BFR Construction and Ayr Hill Homes
Listen to Bukont avoid the hard questions.
Steve Bukont is the owner of BFR Construction and Ayr Hill Homes. Bukont is also the Chairman of the Windover Heights Historic District. While Bukont the home builder has made millions off of a cozy relationship with the Vienna Town Council (he has built many of their homes too), many question his clear conflict of interest in serving as Chairman of the Historic Review Board.
Does it make sense that Chairman Bukont, through his arbitrary review board decisions, actively works to deny other citizens the right to build? Would he ever tolerate the lack of rules he forces on his neighbors? Watch this video to see the conflict in action.
Consider the 'evolving' opinions of Mr. Bukont:
August 16, 2004:
"Board chairman Steve Bukont said town officials should clarify building design and size rules for the district, or possibly face property-rights suits in court. "A right regulated is a right denied," he said. "We'd better have our ducks in a row [for lawsuits]."
October 19, 2005:
Steve Bukont, chairman of the Windover Heights Board of Review, got up and defended the district, saying that when he moved to Vienna 17 years ago, he was "amazed that there was this one part of town that was radically different." Bukont said much of the neighborhood is as it was 100 years ago, and he pointed out that, although residents have to go through an "additional step" to modify their houses, they also have the benefit of protection to the value of their homes.
Why the shift in Bukont in one year?
Bukont knows full well that the Windover Heights Historic District prevents "value" in many cases. Many of the homes today, viewed by any measure as teardowns, are steering clear of redevelopment to avoid going before Bukont's review board. How does that protect value? Why does Mr. Bukont's neighborhood which has no review board look better than the so-called District?
Comments
Clearly, the WHHD demonstrates what is too often a common human failing... the failure to serve selflessly. Frequently in government, the people's trust is violated by some who rule their interests first, figuring they are there doing the hard work so why not. This trend is increasing as the dog-eat-dog pace of modern life in America elevates 'me' over 'we'. Some want to attribute this failing to a failure of values/media/politics etc., and want to jerk everyone to their position, their beliefs, and subsequently back to the last century. But there is no excuse for failing to serve selflessly in government; it is simply just another human failing in a long list of human failings.
Redevelopment across the Town of Vienna is accelerating without a plan... not counting the five year plan to lay bricks and plant flowers along Maple Avenue to benefit our famed Chamber of Commerce (how about some sidewalks for our kids, please!). The entire SE quadrant nearest Dunn Loring and Vienna Metro stations is exploding as the shacks are trashed and new houses are built. People remodeling or building homes are generally doing a better job of it than developers trying to make a buck. Conflicts of interest aside, Steve Bukont is trying to build a homogenous community around his home business... unaffordable and high maintenance housing, but he has a master plan and the creative aptitude to fulfill it. Otherwise, there is no plan for this redevelopment across our Town. So what will Vienna look like when all of the shacks have been replaced willy-nilly one-by-one? Go look now and you can pretty much extrapolate the outcome. Meanwhile, Town officials are focused on their WHHD pet project under the arbitrary (and apparently self-serving) pretense of preservation while the rest of Rome is burning. Why does the WHHD deserve a Committee, a legal defense, and so much investment of our tax dollars while the rest of Vienna is being left to the discretion of those who will not live here? The redevelopment of Vienna is happening now and demands proper oversight; not the kind being practiced in the WHHD; not a home owners' association; but a sensible plan to manage serious redevelopment and ensure an appealing outcome. No more volunteer club committees, please; know the Town's legal rights and hire some professional planners with proven experience. We need creative thinking for all of Vienna, not for the color of paint in the WHHD.
About sidewalks... the Town keeps hiring the same contractor, Sagres? Somebody needs to take a walk and inspect their work because a lot of it is cracking up and looks no better than what was replaced, except it's whiter! Perhaps some new blood is needed in the Town Manager's position, or would that rock the old boat too much?
About speed bumps/humps and all-way stops in the middle of nowhere... Stop the Insanity!!! Why here and not there? I'm waiting for the day the Town puts speed bumps on Tapawingo... a Hell will descend on the Town council chambers like never seen before! Instead of speed bumps, why not enforce the law? The Town has 40 plus policepeople always out there every April ticketing for vehicle tax stickers but I have never seen a speed trap in Vienna except at Tysons where the Town welcomes our guests with a fine. Again, self-serving on a resident-wide scale... fine Town residents wherever they speed in the Town. I understand the latest attempt to put MORE! speed bumps on Moore Street argued they are needed because of the young drivers in the neighborhood. A speed bump is not going to teach young drivers anything. A ticket will teach them consequences... from their parents, from their insurance provider, and ultimately from the state. The Town's failure to enforce the law is a failure to teach all drivers to become safe drivers. Speed bumps slow a car down for 20 yards in front of a few houses and annoy all drivers including the law abiding ones. Remove the speed bumps... fill the pot holes, instead.
Posted by: Town Resident | February 28, 2006 01:28 PM