Leawood humiliates itself

[FloridaMan88]

Leawood man faces citation for putting Little Free Library in his front yard

http://pvpost.com/2014/06/18/leawood...ont-yard-28711

A north Leawood man will have to decide today whether to remove a Little Free Library he recently installed in his front yard — or face a citation from the city.

Brian Collins, who lives near the intersection of 89th Street and Ensley Lane, installed a Little Free Library his father-in-law had given his wife for her birthday around three weeks ago. Collins went out of town for a few days last week, and when he arrived home, he found a letter from the city’s codes enforcement officer informing him that the Little Free Library was not permitted under city code because it was a “detached structure” and that he had until June 19 to come into compliance.

“Your take a book leave a book structure must be attached to the house,” the letter read.

Collins emailed Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn about the issue, and requested that the city consider amending the municipal code to allow Little Free Libraries. Dunn referred the matter to City Administrator Scott Lambers, who responded with an email saying that the detached structure ordinance was “a common prohibition for cities.”

“I would suggest that citizens who are interested in this endeavor contact the Johnson County Library to see if this is an activity that the Library would permit to occur on their premises,” Lambers wrote.

That response irked Collins, who pointed out that the whole point of the Little Free Libraries was that they were right in their neighborhoods and easily accessible from the street.

“If it’s attached to the house, people aren’t going to come to it,” he said. “And why would you put a Little Free Library at a big library?”

Collins said he hasn’t made a final decision about whether to pull his LFL or not. He said he thinks he’s “ready to be cited. I’m ready to take it to court.”

“We’ve gotten so much positive response to it since we put it out,” he said. “The neighbors love it. If I lived three blocks to the north [in Prairie Village], this wouldn’t be an issue.”

[Deberg_1990]

It's an ugly nuisance. The city is right.

[Bowser]

[displacedinMN]

I saw this on the news.

Failure on the part of the city. The kid wanted to do 'something' to keep busy.
Better this than video games or sitting on a forum somewhere.

How this plays out:

Kid gets mad and despondent after being rejected for doing a good deed.
Locks him self in a room with video games and hot cheetos
Never sets foot outside the rest of the summer.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by displacedinMN

I saw this on the news.

Failure on the part of the city. The kid wanted to do 'something' to keep busy.
Better this than video games or sitting on a forum somewhere.

How this plays out:

Kid gets mad and despondent after being rejected for doing a good deed.
Locks him self in a room with video games and hot cheetos
Never sets foot outside the rest of the summer.

Or he's Jesse ****ing Pinkman and learns early his creativity lands him nowhere...

[58-4ever]

Originally Posted by salame

where do most people that live in Overland Park work?

I work in downtown KC. What's your point?

[journeyscarab]

Originally Posted by salame

where do most people that live in Overland Park work?

Downtown KC.

[Dave Lane]

Mayor says:

Dear Mr. Lane,

This matter will be discussed at our next City Council meeting on July 7. I am hopeful and expecting a resolution to this issue.

Thank you.

Peggy Dunn

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

It's an ugly nuisance. The city is right.

Does the city have a contract with the landowner saying that the landowner cannot build something like this on the landowner's private property?

If not the city shouldn't be able to do anything about it.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

Does the city have a contract with the landowner saying that the landowner cannot build something like this on the landowner's private property?

If not the city shouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Apparently you don't understand the concept of city ordinances.

[Just Passin' By]

Another great example of why we need to bring back tar and feathering.

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by jspchief

Apparently you don't understand the concept of city ordinances.

I understand city ordinances just fine. I believe that they are a violation of private property rights though and at least a taking on behalf of the city government.

You want to have some say over what I can build on my private property? Work out a contract with me. Don't go running to the thugs in government to use violence against me.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by GloucesterChief

I understand city ordinances just fine. I believe that they are a violation of private property rights though and at least a taking on behalf of the city government.

You want to have some say over what I can build on my private property? Work out a contract with me. Don't go running to the thugs in government to use violence against me.

And if your neighbor decides to turn his yard into a pig farm, you're ok with that I assume.

[GloucesterChief]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

And if your neighbor decides to turn his yard into a pig farm, you're ok with that I assume.

Its their property not mine why should I be able to tell them what they can do with it? I can sell mine to them or someone else or I could make a contract with them in a mutual exchange.

[hometeam]

The spirit of the ordinance was not to prevent a free book stand.

Truth of the matter is, they should appeal to the city/mayor whoever that it is not a structure, and it is something like a lawn ornament or the like.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

And if your neighbor decides to turn his yard into a pig farm, you're ok with that I assume.

There's quite a gap between a pig farm and a box full of books in someone's yard. That box is most likely not going to create an odor or make noise that could be construed as a nuisance.