Folks, it doesn't get much more blatant than this! There was not enough land to build on between the street and the base of the cliff, so the developer/s brought in heavy equipment to carve out the cliff face and remove a large portion of it in order to extend the area suitable for building. The problem, of course, is that in doing this, the support for the houses above is being removed, setting the stage for them to fall quite spectacularly and probably rather soon.
Under normal circumstances, the homeowners would file a lawsuit to stop the developer/s and prevent what will certainly be eventual catastrophic damage to their homes, but this happens to be taking place in the most corrupt town in the U.S. (see my earlier post about this). Developers here own and run the entire legal and justice system, so such a lawsuit would simply not stand a chance. Everyone around here knows this, which is why such an outrageous situation is allowed to proceed.
This being such an unusual place, however, means there is another possibility to consider as well. These photos happen to be of land that is located on the opposite side of the same street our own house and land are on and very close by us. If it turns out that the same developer/s who are doing all the cliff carving also own or control the houses above, then instead of greed, the situation becomes more one of harassment of us by loud construction equipment noises at all hours. There are few other homes nearby, and noise harassment is a standard component of organized stalking. In that case, this situation becomes less about greed and more about cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
Update, 4/12: The developer's greed has now apparently resulted in a death. (Both of these items were published in the Fredericksburg Standard.)
Notice that the body was quickly cremated.
Update, 10/15: Construction has resumed on this property. What is supposed to be housing is being built, but it is being surrounded by a concrete wall that is being reinforced by steel. Very expensive and unusual!
