This is an interesting thread, because it delves into the issue of who really owns these beautiful old properties.
I love to drive by the old houses of Golden Hill, South Park, and Mission Hills and enjoy the different eras and styles they reveal. In doing so, I am deriving a positive externality courtesy of the home owners who keep them up so well. Selfishly, I want them to keep them as they are forever. If I can convince the government to help me protect that right, I have, in effect, gained a property right over that owner.
Is that fair to the owner? Where you stand on this issue seems to depend on where you sit.
