NO ZONING - tell me about it...positives and negatives (Houston: HOA, house)

[crbcrbrgv]

Ever been to Miami? Coconut Grove is one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Walk a block or two away from it in any direction and you have ugly. Michigan Avenue is the most famous street in Chicago. Drive about 4 miles south of downtown on Michigan Avenue and you are in the middle of some of the most horrendous housing projects in America. And anyone who is in their 30's knows that "Park Avenue leads to skid row". The reason Houston is so "ugly" is the perception perpetuated by people who often times have never even stepped foot in Texas, much less Houston.

[randian]

Originally Posted by RoughRider

Planning done well is not too restrictive, encourages business, and is not done by one person but following rules / regs adopted through a democratic process.

Where do you live? There is nothing remotely democratic about planning in any city I've ever seen. Planning rules are never subject to public vote, they are just made up whole cloth by the city council. Even if it were entirely democratic, I don't believe in subjecting property rights to a vote.

As to "encourages business", that's only relative to a strict planning regime. Planning itself discourages business, because it greatly raises the cost of doing business. Planning isn't an explicit tax, so it's invisible to most people, but it's just as much a drag on the wealth of the community as any tax.

Originally Posted by RoughRider

Bad planning can be way to burdensome but planning that is loose and non existent can cause a lot of problems too while it lines the pockets of a narrow set of interests.

Are you seriously equating business profit with political corruption? The right to do with your property as you see fit is hardly a "narrow set of interests", it's the bedrock of America.

[RoughRider]

Well when the City Council adopts planing rules I do see that as a remotely a democratic process. From what you've written I understand that you would never support planning as it infringes on property rights, that's fair. and while I don't equate business profit with political corruption the two are occasionally rather cozy neighbors. In the end you and I would not be that far apart in opinion but I agree that we disagree on some of this.

[randian]

Originally Posted by RoughRider

while I don't equate business profit with political corruption the two are occasionally rather cozy neighbors

That's true, but it's a consequence of politicians regulating business. Buying and selling politicians who set regulations will never be far behind the advent of the regulations themselves. I would argue that set of affairs is why politicians are so gung ho to regulate everything, they want to be bought. I think rules against corruption are meaningless, the only way to get rid of it is to eliminate the opportunity in the first place. Let developers concentrate on selling product customers will buy rather than kowtowing to the greed and ego of the city council and planning board.

When a business pushes for regulation, as with Mattel and the recent toy regulations, I know a foul smell will not be far away.

[RoughRider]

Good example re: toy regs, seems they used the process to attempt to destroy all of their small competitors with regulations that they could not afford. History has shown that some businesses just can't do the right thing and regulation follows - not always well thought out and often at the demand of many in the public who are reacting to something - but it could have been avoided. In my mind when and if we regulate the key is real transparency in the government process including the election process, something we do not have enough of.

By the way many western cities in CA, OR, WA have had public referendums on various land use, property rights policies. I am not saying those were good or the results always desirable but it does happen.

[DJboutit]

Houston needs zoning right now
Strips clubs are to close to homes & curches with zoning 75% would have to move outside of Houston city limits or close there door, if you look the area just west of the galleria there are 15 to 20 strip clubs. Without out zoing Houston is the strip club capital of USA
Liquor stores are right across the street from schools right next to homes
High rise condo is going up on Bissonnet close to Woodhead I would be upset if high rise condos being built down the street from where I live with zoning this would never happen
I am for zoning 100%

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by DJboutit

Houston needs zoning right now
Strips clubs are to close to homes & curches with zoning 75% would have to move outside of Houston city limits or close there door

There has been a city ordinance since 1997 that in the last couple years the city has been enforcing more aggressively. It's pretty much a de facto zoning of sexually oriented businesses.

Mind, some of these churches and schools have been opened where they are after the strip club, adult video store etc. were there.

Liquor stores are right across the street from schools right next to homes

When I was in high school I lived a block away from a liquor store and roughly four blocks from the high school, where they're now building an elementary school. This is in Texas City, which has zoning.

Right offhand I'm having a hard time thinking of a place where a liquor store is across the street from a school. Probably due to an ordinance covering that too.

High rise condo is going up on Bissonnet close to Woodhead I would be upset if high rise condos being built down the street from where I live with zoning this would never happen
I am for zoning 100%

River Oaks gets along just fine with highrises in the neighborhood that have been there for a long time.

I thought it was amusing seeing those fugly yellow signs in front of houses a few blocks north of Bissonnet that are closer to existing highrises along Montrose than they are to the Ashby site.

[dv1033]

Originally Posted by DJboutit

Houston needs zoning right now
Strips clubs are to close to homes & curches with zoning 75% would have to move outside of Houston city limits or close there door, if you look the area just west of the galleria there are 15 to 20 strip clubs. Without out zoing Houston is the strip club capital of USA
Liquor stores are right across the street from schools right next to homes
High rise condo is going up on Bissonnet close to Woodhead I would be upset if high rise condos being built down the street from where I live with zoning this would never happen
I am for zoning 100%

It's getting pretty old of hearing the same old "liquor stores, next to churches, next strip clubs, next elementary schools" routine." I wasn't aware of cities that keep their strip clubs, porn shops, and liquor stores in special areas. I'm not saying it's a non-issue, but its getting old of hearing the same old stories that don't even describe a small minority of Houston.

BTW, the high rise condo is by Bissonent and Ashby on the otherside of the freeway.

[RoughRider]

Originally Posted by dv1033

It's getting pretty old of hearing the same old "liquor stores, next to churches, next strip clubs, next elementary schools" routine." I wasn't aware of cities that keep their strip clubs, porn shops, and liquor stores in special areas. I'm not saying it's a non-issue, but its getting old of hearing the same old stories that don't even describe a small minority of Houston.

BTW, the high rise condo is by Bissonent and Ashby on the otherside of the freeway.

Actually lots of cities regulate the locations of liquor stores, strip clubs and porn shops. Most commonly in the form of ... not within a certain distance from schools, daycares, places of worship, etc...

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by crbcrbrgv

Ever been to Miami? Coconut Grove is one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Walk a block or two away from it in any direction and you have ugly.

I just saw on the news the other night where sex offenders in Miami who get out of prison are being forced to live underneath a bridge & in tents because of local & state laws created to not give them a second chance at life. Right across the bay is a beautiful view of the Miami skyline. Kinda ironic in way.