NFRC: do you think a fire hydrant would lower property value? Aka, would you buy a house with one?

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
So, after 40 some odd years of everything being fine on our street...I get a early knock on the door (woke me up) informing me they are going to relocate the hydrant on the street (4 doors down) and I'm getting it. Tuesday. And because my neighbor has a decorative fence (split rail) they need to place it instead of the corner of the lot - 5 feet into my lawn. (We don't have a parking strip.) I can't see how this won't lower my property value - don't you think? I mean would you buy a house with a big old hydrant in the lawn? I measured the other one - it's 42 inches high and currently I have no plantings that would disguise it. I'd have to relandscape the front lawn to do so. It's also the same place the city told me I had to replant the city tree removed because of sewer line issues. Oh and also I'd lose 2 of the 3 parking spaces in front. There is five total between both houses, but because they are shifting it to my side, my neighbor would get 3 and I'd have only one.

Don't you think this will lower the value of my home?

 
When getting insurance for my house, they asked where the nearest hydrant was

because the closer the hydrant the better the insurance rate. But we have well water in this neck of the woods - so no hydrants. So then they asked how far to the nearest fire station - which is 1 mile away - so that saved me. I was able to get a slight discount on my rate because it was so close.

 
Yes, I may get lower insurance rates...but property value?

Not sure given I'm only 300 feet/5 houses from a hydrant now.

I wouldn't have as big an issue if they'd place it at the property line/corner by the sidewalk, but because of a small fence of my neighbor, they want to shift it towards the middle of my yard, making it a 42" bright yellow piece of lawn art and inequitably limit parking in front of my house.

 
You gotta fight this. Call your Councilman or whatever you have there.

We have an agency called "Neighborhood Services" that is a City agency that acts as a clearinghouse for information, along with friendly advice on how to deal with such things.

I would be on the phone like nobody's business! It doesn't matter if they have an easement. They can put it on the property line and your neighbor will have to suck it up!

Michael

 
OMG!!! Completely agree with Michael, get "fired up" (No pun intended) and seriously

fight back. Change.org? Do not let it happen without a solid fight.

Just my 2 cents....

 
I was thinking about your post this morning. I would consider putting the same split level fence

as your neighbors... Why do they need to relocate the existing one?

 
Just tell them no dice. You are not having a hydrant in your lawn. All fire hydrants in our area

are on the property line between homes. Folks can landscape as they see fit as long as the hydrant is in clear view of the street and the fire department can get to it easily. Everyone gets a break on their fire insurance because the hydrants are next to the homes involved. Recently, the City updated underground electrical stuff, TV stuff by putting an ugly green box in the middle of lawns, so it was easy to get to. They did not ask, just did it. When they came to my house, I said "no way, you are not doing that to me". It worked, they put up the box in a landscaped shrubby area. I make sure the path to it is kept clear and it is in site. Some folks have asked how come they did not put it in the lawns like they did the rest of the houses. I told them I simply said NO! Oh, we did not know we could do that, came the reply! Good grief, stand up for what is right...it is your property, you own it, pay taxes on it and maintain it.

 
I've tried no, and no dice: I've contacted the city, the water co, the constuction co, & councilman

I've notified the water company additionally in writing that I have a verbal agreement with x in their office that no groundbreaking/construction will begin until this is resolved by all parties.

I've driven the neighborhood, check placement of others, plotted maps, measured distances, and basically created "twenty seven eight-by-ten color glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one." Ok, not 27, but several. Thank you G maps and street view.

And what I've DEterMINED is, **drumroll please** if I have my facts straight, is:

They made a mistake. And it should be placed 2 doors down from me. Where cowinky dink, there happens to be no fence, landscape, etc issue. Now lets see if I can convince them of this. My way meets 500 ft spacing (mine is 360 ft) and alignment with next block (again, would be 2 doors down) - which they said were the reasons it had to be my house. And center the spacing to one on each end and one in center of the block - just like the identical street one over, again it should be moved 2 doors down. Unless they are planning to move them like musical chairs for some boondoggle no reason waste taxpayers money issue, then hopefully I've got my ducks in a row and looking good.

But please wish me luck because I need to go up against the Fire Dept, The City, and The Water Company. Possibly the city council too.

 
Be persistent. Be polite, but call your council office daily. Ask for a walk through and show them

your data. In my experience dealing with council offices, very few people call them so those that do get attention.

 
Can you put a smiliar fence as your neighbors? I would do it just to be spiteful; Why do they need

to relocate the exisiting one?

Good Luck,
Barb

 
This is a MESS! All my planning shot - they ARE playing musical chairs - moving 1-2 houses on all

I can't believe this. The are moving all these already installed since day one, one house over. One! WTH is paying for that?

I thought my well reasoned oh you are off by 2 houses thing was a no brainer -- but they said "oh so now you're unhappy. Well that property isn't yours, we have the right to the first 6 feet and that hydrant is going in tomorrow." It will align with the "new" pattern -- most hydrants are moving 1-2 houses over. This sounds like a giant boondoggle -- and our city is running ads on t about how we have to cut spending because we are broke.

I've left a message with my councilman's office but I have a dr appt and the city is showing up after one so I can see the new maps -- but they made it clear it will not stop them.

I'm ready to call the newspaper/tv station if they really are moving these things like one house over - that's crazy don't you think???

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAagh!

ETA
I've been given a few days reprieve to try to contact someone that has the authority to change "the plan" and convince them to move it.

 
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