Tuesday, August 11, 2026
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California woman refused to sell her home; developers built a 246-unit complex around it

Califo  ia woma   efused to sell he  home despite  epeated luc ative offe s; develope s eve tually built a 246-u it apa tme t complex a ou d he  house cove i g five ac es


Rep ese tative
image.

Ca oly
Ca te
had
spe t
50
yea s
livi g
i
he
modest
home
i
Bu ba k,
Califo ia,
whe
a
majo
eside tial
developme t
bega
t a sfo mi g
the
eighbou hood
a ou d
he .
P ope ties
alo g
Hollywood
Way
we e
bei g
acqui ed
by
the
Cha dle
G oup,
a d
mo e
tha
two
doze
of
Ca te ‘s
eighbou s
ag eed
to
sell
thei
homes.
Ca te ,
howeve ,
efused
seve al
luc ative
offe s
f om
the
develope
a d
chose
to
emai
i
the
house
she
had
k ow
fo
half
a
ce tu y.
As
o e
p ope ty
afte
a othe
disappea ed,
he
home
became
i c easi gly
isolated.
The
develope
eve tually
moved
ahead
with
its
pla s
without
acqui i g
Ca te ‘s
p ope ty,
co st ucti g
a
five-ac e
apa tme t
complex
that
left
he
o e-sto ey
house
su ou ded
by
246
ew
eighbou s
o
th ee
sides.

Califo ia
woma
efused
to
sell
as
develope s
bought
the
homes
a ou d
he

Ca te ‘s
decisio
came
as
the
Cha dle
G oup
was
assembli g
adjoi i g
p ope ties
alo g
Hollywood
Way
fo
a
la ge
eside tial
p oject.
Acco di g
to
the
1991
Los
A geles
Times
epo t,
mo e
tha
two
doze
of
he
eighbou s
sold
thei
p ope ties
to
the
develope ,
clea i g
most
of
the
su ou di g
la d.
Ca te
was
app oached
with
seve al
offe s
but
emai ed
u willi g
to
move.
She
made
clea
that
mo ey
was
ot
what
matte ed
to
he ,
telli g
the
ewspape
that
she
did
ot
ca e
about
the
value
of
he
p ope ty
a d
simply
did
ot
wa t
to
leave.

He
efusal
mea t
that
the
develope
could
acqui e
ea ly
all
the
su ou di g
p ope ties
but
could
ot
obtai
the
small
pa cel
co tai i g
he
home.
I stead
of
fo ci g
Ca te
out
o
aba do i g
the
wide
developme t,
the
builde s
p oceeded
with
a
desig
that
left
he
p ope ty
i
place.

He
house
became
a
isla d
i side
a
massive
developme t

As
co st uctio
p og essed,
the
co t ast
betwee
Ca te ‘s
home
a d
the
ew
developme t
became
i c easi gly
st iki g.
The
su ou di g
eighbou hood
that
had
existed
du i g
he
fi st
five
decades
i
the
house
was
la gely
eplaced,
while
the
ew
apa tme t
complex
ose
a ou d
the
p ope ty.
The
Los
A geles
Times
desc ibed
Ca te
as
bei g
vi tually
su ou ded
by
the
ew
five-ac e
complex,
with
the
apa tme t
developme t
leavi g
he
house
u touched.
O ce
the
p oject
was
completed,
Ca te
effectively
had
246
ew
eighbou s
o
th ee
sides
of
he
o e-sto ey
home.
The
u usual
a a geme t
was
ot
the
esult
of
a
accide t
o
a
aba do ed
co st uctio
pla .
It
was
the
di ect
co seque ce
of
o e
p ope ty
ow e
etai i g
he
la d
while
the
develope
assembled
almost
eve ythi g
a ou d
it.
He
home
the efo e
emai ed
as
a
small
em a t
of
the
ea lie
eside tial
la dscape
withi
a
much
la ge
mode
developme t.

Develope s
chose
to
build
a ou d
Ca te ‘s
p ope ty

The
decisio
to
co ti ue
co st uctio
a ou d
Ca te ‘s
home
demo st ates
the
p actical
dilemma
c eated
by
a
p ope ty
holdout.
La ge
developme ts
ofte
equi e
seve al
adjoi i g
pa cels
to
c eate
o e
co ti uous
site,
but
a
si gle
ow e
ca
p eve t
the
complete
acquisitio
of
the
la d
if
they
efuse
to
sell.
I
Ca te ‘s
case,
the
Cha dle
G oup
had
al eady
acqui ed
the
su ou di g
homes
a d
was
able
to
p oceed
with
its
apa tme t
p oject
despite
ot
obtai i g
he
p ope ty.
The
bulldoze s
left
he
house
u touched
while
co st uctio
t a sfo med
the
su ou di g
a ea.
Rathe
tha
allowi g
o e
small
pa cel
to
stop
the
la ge
p oject,
the
develope s
i co po ated
it
i to
thei
pla s.
The
esult
was
a
developme t
that
effectively
w apped
a ou d
the
existi g
home,
c eati g
a
u usual
la dscape
i
which
a
olde
p ivate
eside ce
stood
immediately
beside
a d
withi
a
much
la ge
apa tme t
complex.

Ca te ‘s
decisio
was
about
stayi g,
ot
getti g
a
highe
p ice

The
most
impo ta t
detail
i
Ca te ‘s
sto y
is
that
he
efusal
was
ot
p ese ted
as
a
attempt
to
egotiate
a
bette
deal.
The
Los
A geles
Times
epo ted
that
she
tu ed
dow
seve al
luc ative
offe s,
but
the
a ticle
did
ot
disclose
the
exact
amou ts
offe ed
by
the
Cha dle
G oup.
Ca te
i stead
i dicated
that
the
p ope ty’s
fi a cial
value
was
ot
he
co ce .
He
positio
was
pe so al:
afte
livi g
i
the
home
fo
50
yea s,
she
did
ot
wa t
to
move.
She
was
also
otably
p ivate
about
he
age,
telli g
the
ewspape
o ly,
“I’m
as
old
as
my
teeth.”
He
comme ts
eflected
the
ce t al
easo
some
p ope ty
ow e s
become
holdouts:
the
ma ket
p ice
of
a
house
does
ot
ecessa ily
dete mi e
its
pe so al
value
to
the
pe so
livi g
the e.
Fo
Ca te ,
emai i g
i
he
home
was
mo e
impo ta t
tha
accepti g
the
offe s
bei g
made
fo
it.

The
developme t
t a sfo med
the
eighbou hood
a ou d
he

Ca te ‘s
home
had
o igi ally
bee
pa t
of
a
o di a y
eside tial
eighbou hood
whe e
she
lived
amo g
f ie ds
a d
eighbou s.
The
a ival
of
the
developme t
cha ged
that
e vi o me t
almost
completely.
Mo e
tha
two
doze
eighbou i g
p ope ty
ow e s
sold
thei
homes,
allowi g
the
Cha dle
G oup
to
co solidate
the
la d
a d
eplace
the
existi g
eside tial
la dscape
with
a
much
la ge
apa tme t
p oject.
Ca te ‘s
decisio
mea t
that
he
home
su vived
while
the
p ope ties
a ou d
it
disappea ed.
The
five-ac e
developme t
eve tually
b ought
hu d eds
of
ew
eside ts
i to
the
immediate
a ea,
leavi g
Ca te ‘s
small
house
visually
a d
physically
disti ct
f om
the
su ou di g
buildi gs.
What
had
o ce
bee
o e
home
amo g
ma y
the efo e
became
a
lo e
holdout
su ou ded
by
a
la ge-scale
developme t.

Ca oly
Ca te ‘s
home
became
a
classic
holdout
sto y

Ca te ‘s
case
became
pa t
of
a
b oade
discussio
about
eal-estate
holdouts,
efe i g
to
p ope ty
ow e s
who
efuse
to
sell
while
develope s
assemble
su ou di g
la d
fo
la ge
p ojects.
The
easo s
ca
va y,
but
Ca te ‘s
sto y
was
pa ticula ly
st aightfo wa d
because
she
ope ly
said
she
did
ot
wa t
to
move.
He
eighbou s
had
made
a
diffe e t
choice,
accepti g
the
develope ‘s
offe s
a d
leavi g
the
a ea,
while
she
emai ed
i
place.
The
esult
showed
how
a
si gle
p ope ty
ow e
ca
i flue ce
the
shape
of
a
majo
developme t
without
ecessa ily
stoppi g
it
altogethe .
I
Ca te ‘s
case,
the
develope
adapted
to
the
o e
pa cel
it
could
ot
acqui e,
while
she
etai ed
the
home
whe e
she
had
spe t
five
decades.
He
decisio
ultimately
left
a
ema kable
visual
a d
histo ical
eco d
of
the
eighbou hood
that
existed
befo e
the
five-ac e
apa tme t
complex
t a sfo med
the
a ea.

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