At the intersection of Government and Capitalism lies a gray no mans land, fertile ground for evil to take root.
Deep in the hills of lower Westchester County (NY), a family owned nursery closed in 2015. It was the victim of the the 2008 economic recession, competition from discount box stores, and two suspicious fires. When the owners decided to sell, they were greeted by a town government that didn’t want any homes built here—afraid they might have to add a few kids to their schools (heaven forbid). A plan to sell the property and develop an elder care facility was initially greeted before the NIMBYs found a way to drag it into court using the local fire department as a weapon. The department cited the danger of navigating a winding road to the site. It’s a fair concern but they could have abdicated responsibility to the fire department of the village it borders literally across the road. The neighboring fire department is nearly equidistant to the property, a clear direct route, and better water pressure to boot. Years have passed, and the remaining buildings have quickly decayed.
Today, the property has become more than just an abandoned blight: it has become a breeding ground for invasive plants that damage the local ecosystem. To the untrained eye, these plants may look pretty, but these are the kind that quickly strangling trees, crowd out native plants, and interfere with local utility lines. Clearing them is time consuming. It costs area homeowners an uncalculated cost to keep them from taking hold in their yards.
This fiasco has likely drained much of the retired owners savings, and wasted a huge amount of the elder care companies time, money and resources as well. The value of nearby properties has surely been negatively impacted. The village that blocked the nursery owner & elder care company at every turn truly have no one to blame but themselves. Maybe some day they’ll get stuck with the cost of cleaning this mess up.
An entirely avoidable fiasco has become a Beautiful Nightmare.