Posted by Fletch on Thursday, December 05, 2002 at 2:48PM :
In Reply to: Why junkyards disappear in California posted by Gen Grant on Thursday, December 05, 2002 at 12:44PM :
In the area where I work there used to be four junk yards. They have all been closed down and moved out. It seems that the city of Lakewood only zoned a very small area for Industrial use and the junkyards are not considered Industrial thus, valuable land was not being used to its tax-raising potential. I think the pressure of the company I work for had a great deal to do with it too. As a company we generate about $2billion a year in sales with the city getting a good hit on taxes. Think about it, if you have a company making $2 billion sitting on the same size property as someone claiming virtually nothing, who has a pull on the city council when it wants a new street? or a nicer view when investors drop by? I like junkyards but can well imagine the junk that drips into the soil and migrates to lakes. I'd rather have the lake. Its too bad that they have to trump up some charges to forcefully evict someone that has been contributing to the community for 50 years. The city ought to be offering compensation and helping him relocate so they can "beautify" and increase property values.
That's my .03
Follow Ups: