HomeMy WebLinkAboutA014 - Letter from Jeff Cesler dated June 16, 2011 June 16, 2011
Mr. Calhoun,
First of all, I would like to commend you and the rest of the Zoning Board of Adjustment for putting
so much thoughtful consideration into your actions. I attended the meeting last Wednesday,
June 8, to support Brett and Joel Folkerts as they apply for a permit to run their business out of
Brett's home at 327 Hartford Drive.
I testified on their behalf before the board and basically offered my perspective on the alleged
"commotion" the business creates in the area. To summarize, I believe (1)the parcel truck
traffic is not an issue with respect to the neighborhood climate, and (2)the neighborhood will
deal with much more construction traffic in the next few years than parcel traffic...which is
what concerns me as the father of three-year-old twin boys.
The main reason for this follow-up letter of support for the Folkerts is to highlight the history of
the complainant's mode of operation. Most of us in the neighborhood would like it to be just
that...a neighborhood. It could also be referred to as a "development" because it is expanding
each day. As more families have moved into our developing neighborhood, diversity has
increased. There are more people of color and religious faiths, more pets and children, and
increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic. We have buses, trailers, boats, strollers, bicycles,
scooters, motorcycles, dogs, cats, hamsters, home-based churches, businesses, families
spending time together in garages, children practicing musical instruments with open windows,
deer, geese, foxes, raccoons, and snakes. We have a neighborhood.
Mr. Janus, the original complainant, is one of the original residents in the neighborhood, and
the development has doubled in size since he built. He has resisted changes to his quiet, new
neighborhood ever since we moved into itin September 2006. The list of his complaints
requires its own page, but here are a few of the complaints he has had that I am sure city
officials have at times been requested to investigate:
1. Pets defecating on his lawn (assuming it was my dog)
2. Parking on the wrong side of the street(early in the neighborhood's infancy)
3. Loud teenagers(July 3, 2010...the day before a holiday) in the backyard at 10:30PM
4. Building permits(my deck and basement)
5. Mowing on his side of the property line (in fear that I would "common law"that strip of land)
6. Motorcycle noise (when there was a neighbor who owned one)
To put it simply, Mr.Janus is a habitual complainer who wants 40-acre privacy in a flourishing residential
neighborhood. His wish will not come true, no matter how much he tries to get the city government
involved. He says he does not want to force the Folkerts' business to move out of the neighborhood,
but in reality, that is what he is feebly hoping. Even if the business's permit is not granted, and Mr.
Janus "wins," the complaining will not end...it will simply move onto a new target. With twin three-year-
old boys, I assume we will be the next neighbor who is approached by city officials because of nuisance
or, Heaven forbid, damage. It is a matter of time that a baseball breaks a window or that a clematis is
damaged while searching for poorly kicked football. Police may as well cuff me now.
I am more than confident that the Folkerts have already initiated the changes discussed at the meeting.
They are very conscientious neighbors and hard-working businessmen. I hope they are not only given
the chance to add diversity to our neighborhood, but also stay on the list of successful small businesses
in Ames.
qTk ou for your serv' to our community.
Jeff Cesler
320 Hartford Drive
Ames, IA 50014
515-460-1975