27 comments:

• posted at 4:29 pm on Sun, Aug 5, 2007.

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  Go ahead, keep thinking that real estate is an investment... it is always a loss..

  sorry, you understand

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• posted at 5:18 pm on Thu, Aug 2, 2007.

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  Kathy you are whining. You claim the City stole your money. You couldnt be more wrong. Limiting allocations, whether they be building permits, sewer allocations, or whatever is a common device used by cities to put the brakes on ALL development, not just infill. Your lame assertion that only megta (sic) developers will survive is also equally faulty. The system is not to be changed just so people like you can make it work. Stay in school (literally).

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• posted at 4:48 am on Wed, Aug 1, 2007.

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  The Harings should investigate what other communities require for infill before bemoaning Lodi's process. If anything, Lodi's development standards are extremely relaxed compared even to Stockton! Try an infill project and Sacramento. Bottom line is you propose low-quality quick buck type development, you will and should be refused.

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• posted at 6:51 pm on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  How longe does it take to fire or terminate a teacher or a fireman?Be thankfull that the bureaucracy and bureaucrats is a big part of both of your lives!Because we dont like it either about your (Defined Benefits)!We all think bureaucracy STINKS!

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• posted at 2:27 pm on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Get in line! The Harings took a risk and lost. It happens every day in real estate.

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• posted at 11:39 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  You should have a few with the "good ol boyz". If they were involved it would be a done deal and someone else would be stuck with it. Actually you are lucky. You went in honest and you returned honest. YOU are really a winner. Be thankful that you aren't one of the "chosen few" Lodi "GOB's". Whats a litle money, you still have your morality and didn't lie or cheat anyone. You didn't have to deal with the "dry bean manager" commissioner or any other hand picked "geniuses" of high finance.

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• posted at 11:06 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Someone slap me hard because I agree with Leonard on this one. Lodi has always embraced "infill" projects. In order to encourage infill it should be exempt from the growth management plan. Lodi's growth rate has been less than 1% for several years. Even during the "glory days". I can't imagine what the growth rate is going to be this year....00001%?

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• posted at 10:49 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Lodi - The city of no-neck, squarehead special interest, hide behind the city attorney, government. Why does the public stand still for the favoritism and antics of this bunch of losers on the city council. Their kneejerk reaction to the motorcycle event and the running over of small developers who aren't shown the favoritism of the city planning board members or the large developers who can buy their way in. Tip of the corrupt iceburg.

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• posted at 10:06 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  The whole growth managment thing needs to be "messed with," Mrs. Hitchcock. Two percent may not sound like much, but it's exponential. Say a person weighs 150 pounds, and puts on 2 percent a year. In 10 years, they'll weigh 183 pounds, a 22 percent gain! Maybe Lodi ought to roll back growth to one percent a year, and I agree, move infill to first priority. More small developers mean less ticky tacky, look-alike developments. Good luck, teach!

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• posted at 9:48 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Well! Thanks for the supportive comments! As for those of you who think I'm just whining, please think about the policy involved. If two-year delays are common practice in Lodi, even for infill, what chance do we have of preserving our farmland? The only people in the development game will be metga developers. I did my homework, and prepared for a year delay. Growth management requires allocations within a calendar year. They are going to miss that by a mile.

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• posted at 9:31 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  To: To Ms Haring. Please, people in the real world take risks every day. Just because you are not a business owner doesn't mean you don't take risks that can affect your future income. Just because we are critical of someone that didn't think things through doesn't mean we wish for failure. Bottom line, if this scenario unfolded a few years earlier, she wouldn't be complaining, just counting her profit.

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• posted at 9:10 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  If she would have just split it into 3 parcels in the first place instead of getting greedy and wanting 7 the project would already be done by now. Guess Gordon Gecko was not right on this one.

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• posted at 8:51 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  This lady is lucky! If the city waived the ordinance she could have started building last year which means that her condos would be for sale now. Who wants to sell condos in this market?

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• posted at 8:13 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Is she serious ???! You're whining because you didn't get what you wanted, when you wanted it ? Welcome to the real world. This stuff happens EVERY DAY.
  Next time, try an option on the land, but don't expect special treatment just because you don't know what you're getting into. And your "I'm the victim" pose is not going to win over anyone. puh-leeze !
  The City didn't steal your anything !
  Know what you're getting into before getting into it.
  Try developing in any one of hundreds of California cities with orderly or managed growth initiatives.

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• posted at 7:25 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  While I agree that development is a business with both healthy risk as well as reward. ANd I agree that it seems like the parties involved are looking to blame the city of Lod for their projects miss fortune. And I also agree that the parties involved should have done their due diligence. What I don't agree with is how nasty most of the comments are! It seems to be a common thing in this papers blogs. Mean nasty people making mean nasty comments!!!

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• posted at 7:10 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  I understand how frustrated you must be. However, the Lodi growth policy is not new and a little more home work might have made it less painful. That said, to expect bloggers here to feel for you is laughable. These folks are against all development and love to see people fail. Most have nothing and never will. They are not business owners and know little or nothing about taking a risk. Good luck.

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• posted at 6:43 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Are you a Small Developer or a Teacher and Firefighter..."The financial loss has been devasting"...Have you ever invested in the Stock Market?

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• posted at 6:39 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  What a cry baby, just go back to being a teacher and wait till your retirement comes. Your husband is going to get a nice retirement with the fire department and you get your retirement from the school. Developing is like playing poker, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. You lost cry baby and stop wasting everyone's time just because you lost.

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• posted at 6:01 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Again, no personal responsibility. They should've known the risks - and the PROCESS - of development before trying this get rich quick scheme. It's not the City's responsibility to make sure your development is profitable. Go home and cry yourself to sleep on your STRS & PERS 3% at 50. The City has done enough for you both!

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• posted at 5:28 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Hey! You are a teacher and he is a fireman and you are developing and worred about retirement dreams?I think I'am going to puke!Yes!What kind of retirement (Defined Benefits)!

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• posted at 5:07 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  It seems like a no brainer that in fill projects should be exempted from this regulation.

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• posted at 3:47 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  I think the real problem is that the "ggod ol boyz" didn't invite you to their party. Imagine for one minute if your last names were....___ or____ . You would have the answer within days. YOU KNOW IT. When our Mayor can pick a bean manager and realtor to plan what else do you think is going on? Next time ask Duncan and Duncan to help, I bet things would run more smoothly.

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• posted at 3:16 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Being a developer is being a risk taker. So what if you lost your money. You didnt really loose it. You just dont know the business. Developers dont go to schools and say I want to work here for a little while becuase I will get into the CalPers great retirement program, so stay out of development unless you want to take the losses like everyone else.

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• posted at 3:05 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  OH well...... join the club sweeie.... thousands of people have missed the big jackpot in real esate.......

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• posted at 3:00 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  If you agree with the City policy or not, you still have to play by the rules. Land development is very expensive and often times quite risky, especially for those who choose to dabble in it as a hobby.

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• posted at 2:22 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Sounds like the teacher didn't do her homework. Development is speculative at best. If you didn't have a clear understanding of the process, shame on you. Don't blame the city because you took a risk and lost.

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• posted at 2:05 am on Tue, Jul 31, 2007.

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  Cry me a river. These are the risks you take when dabbling in real estate. Lodi is a backward city when it comes to sensible growth and you should have known that before you spent money on the land. After this bubble is done imploding, there are going to be a lot more stories like this. Just be glad you didn't build it and then had to sit on it paying a huge interest bill every month.

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