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What Happens When Bad Zoning is Allowed to Occur? (updated June 29, 2004)

Take a look at the following pictures.  Here, a neighborhood was built, then, only after most of the homes were sold, a towering, 3-story set of huge apartment buildings were constructed almost right on top of the homes along the back lots of the neighborhood!  It was the same developer that developed both the homes and later, the apartments.  Go see this for yourself, it's just off Faith Church Road, across from the Harris Teeter Distribution center on Hwy 74.

The homes are in the Traewyck subdivision, the apartments are the Meridian Apartments.  The developer was the R.D. Harrell Co.  The same company that now wants to pack town homes into an otherwise single family zoned area (see RZ-2003-010).  Will this create yet another Bad Zoning error like the pictures shown below?

Did the apartments pictured below lower the property value of some of the Traewyck home owners?  If so, do they have any way to recoup those loses?  Please go to the Forum area to discuss these and other important issues.

I met with Mr. R.D. Harrell on 6/29/04 and asked him about this.  He indicated that the land was zoned for homes, a shopping center and for multi-family years ago, before any development began.  He indicated that as he sold lots to builders, he fully disclosed to those builders what the zoning was for the surrounding properties.  Therefore, it was up to the individual builders to pass that same information on to the final buyers.  Also, obviously each buyer has a responsibility to be aware of the surrounding properties, as they say, "buyer beware". 

This is well and good however, in my opinion the R.D. Harrell Company could have done several things different if it wanted to.  They could have built two-story units closest to the homes rather than three-story units.  They could have created a wider buffer area or setback from the rear lots of the homes.  They could have (and could still) improve the existing buffer area with a taller berm, taller fences and more landscaping as four of the five pictures below show little or no landscaping along the divider fence.  Obviously, all of these suggestions would have taken away some profit which was evidently not an option.

If you are a Traewyck resident, I would like to hear from you to understand what your actual experience was.  Did your builder and/or realtor disclose to you how the surrounding properties were zoned and what could potentially be built on them?  Please use the Forum area or use the Comments page to let me know.