WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

Md. Homeowners Challenge County-Imposed Easement

By: Elliott Francis // February 22, 2011
Play associated audio
comments
Michael Sandler surveys his property, most of which he is not allowed to maintain by Montgomery County law.
Elliott Francis
Michael Sandler surveys his property, most of which he is not allowed to maintain by Montgomery County law.

The easement on the property located in Silver Spring prohibits the owners of four homes from digging, erecting fences, mowing grass, or even pulling weeds in portions of their backyards.

Michael and Linda Sandler own one of the homes. Although Michael Sandler admits they overlooked documentation of the easement in their closing docs, he believes it should have been formerly disclosed to them before they purchased the home.

"You would hope that they would pass that information along to you but they're not going to because they want to sell the house," he says.

The Sandlers three other neighbors are also caught in the same bind -- all unaware of the conservation requirement until county officials notified them of the violation. They're part of approximately 78 home owners in the county cited for similar easement infractions in the past year.

Michael Sandler says he just wants the county to be fair.

"If I honestly thought I was doing something wrong, I wouldn't be talking to you today," he says.

The Sandlers have been fined $2,500 by the county. Calls to the Montgomery County Planning Department have not been returned.

Arts & Culture

NPR

James Gandolfini Dies; 'Sopranos' Actor Was 51

Actor James Gandolfini, 51, has reportedly died. Variety magazine reports that he suffered a "sudden stroke." The cause of death is not yet known with certainty, but HBO says the actor may have suffered a heart attack.

Food

NPR

And The Winner Of The World Food Prize Is ... The Man From Monsanto

The prize is sometimes called the "Nobel Prize for food and agriculture." And this year's winners include Monsanto executive Robert Fraley, a pioneer in genetically engineered crops. If there's a single person who personifies the company's controversial role in American agriculture, it's probably Fraley.

Politics

NPR

How Ted Cruz's Father Shaped His Views On Immigration

The Texas senator says giving a path to citizenship to immigrants in the U.S. illegally would be unfair to immigrants who followed the rules, like his own father, 74-year-old Rafael Bienvenido Cruz. He portrays his dad as a kind of Cuban Horatio Alger.

Technology

NPR

In More Cities, A Camera On Every Corner, Park And Sidewalk

A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras in the hope of fighting crime, but all that video is almost useless without powerful search tools to sort the material. The municipal camera trend is proving to be big business for companies that design video analytics software.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.