These essays are my opinions based on my experience on MI property built by my grandfather in 1946. I do my best to support statements of fact with science or documentation and I invite readers to correct anything that can be proven to be wrong or seems unfair.
Bad neighbors
Blocking views with boats on lifts, tall walls, and grotesque homes is is not neighborly. Bending laws and rules designed to protect the environment and regulate building is not clever, it is greedy and selfish; Being guided not by one's conscience but by what you can get away with is not a behavior to be proud of or something to teach to your children.
Stonington lacks an enforceable noise ordinance because the township never got it approved by DEEP. To some people, this means that they can build and make noise 24/7, tormenting those who live near them.
Recently, a resident asked a developer to limit bulldozer noise in the evening; they were told, "Shut the F--- up!"
The developer knew about the unenforceable noise ordinance and felt it was therefore OK to make whatever noise they wanted to. How can anybody behave like this? Is this a behavior learned from parents who also felt this way?
Good neighbors don't need a noise ordinance to tell them how to act.
A loophole in the zoning rules allow you to dig next to protected wetlands. If you drain wetlands, it will kill the natural vegetation and the land will no longer be considered to be wetlands, which means now can build on it while ruining the view and the environment. I asked the Zoning and Planning officials about this, and they confirmed it is a legal strategy to destroy costal wetlands, but added "Of course, we don't recommend people do this but we can't stop them." They also are not doing anything to stop it. Fortunately, most residents realize that destroying tidal wetlands is reprehensible. Unfortunately there are some who don't.
Very carefully written regulations are necessary for those residents who lack a moral compass.
A handful of people can ruin a phenomenal place called Masons Island. They depend on loopholes and unenforced regulations to build huge mansions, that fail to fit with the natural environment, giant vanity docks with lifts and houseboats. They don't care about other residents, wetlands, or wildlife. They use financial resources to buy experts and lawyers who intimidate local officials and bulldoze opposition.
Being passive and hoping these bullies will grow a conscience is easy, but guaranteed to fail.
"Sustainable CT communities strive to be thriving, resilient, collaborative, and forward-looking. They build community and local economy. They equitably promote the health and well-being of current and future residents, and they respect the finite capacity of the natural environment"
