August 26, 2008
Man Vs. Tree in Dyker Heights
That tree-hugging Mayor Bloomberg and his Million Trees NYC campaign can go play in traffic as far as Dyker Heights resident (and noted gadfly) Sonny Soave is concerned. Ever since discovering telltale white markings spray painted on the sidewalk outside his house, Soave has been futilely trying to stop the city from planting a tree outside his house. He rants to the Brooklyn Paper: “How is it that I have no say about what goes in front of my house? Am I living in a communist New York where the city makes the decision for you? I know it’s the city’s sidewalk, but once it’s planted, it becomes my responsibility to clean up." And we all know how slovenly trees can be, always littering the sidewalk with their stinking leaves and fouling up the air with their oxygen. That's why Soave's making a stand: "I’ll stand right here and block them from putting that tree in if I have to."
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I think you meant "...Dyker Heights resident (and noted schmuck) Sonny Soave..."
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Two words:
Eminent Domain.
Every property owners deals with this across the nation. if you live in the burbs and the town wants to widen the road to ease traffic congestion, they'll take some of your property to do it. It's the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
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I have the most evil tree in the world in front of my house in park slope. Everyday it shits leaves and limbs like you wouldn't believe. I don't even sweep my sidewalk anymore cause i'm fed up. Thankfully I haven't got a ticket but I did get some irate neighbors. I just say "I just swept it yesterday" and they leave me alone.
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This instance has nothing to do with eminent domain. Eminent domain does not affect "every property owner" and if the government takes your property via eminent domain you are compensated.
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It's not eminent domain when the government forces you to clean up after something it's done. The complaint isn't about the tree but rather the fact that the city will not clean up after the tree. Not only that, but it will fine the property owner who happens to be unlucky enough to own the property behind the tree if they do not clean up after the tree. That's not good government.
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As long as its not one of those fucking ginko trees.
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Oh John Del Signore, your posts are always my favorite, you sass-mouth.
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Those markings in the Brooklyn Paper photo don't look orange to me.
Easy solution if he doesn't want to mess with leaves. Plant an evergreen himself. Look, ma, no falling leaves every autumn!
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dumbass.
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Perhaps before they plant the tree the city should dig the hole a little deeper and plant Sonny Soave. Kind of like the Indians planting fish with their corn. It adds nutrients to the soil. In his case it might poison the soil, but one should at least give it a try.
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I would be pissed if a tree blocked my view.
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This sounds like the same guy who was campaigning for the Starbucks in his building not to close, so he wouldn't have to walk four blocks to the next one.
Dollars to donuts says he's afraid the tree will block his satellite TV.
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I hate dose fukkin 3's.
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FYI if you see a white T in front of your house, that, and that alone, means that a tree will be planted there. orange markings are not from parks. this guy is totally mistaken.
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I was one of the tree counters volunteering for the Parks Department a couple years back, and I can tell you there are neighborhoods that are all but dead to green life. He should be grateful for the tree in front of his house. The tree might actually help keep his house cooler in the summer so he can save money on A/C.
I'd never have wanted to live in some of the neighborhoods I counted maybe one or two trees in, and nothing but stumps or dead ones.
What's the tree gonna stop him from doing? Sitting on his sofa watching reruns? One tree is gonna ruin his tranquility?
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[14] The guy is not totally mistaken. Gothamist is. The Brooklyn Paper photo clearly shows white paint. Their article mentions no orange. It's only when the story gets to Gothamist that it suddenly acquires an orange hue. Sometimes, it seems like Gothamist writers are the final participants in a game of Telephone.
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Seriously, if he doesn't want the tree, 9th Ave below Greenwood Cemetery is screaming for some. He can have all the totally awesome sun baked concrete and asphalt he wants, some of us want some goddamn shade.
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For years I fought them putting a tree in front of my house - I was raised to believe the roots could effect the pipes in the ground - they would send a letter asking you to reply if you wanted one...I never replied, then one day they just cut the cement and put one in front of my house, it seems without even asking...
I was pissed for a day, but now I'm happy to have it, and I think they should be in front of every house - it makes the block looks nicer. No doubt about it.
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Yes, white markings. Corrected, thanks! (I think the bed bug video is messing with me.)
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"I’ll stand right here and block them from putting that tree in if I have to."
Go ahead and watch them haul your ass to jail. If anything happens to that tree, they're obviously going to investigate you.
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“How is it that I have no say about what goes in front of my house?"
Simple. The area on the other side of the sidewalk from your house belongs to the city of New York, not to you. They can plant whatever the hell they want.
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i'm pretty sure the orange markings show up when they are going to install a bike rack in front of your house
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“How is it that I have no say about what goes in front of my house?"
You do have a say, and you are saying it. The problem is that nobody cares. I suggest a cordless blower to deal with the leaves.
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Sonny could have a point. Once trees get huge their roots sometimes wreck the sidewalks they are planted in. Would Sonny then have to repair that damage?
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@ #6--you're right, those gingko trees are a menace!
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They can plant the tree in front of my place instead. But I will be suing if in 40 years the tree falls down dead and lands on my car.
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"Sonny could have a point. Once trees get huge their roots sometimes wreck the sidewalks they are planted in. Would Sonny then have to repair that damage?"
The liability will fall upon the party whose duty it is to maintain the sidewalk. Some cities (recently New York, for example) have by ordinance placed the burden squarely upon the property owner. Sometimes it depends upon the type of danger. For example, snow removal is usually the duty of the property owner, but major structural repair is the duty of the city.
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I bet not many of you know that Sonny there used to be a mob enforcer back in the day. He is rumored to have snuffed out 7 to 8 guys back then, but otherwise he now leads a quiet normal life in Brooklyn.
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His neighbors probably need it to obscure views of him and his house.
In my old neighborhood I hope the city finally replaces the several trees slain by disease and pests.
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Judging by the "DO NOT" sign shown behind him he has a serious problem living where he is living.
After he gets arrested I hope he likes seeing his old neighborhood pals again at Dannemora.
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Exactly, cucarachita.
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Are they planting a huge majestic maple or a small, slender tree like we often see on city sidewalks? My guess is the latter. Some folks have a problem with everything. Damn nature, tree-ifying the Old Neighborhood! Why in MY day...
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They don't plant huge majestic anything. The slender trees become that on their own if people like Sonny let them be. (Hey, didn't Sonny rob a bank in Brooklyn to pay for his transexual boyfriend's sex change operation?)
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It's completely fair for him to want a say in the matter, because if it survives, the tree will ultimately be his responsibility, and depending on the size of his home, his liability.
There was a discussion about this on brownstoner last year:
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/11/should_the_city.php
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The real problem is Sonny doesn't want to have the sap of the tree land on his '83 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham that he parks on his concrete front lawn to impress the neighbors.