Flinstone House near SF Raises All Kinds Of Property Rights Issues

ccording to The Sacramento Bee, a fanciful home in the San Francisco suburbs is the site for a battle over property rights between the city of Hillsborough and Florence Fang the homeowner who is also the former publisher of the San Francisco Examiner. The dispute is not over the 2,730 square foot house but the grounds that it occupies which includes sculpture of dinosaurs, mushrooms, and other oddities. "Mrs. Fang has made people smile, she's giving them joy. What's not to love about Dino, who acts like a dog?" said Angela Alioto, a former San Francisco supervisor. "What is wrong with these people?"
The oddly shaped house, currently painted red and purple, was designed by architect William Nicholson and built in 1976. Fang, a prominent philanthropist who once published the San Francisco Examiner, bought the property in June 2017 for $2.8 million.
The whimsical front yard has statues of Barney and Betty Rubble, along with Fred and Wilma. A sign reads "No Dino Allowed" and features a purple cartoon dinosaur. Colorful mushroom sculptures dot the front and back. A steep staircase, deemed unsafe by town officials, leads to a garden of giant metal prehistoric animals.
Mark Hudak, an attorney for Hillsborough, says the town prides itself on its rural, woodsy feel, and rules are in place "so neighbors don't have to look at your version of what you would like to have, and you don't have to look at theirs." The case is simple, he said."Whether she is building a project with amusing cartoon characters or Rodin statues or anything else, she still has to go through the process like everyone else," he said.

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