1. Take down the treehouse immediately. It is a huge liability for you.
2. Fence your property in a tasteful way. That can be done with shrubbery too. Or a combination of both. Something with a lot of thorns! Fenced properties are becoming more and more common anyway in the USA for obvious reasons. Include gates for access and convenience, rear and front. Osage Orange is a good one, you can find how to weave it into a natural hedge, european style, in various magazines or online. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera. It is a hardwood, so you are growing fuel for the fireplace too.
3. Install cameras -- like trail cameras -- high up and out of reach so you have a visual record in case someone makes up stories about you and their adventures on your land. See good outdoor stores, amazon, and specialty camera sites.
4. Install a couple of no trespassing signs, small ones, take photographs to record the date that these were posted.
5. Peruse your local government -- county -- municipality -- state -- ordinances, statutes, by-laws, and regulations for legal things weil alles nicht in Ordnung ist. Restrictions on occupancy by unrelated persons. Distances for this kind of specific use from other properties. Parking issues. Fire codes. Definitions of this kind of use of the property. Is this use permitted within the zoning for the street? You will find one of three scenarios: (1) It is a legal, permitted use. (2) The owners of the property and the operators of the facility have not done their ground work, in which case it will be time for you and the neighbors to seek counsel from an attorney who specializes in municipal law issues. (3) The financiers of this facility are in effect a government agency of some kind -- again, federal, state, municipal -- who provide the money to the operators (private or charitable) & ignore the applicable planning law because their philosophy is to barrel ahead. Wir allein sagen euch, was ihr zu tun habt. Ja sofort! Follow the money. (4) Keep the telephone number handy for code enforcement for your area. Take pictures. Document. So if it comes to a legal matter, you have created evidence.
(6) And act now, do not let this situation become a fait accompli, facts on the ground, to use a military term.
I fully believe that everything involving government funding can be an industry. In particular when kids or the elderly are involved. Because you are not allowed to question anything. I am sure many people reading my post feel I am the asshole for being so concerned about this foster group home in our neighborhood. As if I was not wanting these kids to have a good life... which is far from the truth.
Also check if it would be helpful to apply for historic district status. Sounds like the homes are all of a similar type in a neighborhood configuration. You could add some limitations on how homes are used and restored. Might be an easy workaround to prevent any more from popping up! We have an Air BnB in our historic neighborhood - owner says it sleeps fourteen. We had to deal with cars parked in the middle of the street blocking egress, lots of late night parties. Under the rules, should be advertised as sleeps six. And under our Historic District and deed covenants, only residents and guests of the resident are allowed to drive and park on our private road. We might be able to enforce, since no resident lives in the house and guests are not strangers paying rent. (I say we, but I am in Tasmania now. Thanks for reminding of another reason to be happy about the move! 😊)
There was one about two blocks from my house. Slap in the middle of a nice neighborhood. It looked good at first - right after the sale - but now it's destroyed, gutters and roof rotting, empty, falling down with boarded up windows. No, it was NOT a good thing for the neighborhood or the poor kids squashed in there.
If it isn't a permanent residence for any adults, I bet you can challenge their right to operate there.
But yes, I'd take down the tree house. ):
I do not know who is a permanent resident there. I feel bad for the tree house. :-(
1. Take down the treehouse immediately. It is a huge liability for you.
2. Fence your property in a tasteful way. That can be done with shrubbery too. Or a combination of both. Something with a lot of thorns! Fenced properties are becoming more and more common anyway in the USA for obvious reasons. Include gates for access and convenience, rear and front. Osage Orange is a good one, you can find how to weave it into a natural hedge, european style, in various magazines or online. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera. It is a hardwood, so you are growing fuel for the fireplace too.
3. Install cameras -- like trail cameras -- high up and out of reach so you have a visual record in case someone makes up stories about you and their adventures on your land. See good outdoor stores, amazon, and specialty camera sites.
4. Install a couple of no trespassing signs, small ones, take photographs to record the date that these were posted.
5. Peruse your local government -- county -- municipality -- state -- ordinances, statutes, by-laws, and regulations for legal things weil alles nicht in Ordnung ist. Restrictions on occupancy by unrelated persons. Distances for this kind of specific use from other properties. Parking issues. Fire codes. Definitions of this kind of use of the property. Is this use permitted within the zoning for the street? You will find one of three scenarios: (1) It is a legal, permitted use. (2) The owners of the property and the operators of the facility have not done their ground work, in which case it will be time for you and the neighbors to seek counsel from an attorney who specializes in municipal law issues. (3) The financiers of this facility are in effect a government agency of some kind -- again, federal, state, municipal -- who provide the money to the operators (private or charitable) & ignore the applicable planning law because their philosophy is to barrel ahead. Wir allein sagen euch, was ihr zu tun habt. Ja sofort! Follow the money. (4) Keep the telephone number handy for code enforcement for your area. Take pictures. Document. So if it comes to a legal matter, you have created evidence.
(6) And act now, do not let this situation become a fait accompli, facts on the ground, to use a military term.
I knew that some foster parents are in it for the money. I did not know that it had become an industry.
I fully believe that everything involving government funding can be an industry. In particular when kids or the elderly are involved. Because you are not allowed to question anything. I am sure many people reading my post feel I am the asshole for being so concerned about this foster group home in our neighborhood. As if I was not wanting these kids to have a good life... which is far from the truth.
Also check if it would be helpful to apply for historic district status. Sounds like the homes are all of a similar type in a neighborhood configuration. You could add some limitations on how homes are used and restored. Might be an easy workaround to prevent any more from popping up! We have an Air BnB in our historic neighborhood - owner says it sleeps fourteen. We had to deal with cars parked in the middle of the street blocking egress, lots of late night parties. Under the rules, should be advertised as sleeps six. And under our Historic District and deed covenants, only residents and guests of the resident are allowed to drive and park on our private road. We might be able to enforce, since no resident lives in the house and guests are not strangers paying rent. (I say we, but I am in Tasmania now. Thanks for reminding of another reason to be happy about the move! 😊)
There was one about two blocks from my house. Slap in the middle of a nice neighborhood. It looked good at first - right after the sale - but now it's destroyed, gutters and roof rotting, empty, falling down with boarded up windows. No, it was NOT a good thing for the neighborhood or the poor kids squashed in there.