1 in 5 zoning

Tonio

Asperger's Poster Child
I'm still trying to sort out the St. Mary's commissioners' decision on Tuesday to set the rural housing density to 1 home per 5 acres. I don't know if I agree with it or not. I have two questions:

First, would the 1-in-20 proposal really have mandated 20-acre home lots in the rural areas? I thought this would have actually required one home lot for each 20 acres. This means the property owner could subdivide it to get a home lot of 1 acre or so, leaving the other 19 acres undeveloped. That would make much more sense to me. Not many people can afford to buy a home on 20 acres. You could build a good-sized house on 1 acre and find plenty of buyers.

Second, Commissioner Dan Raley said the area's economy depends on the building industry. Is this true? St. Mary's will run out of developable land sooner or later. That could happen in 20 years or 200 years. When that happens, could builders still earn a living by replacing old structures? I certainly don't begrudge builders the right to make money. But there's just something scary about the notion that an industry needs a constant supply of developable land to survive. As Louis Goldstein once said, God didn't make any more land.

I guess I'm just disappointed that the commissioners couldn't strike a compromise between the desires of the building industry and the wishes of the environmentalists.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Tonio, I think you know the answer to your question.  In case you really don't, let me tell you:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

And, no, the area's economy doesn't depend on the building industry - it depends on the military base and the government contractors.  If it weren't for those two industries, there would be no need for builders.  I'm surprised Dan Raley would make such an obviously ignorant statement.

Don't know the specifics of the proposal but I do know how the Commissioners work.  If someone comes along and wants to give them money, they'll bend over backward to accommodate them in whatever they want to do.

Vote Larry Jarboe for Commissioner.  That's about the best advice I can give you.
 

Tonio

Asperger's Poster Child
I read Dan Raley's statement in Wednesday's Enterprise. I don't have my copy anymore, so I can't confirm whether I had the wording 100 percent correct. I don't think he was ignoring the impact of the Navy. I think he was just overstating the importance of the building industry.

About campaign contributions, you're absolutely right! I hope Larry Jarboe is one of those rare politicians who decides issues based on the facts, not on the spin from his contributors.
 
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