Overdevelopment
There was an article in the Telegram today about all the housing being built on the south side, because it's so woodsy and underdeveloped. Ya know, one of the reasons I like living here is that there's stuff -- more all the time (why, hello, Target/Dick's/Kohls/Bed, Bath and Beyond/Chili's/future Olive Garden and Friday's) -- but you don't have to go very far to find woods and nature. Last weekend M and I were driving around Mason, NH, and there were deer in the road. They were so beautiful. I just stopped and looked at them for the longest time. M laughed at me, because this is how he grew up, but it still amazes me.
As we encroach on the woods, the woods continue to come to us. Just check out this story about the lady who had an unexpected animal passenger in her car. It happened not too far from my house. Our yard backs up to woods, and we had a coyote in the neighborhood a few years ago. And we have our share of opossums, chipmunks, squirrels, moles and raccoons.
To stop the insane pace of development, Leominster changed the zoning a few years ago so that all new houses must have an acre of land. But according to the article, there are about 11 new developments coming in. Some are condos, but others are full-blown houses. One of the developers said that the bigger and more expensive the house, the better for the city. It's all a balancing act.
Our house was built in the late '80s, and it's a perfect size -- three bedrooms and two full baths, two-car garage, on a third of an acre. As you go up the hill on the cross-street from us, the houses become bigger and bigger and more McMansion-like. It's the same old story: People come here because you can get a fairly new house for a fraction of what you'd pay in the more immediate Boston area. And it's not un-commutable -- you can be at North Station in an hour from the Leominster commuter rail stop. But I just hope these developers and the city can reach a good balance. Money makes the world go round, but woods are important, too.
As we encroach on the woods, the woods continue to come to us. Just check out this story about the lady who had an unexpected animal passenger in her car. It happened not too far from my house. Our yard backs up to woods, and we had a coyote in the neighborhood a few years ago. And we have our share of opossums, chipmunks, squirrels, moles and raccoons.
To stop the insane pace of development, Leominster changed the zoning a few years ago so that all new houses must have an acre of land. But according to the article, there are about 11 new developments coming in. Some are condos, but others are full-blown houses. One of the developers said that the bigger and more expensive the house, the better for the city. It's all a balancing act.
Our house was built in the late '80s, and it's a perfect size -- three bedrooms and two full baths, two-car garage, on a third of an acre. As you go up the hill on the cross-street from us, the houses become bigger and bigger and more McMansion-like. It's the same old story: People come here because you can get a fairly new house for a fraction of what you'd pay in the more immediate Boston area. And it's not un-commutable -- you can be at North Station in an hour from the Leominster commuter rail stop. But I just hope these developers and the city can reach a good balance. Money makes the world go round, but woods are important, too.
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