Who was born and bred in the Lehigh Valley? (Allentown: real estate, custom home)

[karen_s]

I thought "McMansion" was universally recognized The term has been around for quite some time, or at least I've heard it so much lately with the rampant development in the Lehigh Valley.

Here's the Wiki entry on it: McMansion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wasn't trying to be rude, just make a bit of a point. The vast majority of the "natives" you are polling about could not even begin to touch one of these types of homes no matter how many jobs they work, and this creates lots of tension. In my area, this is further exacerbated by the fact that the "development" in our town has its own events and shuns the community-wide celebrations which have been going on for years.

You can also read the mcall.com comments page (warning - wear your asbestos suit if you plan on commenting) and you can see how much anger and emotion exists regarding quality of life issues in the greater Lehigh Valley.

[austere]

Hmmmm....
Well, google helped me read some articles about McMansions, and it seems that it mostly describes when a new homeowner tears down an existing home and builds a sprawling house that doesn't match the neighborhood and leaves little to no yard. I lived in Wheaton Ill, and I also lived on a prominent lake in Minnetonka Mn and know all about a 900 square foot house next door to a 8,000 square foot house.

I think the term here is being used for new developments being built up on land that was once owned by a farmer and now has upper middle class homes on it?

[karen_s]

Originally Posted by austere

I think the term here is being used for new developments being built up on land that was once owned by a farmer and now has upper middle class homes on it?

Yes, as noted here: What is a McMansion?
Architecture Glossary - McMansion

Here's some more:
Lehigh Valley Ramblings: Developer Toll Bros.Takes its Toll on a Historical Lower Saucon Bridge
NEWS: Monroe must push for low-cost homes, housing summit told

[Rosanne]

I couldn't locate anything on mcall.com that is called Comments. Where is it located?

[austere]

Just to clarify, is one opinion amoung those who have lived in Lehigh and purchased their homes before the demand for new homes in the early 1990's that people who buy in new subdivisions are ruining their quality of life? I guess everyone has their opinion, although it is curious to note that places that remain stagnant usually see drops in their home value and have abandoned homes and lower job growth. Senior citizens in these areas see their neighborhoods go down in quality of life. It's a complex subject. I wonder what the locals thought of the developments that went up in the 1960's and 1970's with the cookie cutter ramblers and split entries with no character?

I'm encouraged to read Kristy has found her neighbors welcoming and kind~ Hope we have the same experience in 2 days

[toobusytoday]

I don't think this is a black and white issue. On the one hand everyone mourns when a farm or beautiful woods is destroyed to make room for new homes. When I see a whole development going up, I envision that many kids entering our schools - schools that are already at capacity. The number that we often hear is that it costs the district $3,000 more per child then what is paid in school taxes for that child. That shortfall means that it makes more sense to keep our farmland and woods as they are. More people also means more infrastructure problems.

OTOH, Who is to say that people can't sell their land for a good price and why can't people have new homes if that is what they want? It's one thing to say that we should all move into already existing homes (something I feel is a good thing), but at one time those already existing homes were brand new too. The longer a development is in place, the more normal it seems. Our development is about 20 years old (just two streets) and many of the people in it are the original owners.

I think there needs to be a balance and I know that is what the townships in our school district are trying for. I don't resent newcomers (I was one too!) as long as they look for what is right with this area instead of trying to change it to where they moved from.

[karen_s]

Originally Posted by Rosanne

I couldn't locate anything on mcall.com that is called Comments. Where is it located?

Click on any Morning Call article. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, there will be a box that says "Would you recommend this?" If there are any comments, they are right under that - it will say something like "Read all 30 comments"

Disclaimer: The comments are many times not moderated and I have seen some very racist and cruel remarks on there.

[karen_s]

Originally Posted by austere

Just to clarify, is one opinion amoung those who have lived in Lehigh and purchased their homes before the demand for new homes in the early 1990's that people who buy in new subdivisions are ruining their quality of life? I guess everyone has their opinion, although it is curious to note that places that remain stagnant usually see drops in their home value and have abandoned homes and lower job growth. Senior citizens in these areas see their neighborhoods go down in quality of life. It's a complex subject. I wonder what the locals thought of the developments that went up in the 1960's and 1970's with the cookie cutter ramblers and split entries with no character?

I'm encouraged to read Kristy has found her neighbors welcoming and kind~ Hope we have the same experience in 2 days

I live in a very old, very established neighborhood. We still have some seniors who grew up on this street as well as some younger families. It is a wonderful neighborhood, and yes we embrace any newcomers However, the folks looking for the new 4 br/3.5 bath house aren't going to want to live here.

Some of the issues facing the area like open space, TRAFFIC, school taxes out of control are huge to folks who have lived here their entire lives. We can blame anyone we want, but the zoning/planning was not up to date and the developers took advantage. The farmers had no retirement fund and had to sell off their land, totally understandable. In my area, the good jobs are gone. People drive so far to get work just to make ends meet, and then you have more quality of life issues stemming from that.

Of course there is no easy answer! But to hear so many newcomers in my immediate area complaining because there aren't enough municipal services, or complaining that the older houses don't look nice (everyone I know does the best they can with the $$ they have), or that they want all the conveniences of where they moved from right here, that does make me upset.

[loose cannon]

Originally Posted by karen_s

I thought "McMansion" was universally recognized The term has been around for quite some time, or at least I've heard it so much lately with the rampant development in the Lehigh Valley.

Here's the Wiki entry on it: McMansion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wasn't trying to be rude, just make a bit of a point. The vast majority of the "natives" you are polling about could not even begin to touch one of these types of homes no matter how many jobs they work, and this creates lots of tension. In my area, this is further exacerbated by the fact that the "development" in our town has its own events and shuns the community-wide celebrations which have been going on for years.

You can also read the mcall.com comments page (warning - wear your asbestos suit if you plan on commenting) and you can see how much anger and emotion exists regarding quality of life issues in the greater Lehigh Valley.

Im the aginghipster for your info. I am the voice of reason on that commet board!

[loose cannon]

Im a LV native. I was born in Allentown. I do not like Allentown and do not understand why people are moving there. I now live in Bethlehem. I like Bethlehem and the surrounding Norco areas.