🚀 go-pugleaf

>I am a lowly renter myself but I am curious
>How are property values "destroyed" by a hi voltage line.
>Are there any inherent problems with one or is it just because it would
>be unsightly ? And even if it were unsightly it *has* to go somewhere
>....

>My $0.02 worth

>Srinivas

Well, the property appraisers that the homeowners association hired to 
research the subject found that home values dropped between 10 and 50 
percent after the lines were installed.  How would you like to
purchase a home that has power lines the height of a 10 story
building running less than 100 feet from it? 

As a previous reader noted, yes, there was an easment there. And no,
three months ago when we signed the contract there were "no plans for
utilities in that area".  But now they have to condem another 8 feet
of my neighbor's yard for a total of 15 feet of easment to fit these
blasted poles in.  I wouldn't be so torqed off about the whole thing
except:

1. The poles are so damned big. I wouldn't have minded even a large
"normal" size pole (say 30-40 feet). But this things are <huge>! 

2. We purposely eliminated neighborhoods because they had high tension
lines in the vicinity, due to the unknown effects of EMF on children. 
I'm not raising my two kids to see them die at 12 from lukemia. And if
we, as semi-normal parents, eliminated houses due to EMF in the
vicinity, I have to assume others will also. Poof, my house just got
much harder to sell.

3. The power that the substation will provide will probably not even
be used in my city, but in the planned community. If they want power,
then let them run it through their town. But they don't want to,
because it would reduce the property value of their nice new 
community. And they have the money to push FPL to run the lines 
somewhere else.

4. FPL refusing to put the line underground or though a different 
undeveloped location. There are other routes that are available to
FPL. They just are looking at the bottom line: this is the cheapest
way for them to run the lines. They don't give a damn about our kids
or our neighborhood. I do.

I intend to make enought noise that this is not the cheapest way 
for them, in terms of pubilicity and media exposure.  We looked 
long and hard for this house, and don't intend to quit without 
a good fight.



Lloyd





-- 

Lloyd Robbins
lloyd-robbins@ksc.nasa.gov
"Managing programmers is like herding cats."