The War Continues
The war that started about a month ago with my neighbors never really materialized. The fact is that I am a big pansy and my bark is much larger than my bite. I never went over and said anything to the neighbors.
But today, there was first contact and verbal blows were exchanged, but not over anything that was contained in the previous post.
Today, I had a half day off and got home in the early afternoon to find a huge three-headed monster of a satellite dish planted on a wall that sits right next to my driveway. It isn’t on my property, but having had a dish installed last season so Jen could watch the Colts every week, I know the rules about what it takes to install a dish in my neighborhood.
The rules that are in play in this case are as follows, and I quote from my city’s ordinance website pertaining to ground-mounted earth stations or antennae:
- A. No ground-mounted earth station or antenna shall be constructed in any front or side yard, and , shall be constructed only behind the rear of the residence or main structure and shall be subject to the provisions set forth in this section and Section 1278.09.
- B. No earth station or antenna, including its concrete base slab or other substructure, shall be constructed less than five feet from any property line or easement, nor in any side yard, or rear boundary buffer area.
First of all, one could consider this installation to break all rules. It sits on the wall and protrudes in front of his house into the front yard. The wall extends past the exterior walls of his house, so technically it is also in the side yard. On top of all that, it is definitely within five feet of my property line.
So, first I went outside to let the installer (who was also parked in my driveway GRRRR!) know that the installation didn’t conform to the city ordinance. He kind of dismissed me and a few minutes later, the man of the house came outside and he and I entered into a heated discussion.
- Neighbor: “So, you don’t like my dish?”
Me: “Well did you check the codes before having it installed? It is supposed to be in the back of the house and not within five feet of a property line. It’s also not supposed to be in the front or side yard.”
Neighbor: “So, don’t call the city. What, do you have a problem with it?”
Me: “Look, I am not trying to be a jerk, but…”
Neighbor: (more heatedly) “It sure seems like it.”
Me: (more heatedly) “Well, it doesn’t look good. I know my wife isn’t going to like it. What about in the spring when we are going to try and sell our house? The codes are written for a reason.”
Neighbor: (dismissively) “The codes aren’t written because it might annoy the neighbors, it is written for the street.”
Me: (more dismissively) “Aren’t those one in the same?”
Neighbor: “Well, this is an HD dish and there isn’t any other place to put it where I can get a signal.”
Me: (feeling like I didn’t want it to get any more heated because I fear physical confrontations) “I don’t know what to tell you. I have an idea, If you want, you can put it right next to mine on my garage in the back.”
Neighbor: (to installer) “Well, would that work?”
Installer: “I wouldn’t be able to do that today.”
Neighbor: (recognizing my decreased intensity) “Why don’t you talk to your wife and if she hates it, I will take it down.”
Me: “Come on, are you serious?”
Neighbor: “When you go to sell your house in the Spring, I will take it down.”
Me: (in skeptical tone) “OK, but let me just make this promise to you right now. Jen and I are not going to call the city. I just want you to know that when the city calls you about the dish.”
Neighbor: “Come on. Nobody is going to care about it.”
Me: “OK.”
At this point I went back inside. My neighbor is officially a dick. He called me a jerk, basically. He told me that I was crazy to think that a three-pronged dish sitting 15 feet from my house was a big deal. He made insincere offers to take the dish down at some undetermined future date that would require a request on my part.
I really am a pansy. I am putting a whole lot of faith in my neighbors to help me take care of this situation. After some neighborhood parties, it is my belief that at least one will call the city to complain after they have a chance to notice it. My city is crazy like that. I have a neighbor who has a beautiful fence in their side yard and they have to go to the zoning committee every year because it comes an extra 6 feet forward toward the street than is technically permitted. On a street like this, there are at least a few people who will be the types to call and complain.
At least, that is what I am hoping. Where did I go wrong? Should I have kept pushing until I got my way?
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6 Responses to “The War Continues”
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Don’t you have a sister who lives two blocks away? Seems to me like someone who lives so close to both you and your neighbor might have cause to drive down your street and be disturbed by such flagrant disregard for city codes…
This guy is playing you. Tell him you don’t want it where it is, and he can choose between moving it because his neighbor asked him to or moving it because the city told him to. If he won’t move it, drop a dime on him without a shred of guilt. (If he’s got half a brain he’ll be able to get the company to move it for free, because, after all, their installer violated city code by installing it where he did.)
Call city hall.
C. Lyndall, have you met A. Nonymous. I hear he’s a real dick, but the city is used to gettin calls from him.
Chris D.
Easement by estopple. If it stays up there for long enough without anyone reporting a known violation, he might have a right to keep it there, regardless of what the city codes are. Although the time fram is probably at least a year. Call the city.
there are three ways to go about everything.
1) legal
2) borderline legal
3) blantanly illegal
personally, i prefer #3. I can uninstall a satellite dish and/or ground mounted earth station in six minutes flat, including cleanup. this can be done at 2:00am, or 12:15pm depending on the needs of the customer.
In this given situation, with the law on your side, call. If you don’t and it bothers you, I will. and don’t let this yuppy douchebag put anything on your garage. his problem, not yours.
hell, you’re moving in a year. make his life shit for fun!