WIBTA for selling land to a fraternity after failing to organize neighbors to take measure to prevent “studentification” of our neighborhood?

A Redditor, who recently moved away from a college town, faced challenges trying to prevent the “studentification” of their neighborhood after zoning laws were changed, allowing more student housing.

Despite their efforts to organize neighbors and propose protective covenants for their land, they couldn’t gather enough support, partly due to fear of repercussions from the university. After selling their home, the Redditor is now selling a vacant lot they purchased before the zoning change and has received an offer from a fraternity for the land.

They informed former neighbors of this development, but now they’re expressing discontent and concern about the potential sale. The user is considering telling the neighbors they can either match the fraternity’s offer or lose the land to the buyers. read the original story below…

‘ WIBTA for selling land to a fraternity after failing to organize neighbors to take measure to prevent “studentification” of our neighborhood?’

Burner as former neighbors follow main. A few years back, I and my family moved to a college town.  We were warned by people we knew who had lived there that we needed to be careful to pick a neighborhood that was not likely to be “studentified.” 

The college in town has gone through periodic expansions in enrollment, but has never seemed interested in using its own land or resources to build sufficient student housing.  The result was that student housing developers would come into a neighborhoods accessible to campus and engage in “blockbusting”. 

Like lowball the saddest house on the street, submit plans to build student housing and then the realtors swarm in scaring the other owners that the street is going to be the next frat row.  And the fact is that students and families do have problems mixing as neighbors. 

This was enough of a problem that the local zoning for some neighborhoods that would have otherwise been vulnerable had some restrictions that would make student housing impractical, but leave things otherwise unrestricted (largely limits on number of unrelated individuals living in a housing unit).

A year after moving in, we learned the city was doing a zoning overhaul – much needed.  But as part of the simplication, the university’s persuasion managed to sneak in a provision getting rid of these limits. 

When we learned of this, we figured maybe we could agree with our nearest neighbors to put in covenants/reciprocal easements that had same provisions being stripped out of zoning. I was also most worried about vacant land.  There was one large parcel a block away, and I managed to buy it before the zoning change went through, so it was still relatively cheap. 

To sweeten the deal for neighbors I was asking to sign covenants, I offered to keep the parcel vacant forever. Unfortunately, I could not get a critical mass of people to agree – largely because many work for the college and seemed afraid of blowback if the school found out.

Honestly, my kids and I never loved the town. My wife wanted to be near her mom and sister.  MIL died last year and sister then said she was moving away.That was enough and we sold our house and left.  I did not manage to sell the empty lot, but put it on the market. Lo and behold, I was approached by a buyer.

Turns out, this buyer is a fraternal organization, and they want the land to be their new chapter house. They may subdivide and sell the resulting new plot to another frat or sorority.They are willing to pay up. I warned the neighbors this could happen and tried to protect the neighborhood, but they weren’t motivated enough to go through with it.

And we don’t live there anymore.  But some former  neighbors have heard this may be happening and now they are reaching out via email/text and pissing and moaning.  WIBTA if I said, “match the buyer’s price, or they get the land and can do as the please”?

Heres the input from the Reddit crowd:

Artblock_Insomniac −  NTA at all. You gave them a chance and now they’re asking you to just, hold onto your land forever? Or give it to them for cheaper?. No way. Sell to the fraternity.

Spiraling_Swordfish −  [S]ome former neighbors… are reaching out via email/text and pissing and moaning. …The ones who wouldn’t step up and help you protect the place, from exactly this happening? You went above and beyond to try and keep the neighborhood for families, and the other families didn’t want in on that.. Sounds like your hands are clean.. NTA

Content-Plenty-268 −  Can’t blame you. You’ve done everything you could to protect the neighborhood, and got no support from the neighbors. Now it’s not even your neighborhood anymore, why should you pass up on selling your lot? To save your ex-neighbors from themselves when they didn’t lift a finger to get on board with it? YWNBTA to do what’s best for you now, not for them.

MelodyRaine −  NTA. “I gave you every opportunity to stop this exact thing from happening. You chose to ignore it, so now you can deal with it. My family and I are done trying to help you when you have refused to help yourselves. Enjoy your new neighbors.”

Cute_Beat7013 −  “*Beat* the buyer’s price”. There, fixed it for you. NTA

verminiusrex −  NTA. You tried, and there’s no way you could have succeeded without community support. They were happy for you to fight their battle but not to pay for it.
Reminds me of people who were bemoaning the removal of a big elm tree when a lot was being developed.

Everyone saying “it should have been turned into a park!” had years to call the number on the for sale sign posted 20 feet from the tree and make that happen, instead they waited until the tree was half cut down before staging sit ins and drum circles. Tree had to be removed due to Dutch Elm disease anyway.

3DS_RepairHelp −  NTA for selling the land however you choose but jesus christ are you and your neighbors the worst. “Oh no students living in town near the college they pay thousands of dollars to attend! The horror!” G**damn, get over yourselves.

LawyerDad1981 −  NTA. You’re wrong though… Don’t ask if they want to match the price. Ask if they will BEAT the price. Hell, maybe you should auction it.
And I’m not sure why people who USED to live there are chiming in. Hopefully you don’t give a flying f**k in a rolling donut what they have to say. They have no dog in the fight.

brit953 −  NTA, you offered to turn it over as perpetual greenspace if they could agree on deed restriction to prevent college housing. They declined because it might be inconvenient to them. Now that the possibility is real, they want you to sell them the land at a loss ?

How will they justify blocking real as opposed to possible student housing when the college asks about ? Honestly, you did everything you could to stop this, and they weren’t interested. Just curious how long the plot was on the market and available for your ex-neighbors to buy it ? They had multiple chances to act preemptively and stuck their heads in the sand.

Low and behold, the landscape changed whole they were hiding away, now they get to deal with the results. Are the homeowners now ready to add the covenants to prevent future development or are they just trying to block this current purchase.

Seems to me like if the location is that attractive they’ll just try to buy another property when it comes on the market- or make one of the current owners an offer they can’t refuse. Sounds like moving out was a good choice.

discoduck007 −  NTA. Business is business. I would maximize my profit! Congratulations on your investment!