Dakota County image used under Fair Comment and Criticism,blog post by John HoffGoogle is so amazing. Several weeks ago, some folks in Inver Grove Heights were getting mighty fed up with their neighbor, one Bashir Moghul who owns a property at 3950 65th St., click here for Dakota County tax information and a parcel map, so cool.
These neighbors decided to seek out information about Bashir Moghul and, naturally, the richest and most detailed source of info--including the only known picture of him online--turned out to be this very blog.
Here's what the nice neighbors in Inver Grove Heights have to say about Bashir...
"He is the neighbor from hell. The house is vacant. The city has spent our tax dollars fighting this guy. He owes back taxes. The city was cutting the grass, but I heard no more. We do not have any housing maintenance code in this city, so this guy gets away with murder. I am sure he has some great excuses to the county judges. It is a very long story with many unhappy neighbors. I sent your blog to our naïve city council and mayor."
JNS blog says: I find it hard to believe it could be true about no housing maintenance code in Inver Grove Heights, and also I have to wonder what the standard is for "neighbor from hell" in your fair city where (I hear tell) most property owners need to have 2.5 acres to erect a house, which makes it certain Inver Grove Heights will be an island of affluence for quite some time to come unless somebody manages to successfully dispute the CONSTITUTIONALITY of that ordinance. Upon such an artificial island of affluence, I assume the standard for "neighbor from hell" is quite low, like having an unbearably orange garage door. (I'm sure few regular readers realized I have strong opinions about zoning issues in Inver Grove Heights. Well, it turns out, I do)
However, clearly this blog has a beef with Bashir, so I'm happy to publicize this matter and promote discussion. Though Bashir has hired attorney Ferdinand Peters and there seem to be promises in the air of Bashir "cleaning up his act," clearly those promises will take a long time to fulfill because Bashir's act is such a mess. This is not the first time I've received word of Bashir's property holdings extending far beyond North Minneapolis; indeed these holdings are reported to extend into other states.
And, everywhere Moghul goes, he leaves slum in his footsteps.
10 comments:
Inver Grove Heights has no such minimum-lot-size ordinance. It's just another suburb of executive homes, tract homes, townhomes and apartment buildings. However, their far more affluent neighbor, Sunfish Lake, does. 2-1/2 acres. That's why only 500 or so people live in its 1.6 square miles. (I grew up nearby in Mendota Heights.)
It's my understanding Inver Grove Heights DOES have such a restriction, but it applies to the "rural non-sewered" areas and, furthermore, a number of parcels are grandfathered in, and there are periodic variances granted.
But, as far as I know, Inver Grove Heights manages to maintain its "island of affluence" status by zoning its way to palatial estates and, therefore, keeping out folks of moderate income who would build moderate houses.
It sounds like you're referring to the land outside the MUSA (Metro Urban Service Area). That area (which is pretty much the entire southern half) remains quite rural by design, yes, but it has more to do with the need to have individual well and septic services. Within the urbanized area, IGH is by no means dominated by palatial estates. Some of it is '50s-'70s ranch/ramblers, some of it is '80s/'90s McMansions, and some of it is regular old cookie-cutter tract homes. According to my quick review of city documents, there are about 30,000 people living in the city (28.6 square miles), but far less than half has yet been developed. I've watched the development line creep southward and farms and equestrian properties alike are being subdivided for homes and commercial developments.
The significant improvements to Highways 55 and 52 will force intensive development simply due to convenience of access.
If there's an entity to have a beef with, it's the Met Council -- the MUSA line is their bailiwick. They control the land supply, not the City Council.
I think folks in rural IGH who own less than an acre should be able to put a house on it. As for the septic systems, side-by-side houses on 1 acre parcels could certainly share a septic tank, if that's the only obstacle to decreasing the acreage requirement.
On the original topic...
Bashir Moghul. Bad.
Here is IGH's zoning map which includes MUSA limits, shown as a thick black line:
http://www.ci.inver-grove-heights.mn.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=709
Note that while there is a substantial area zoned E-1 and E-2 (1.75 acre and 2.5 acre lot sizes), most of it is outside the MUSA line. Most of the Estate property within the MUSA line is immediately adjacent to Sunfish Lake, which comes as no surprise. (Look for the bite out of the NW corner of the city -- that's Sunfish Lake.)
You are very informative. This is a case of us both being right, and everybody being entitled to their opinion.
Got an opinion about Bashir Moghul, or has his slumlording not really impacted the fair confines of Homewood?
I think Bashir squeezes every dime he can out of his properties, because people in dire situations will put up with the condition of those homes. (And, he clearly has no problem renting to virtually anyone.) Sadly, it's the neighbors that pay the price for his business practices.
I am curious why he walked away from this house, though. No longer could generate enough revenue to pay the mortgage? Who knows.
Bashir doesn't own a single property in Homewood. And for that, I am thankful.
I'm always glad for your interest and involvement in the greater Northside neighborhood, knowing how perfect and comfortable your life is where you live!
Don't hold your breath for those promises, but things could be worse - He could have tenants in that property!
Great post! Interesting how they found you. Keep blogging about north and our struggles!
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