
Hillsborough sues to declare Flintstone House a ‘public nuisance’ - Stratoscope
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/16/highly-visible-eyesore-hillsborough-sues-to-declare-flintstone-house-a-public-nuisance/
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diogenescynic
I always like seeing this house when I drive the 280. It’s one of those
landmarks I recognize as a signal I’m getting close to home.

The owners should start a Kickstarter for a legal defense fund or something.
Call it “Keep Hillsborough Weird!” The owners are likely rich already if they
own a home in that area, but I don’t like the idea of a rich city strong
arming a homeowner to change their house to something more “normal” if there’s
no real safety issues. Live and let live.

The weird homes and cars are always fun to look at and give a city character.
Like that car in Pacifica with all the squirrel statues glued all over it:
[http://www.reallyweirdstuff.com/squirlywhirlyartcar.htm](http://www.reallyweirdstuff.com/squirlywhirlyartcar.htm)

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eesmith
You write "if there’s no real safety issues". The article says there have
indeed _been_ safety issues.

> Some of those improvements created life-safety hazards, including a
> staircase without a handrail, that required immediate correction, he argued
> in the court filing.

Plus,

> The town issued stop work orders, but Fang continued to make improvements
> without the requisite permits, ... due to their height, some of the
> prehistoric metal animals qualified as “unenclosed structures” and required
> planning approval and a building permit.

~~~
humbledrone
My God, a staircase without a handrail? What's next, riding a bicycle without
a helmet? Better bulldoze the whole complex.

~~~
eesmith
Just because the homeowner is rich and has a notable and (to many) beloved
structure doesn't mean that the owner is exempt from code enforcement.

The court document is 19CIV01442 , available from [https://odyportal-
ext.sanmateocourt.org/Portal-External/Docu...](https://odyportal-
ext.sanmateocourt.org/Portal-
External/DocumentViewer/Embedded/vI5AkbEndBN7vAadKfurXGwfZ92AEOzPk_O5jHQtl_00bNPym2MiYsIBrHiKN59htpcKRIIRSVKqa5XeZdIe1v6E_qVnOLdHuDRaiFZOHRs1?p=0)
. One claim is:

> The Landscaping Improvements and Other Improvements required various
> approvals from Hillsborough, including planning review and building permits.
> Mrs. Fang installed all of the improvements without planning approvals and
> without building permits, except for a very limited permit for a low wall in
> the front of the property.

If you live in a place which requires planning review, then you need to submit
your changes to planning review. Yes, your neighbors might fight it. But this
is one of those cases where it _isn 't_ easier to ask for forgiveness than to
ask for permission.

At the very least, do your best to get the planning review and _if that fails_
then go ahead and make the changes. It could well be that 80% of the neighbors
want the change, but violating the law makes it easy for the other 20% to
object and force the changes to be undone.

Another claim is:

> the failure to apply for building and encroachment permits for the deck,
> retaining wall, stairs, driveway extension, driveway gate and columns, and
> parking strip (the “Other Improvements”) did not allow Town staff to
> determine their structural integrity, to ensure that safety features are in
> place; or to achieve compliance with applicable standards. As a result,
> potentially dangerous conditions exist on ghe deck and parking areas and
> other improvements may not satisfy Code requirements.

That is, the staircase without a handrail is an obvious code violation. _We do
not know_ how many other violations exist.

If you live in a place with required building inspections then you have to
have your buildings be inspected.

~~~
humbledrone
The thing is, none of the neighbors actually care about the staircase with no
handrail. They just want what they consider to be an eyesore to go away, and
they're using code/law as a tool to get that.

It may well be that the owner has some real safety issues, etc, and I think
it's great to fix those. But it's a dick move to use those as leverage to get
rid of an "ugly" house.

~~~
eesmith
But that response is entirely predictable, which is why ignoring building
codes in order to bypass the neighbors' preferences is the wrong way to start.

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ralusek
I know the daughter of the architect. The few times she's posted about
neighborhood drama related to this house on Facebook, I'm always very
impressed by how many people come out that both know and have fond memories of
this house.

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Akinato
Doesn't really seem ugly to me. Seems like a fun addition to a space.

~~~
yellowapple
I do think it's pretty ugly, but that ain't a valid reason to get rid of it
IMO. If your property values (the only thing these stuck up NIMBY types care
about) go down because God forbid there's an ugly house nearby, then said
value was probably inflated to begin with.

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wyld_one
I see that mercurynews uses a anti ad blocker. Therefore; I will not patronize
the news service.

