My first encounter with developers was when I was about 12 years old. We lived south of Seattle in the mid 1950's. My dad and I had horses on a small bit of acreage. Boeing was just taking off then. Developers got the idea that they could make 'housing developments' for all of the new Boeing workers and then they could make shopping malls and so called 'light industrial parks'. But we people with small truck farms and ranches were not interested in selling and were getting in the way of their plans. So the developers got close with the local town councils and county commissioners and 'suggested' that they expand their boundaries and then ban farms and farm animals within the boundary limits. For an even sneakier trick, they posted the public notice of this change which they were required to do by state law in a small newspaper on the other side of the state. We were all given notice that we could not add to our stock. But we could keep the animals we had. This 'grandfathering clause' was supposed to ease our loss. All of this actually happened along with further development of Sea Tac airport that ruined the land value of the many neighborhoods around it. This went on over many years and developers were allowed to buy properties that people were having trouble selling for all of the above reasons. Those developers often tore down the homes and built newer more expensive houses and apartment complexes that were soon vacated for the airport expansion but that the developers could then write-off as a loss. Since all of this happened over several years it was a perfect sleight of hands. Many people lost their paid for homes for a song. The homes that were their nest eggs. Would I call developers Bad People? You bet. And often much worse.
Loved this post extra - digging in to human choices, species charisma.
Thank you! Wish we did considered it more often.
Looking forward to a time when the word “developer” is considered the pejorative it has become.
Thank you friend, for continuing the good fight.
For a couple decades now my friend and I have used the term “asshole developer,” lol.
I used to not think much about developers in favor of the other big offenders but have to come realize just how offensive they are.
Thanks Martin! Hope you and yours are well!
preach!
Thanks, Janisse!
My first encounter with developers was when I was about 12 years old. We lived south of Seattle in the mid 1950's. My dad and I had horses on a small bit of acreage. Boeing was just taking off then. Developers got the idea that they could make 'housing developments' for all of the new Boeing workers and then they could make shopping malls and so called 'light industrial parks'. But we people with small truck farms and ranches were not interested in selling and were getting in the way of their plans. So the developers got close with the local town councils and county commissioners and 'suggested' that they expand their boundaries and then ban farms and farm animals within the boundary limits. For an even sneakier trick, they posted the public notice of this change which they were required to do by state law in a small newspaper on the other side of the state. We were all given notice that we could not add to our stock. But we could keep the animals we had. This 'grandfathering clause' was supposed to ease our loss. All of this actually happened along with further development of Sea Tac airport that ruined the land value of the many neighborhoods around it. This went on over many years and developers were allowed to buy properties that people were having trouble selling for all of the above reasons. Those developers often tore down the homes and built newer more expensive houses and apartment complexes that were soon vacated for the airport expansion but that the developers could then write-off as a loss. Since all of this happened over several years it was a perfect sleight of hands. Many people lost their paid for homes for a song. The homes that were their nest eggs. Would I call developers Bad People? You bet. And often much worse.