There is so much of a positive nature that could be accomplished with $4 billion. Why do people choose destruction?

This makes Ted Turner (in the other threads) look like a poster-boy of good neighborly behavior.

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/200...194280290.html

http://www.buckingtherealestatetrend.com/

[Use Less]

"What it should be"??? Seems like a lot of fairly well-heeled north-easterners are looking at NC & SC as good places to relocate as they approach retirement or actually retire. Unfortunately it seems like what they want is to take an upscale NE suburb & transplant it someplace warmer, but for NOW, cheaper. I'd be happier if people wanting to go south wanted to move to be more "southern" in their outlook. If the $$$ is there, which may be true, & the zoning/ag or forest preservation/green zone is not, which is very likely true, current owners may not have a lot of choices. Sue

[susieM]

Eminent domain at work.

But is there enough water?

[hillsidedigger]

There's plenty of water there being a wooded/pastoral area of high elevation and high rainfall adjoining the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and in fact this area is prone to extreme floods and landslides and these steep slopes should remain relatively undisturbed..

There has been no mention of eminent domain here. Almost all the locals are fighting this project and I can see no way that eminent domain could legally come into play in this situation unless ours has been turned into a Fascist nation where whats good for corporations is naturally good for everyone.

[chickenista]

The ones that won't sell out at first will be forced out by the rising cost of their property taxes. Nothing like putting a 2 million $ house up next to granny's old farmhouse that her grandaddy built back in the 1800's to up the cost and "value" of granny's place. Happens all over these mountains... the hold outs get forced out and the developers chuckle and hoot all the way to the bank.
I swear, if I could get away with it... oooh I'd, I'd....ooooh.

[RichieC]

1. Eminent domain isn't an issue here. There is no threat, explicit or implied.

2. Why the insistence on defedning Ted Turner in half your threads?

[Stann]

It takes a commited community and especially a strong leader to keep big money at bay. Here in Sunland-Tujunga, we have kept a Home Depot from opening. It has been about 5 years. They won't go away, though. Our efforts are never ending, it seems.

Here's the website and the story:
http://www.no2homedepot.com

To start, get a community paper or newsletter started. Keep everyone informed on what is going on. Also, be very involved and informed about local government. Some people join local government for the good of the community. Others join local government for self interest purposes. It is the later that must be watched.

And for those that believe it is just fine for the richest to buy out and take over a community, IMO you are just misguided.

[RedTartan]

Every time I hear something like this I think about putting in a cemetery on my land. My husband grandparents both have slow-growing cancers that they are opting to not treat because of their advanced age... I just haven't figured out a way to ask them nicely if they'd let me bury them here. You have to get all kinds of permits, but it would be worth it to know that your land is safe from developers.

In Ohio, land that has human remains cannot be developed within a large (can't remember exactly how far) distance of the graves for 100 years after the remains are interred... Way cool that...

RedTartan

[marvella]

lots of places sold here with old family cemeteries here. apparently it adds to the "charm."

i live right next to this place, called jonathan creek, nc, not far from max patch on the AT.

hillside, this project is already a no go. i'd have to dig thru my old email to find it, but apparently this developer has a long history of braggadocio and publicity seeking and has never managed to actually finish a project he has "started." there are so many national eco-groups on top of it, along with outraged locals, not a chance it will happen. it borders a national park, tho it hasn't stopped gatlinburg and pigeon forge.

[buffalocreek]

"Cataloochee Wilderness Resort has partners flocking to invest in Jonathan Creek, NC resort."

Do any of these flocking investors bother to pay attention to what's happening now in the financial markets what with the vast mortgage meltdown, foreclosures galore, banks going under, the dollar tanking, Wall Street corruption, etc., etc. I would think this would not be the best of times to invest in a resort. But what do I know, I'm not a flocking investor.

On Ted Turner: here in Nebraska Turner has bought thousands of acres of grassland in Cherry County and is running buffalo on it. I'd much rather see that type of land use than a ski resort.

[pancho]

Originally Posted by RedTartan

Every time I hear something like this I think about putting in a cemetery on my land. My husband grandparents both have slow-growing cancers that they are opting to not treat because of their advanced age... I just haven't figured out a way to ask them nicely if they'd let me bury them here. You have to get all kinds of permits, but it would be worth it to know that your land is safe from developers.

In Ohio, land that has human remains cannot be developed within a large (can't remember exactly how far) distance of the graves for 100 years after the remains are interred... Way cool that...

RedTartan

Different states have different laws. Cemeterys did not slow down the casinos in Ms. or lakes in Okla.

