Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
While I am not a fan of urban sprawl, there is no way to stop it. Trying to will just make matters worse. The best a town can do is to direct it.
A prefect example is Orange county. It does not want any big box stores. So all the big box stores open in surrounding counties on the border of Orange. So, Orange gets the cost of the extra traffic (Orange residents driving to the big box stores) and the loss of the local merchant without any of the pluses (tax revenue). (BTW, this isn't really an urban sprawl example. More of a stopping development/progress example.)
I think Durham county did a good job positively directing the growth at 751 South. They attempted to be environmentally friendly and allocated new schools to handle the influx of people.
Most people that I know are against the project but not necessarily against developing that particular piece of land. The issue w/ the 751 that many people in this area have is that the zoning has been changed (some what in a shoddy and shady manner) to allow a very dense development. The development plan known as 751 South is GREAT.... just not on the edge of the Jordan Lake's water shed.
Durham is already on the hook for cleaning up part of Falls Lake, so now our BOCC has decided to over build on another county's drinking water source, to further increase the amount tax payers are going to have to fork over for clean up of lakes.
The "Jobs" that this project is going to bring are construction to begin with, which one can argue about the hiring practices of developers and whether it helps our local economy or not. But post-construction the "jobs" are going to be minimum wage retail jobs. And just because you build office space doesn't mean a company with good jobs are automatically created to fill those spaces. This area already has plenty of vacate retail and business space.
As far as roads go, the developer is on the hook for their "improvements". But IF you plan to use these roads to cut through to get to work, PLEASE observe the speed limits, instead of doing 60 on a 35 mile hour road... even when you are late for work because I-40 is a mess. Please try not to run over one of my neighbors.
At this point the development has to go to the city. The city has to annexe it for the development to get water and sewer. Regardless of what happens with that, there will be a lawsuit. This is just one of those cases that no matter how it was ruled there was going to be a lawsuit.
NRG, many of us Durhamites are embarrassed by the BOCC and County Attorneys too. I can't wait until the 2012 .... the next BOCC election.
A prefect example is Orange county. It does not want any big box stores. So all the big box stores open in surrounding counties on the border of Orange. So, Orange gets the cost of the extra traffic (Orange residents driving to the big box stores) and the loss of the local merchant without any of the pluses (tax revenue). (BTW, this isn't really an urban sprawl example. More of a stopping development/progress example.)
True for some parts of Orange County, but not the county as a whole. For example, Orange County does have a Wal-Mart and a Home Depot.
I might not understand this enitre thing, please forgive me, but my first reaction when I heard about this was who is going to buy those houses and use that retail/office space? No one has any money, no one is lending any money and as far as I can tell no more companies are moving here or opening up new office spaces. There are tons of empty homes and office spaces all over the Triangle that can be used, so I'm just a little confused as to why this is necessary.
I think this was part of the original problem with the economy, they kept building even though we didn't need anything more to be built. But I'm not niave I know it all comes down to money and politics, I just think it is ignorant that is all.
I think people want to have it both ways. They want development, but as long as they have theirs and are happy - they want to keep other people out.
We all live in a freakin' house on developed land that was owned by somebody else a long time ago. And there was a tree that was cut down where your bedroom was. ...And where your fancy granite countertops are now as well.
The Raleigh area still has far more trees and space than a lot of big cities.
Go to a place like Atlanta where every square inch of property has been built up within a 75 mile radius.
The Cary, Raleigh, Apex, etc, triangle area has been managed pretty well and there's lots of trees and a pretty good quality of life for a lot of people.
Better to have growth than to live in an area that there is no growth and things have become stagnant.
Vicki
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