[hillsidedigger]

Originally Posted by marvella

lots of places sold here with old family cemeteries here. apparently it adds to the "charm."

i live right next to this place, called jonathan creek, nc, not far from max patch on the AT.

hillside, this project is already a no go. i'd have to dig thru my old email to find it, but apparently this developer has a long history of braggadocio and publicity seeking and has never managed to actually finish a project he has "started." there are so many national eco-groups on top of it, along with outraged locals, not a chance it will happen. it borders a national park, tho it hasn't stopped gatlinburg and pigeon forge.

Good. This thing has sounded fishy from the beginning but the local TV news discussed it last evening as if it were still a possiblity.

The developers may not even start to have the money they claim they do, just another scheme to steal investment money from gullible people.

[marvella]

the local TV news discussed it last evening as if it were still a possiblity.


do you live near here?

the info i got was from the national parks and conservation association (NPCA). apparently an alert went out, then after looking into it, it came out it was mostly hype. the investors he mentioned never heard of him, nor had the golf pros ever talked to him about putting in the courses he bragged about. he may have some land he bought there.

i'd guess he figures if he blows enough smoke, landowners will get discouraged and sell out.

[tnokie]

And here Dw and I are thinking about relocating to the Haywood County area.(Her job ,related). And from what we have seen on the internet real estate places, the property is already very expensive, A little resort hype and it will go even higher.Anyone know of good realtors to check with.

[Beeman]

Originally Posted by hillsidedigger

A Real Estate consortium has identified a 4500 acre rural area currently owned by dozens if not more families in Haywood County, NC and claims they have $4billion and plan to buy out everyone and make this area what it should be, a mega-development of ski slopes, golf courses, lakes, condominiums, shopping centers, etc.

This is absolutely sick that a private outfit would draw such an threatening, ominous, ugly cloud across an entire community. The spokesman insinuates the current owners WILL sell, they have no choice.

There is so much of a positive nature that could be accomplished with $4 billion. Why do people choose destruction?

This makes Ted Turner (in the other threads) look like a poster-boy of good neighborly behavior.

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/200...194280290.html

http://www.buckingtherealestatetrend.com/

Been there, done that..sold my house and land in Haywood county in 1994. I saw it coming in 90 but it took a while to get gone. Back then there was a couple of groups, one was buying up businesses and developing land, they went bust. There was the bio-dome on Hemphill that had John Denver involved. There was also a group buying up land in the 80's on J Creek to build a 6 Flags. Unfortunately that area is the perfect high dollar location. It's beauty attracts them and then they want to own the beauty and destroy it. There are so many big buck resorts developing in WNC it amazes me. The talk about the locals not wanting it has been going on for years, they do listen to money though. Sorrells is an example, he inherited all of that and is in a good position to make some big bucks. I go back to visit friends once in a while and it just makes me happier I left.

Now for the rest of the story. It's now happening where I live now and I've come to the conclusion it's going to happen everywhere east of the Mississippi in my lifetime. I'm not running any more. There's too many people with money dissatisfied with where they live and dreaming of living in the south east. The high property values will make the landowners sell and the taxes will force the rest to sell.

[hintonlady]

Originally Posted by RedTartan

Every time I hear something like this I think about putting in a cemetery on my land. My husband grandparents both have slow-growing cancers that they are opting to not treat because of their advanced age... I just haven't figured out a way to ask them nicely if they'd let me bury them here. You have to get all kinds of permits, but it would be worth it to know that your land is safe from developers.

In Ohio, land that has human remains cannot be developed within a large (can't remember exactly how far) distance of the graves for 100 years after the remains are interred... Way cool that...

RedTartan

Really...seriously?

OMG Of the entire farm that belongs to my DH Grandfather we managed to carve out a spot for our homestead. About 1/2 and acre from my house, just bordering my smaller pasture is an old family cemetery.

Not this family of course. It's a nice old guy who lives down the road. His wife is burried there and so too some day will he be.

It's also at the crest of a hill and has a view of many farms for miles around, best spot on the whole farm really. Dh grandfathers ground surrounds it by many acres on all sides, (well except for my side)

So am I to presume this may be a good thing?

Subdivision and rural development is a cancer around here and it is spreading fast. I keep praying the fed does not buy out the high interest loans. That would enable the development machine to keep on doing what they will.

I bet the power plant nearby will "help" us too. We dodged the giant poles on our ground but they criss cross lots of neighbors. No one citified wants to have those giant things near them. (heck, neither do we)

Eminent domain sucks. The power poles had a clear roadside path but a competitor power plant wouldn't share the ground so ...what do ya know....heavy equipment on (several generation) family farm ground without permission.