Holding a line on sprawl (Buffalo, Rochester: renters, crime, new home)
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Holding a line on sprawl by John Mariani
Tuesday July 22, 2008, 7:56 AM
Syracuse Post Standard
Mahoney administration wants no more exceptions to development plan
Onondaga County's development plan is about to undergo its first review in a decade, an effort county officials hope will bolster the fight against suburban sprawl while making the rules clearer -- and harder to break.
Over the years, exceptions to the county's "2010 Development Guide" have been granted to developers and their municipal sponsors in what seems to have been an improvised basis, County Executive Joanie Mahoney said.
That "2010 Development Guide" plan for Onondaga County is so terrible that not one other metropolitan area in the country has tried to copy it yet. Too bad our local media and local leadership does not even understand simple supply and demand.
Why does this development plan actually hurt, instead of help Onondaga County?
1) Local farmers and property owners in the rural areas will not be able to sell their land to home developers.
2) Homes located in the highly regarded school districts will experience skyrocketing home assessments if new developments with sewer are not approved. Meaning, not only will Onondaga County have high taxes, but the price homes will also be high in the suburbs. Why? Simple supply and demand. If new home developments are not approved in school districts like Fayetteville-Manlius, the demand for homes in that district will increase....thus increasing the price of all existing homes.
3) The Syracuse suburbs are OK now...some very nice areas, but overall nothing outstanding. Nearby Rochester's suburbs are much more attractive. The ONLY way that Syracuse's suburbs can compete with Rochester's suburbs is by approving more development, not less. More new homes.... more stores and restaurants...more parks...more well-maintained landscaped suburban areas will attract more people to the area. Right now, all the nice suburban areas are hidden from visitors since they are so out of the way. That means that visitors never seen Syracuse's better side, they only see ugly Carrier Circle, ugly Erie Blvd, ugly neighborhoods next to highways, ugly areas near Carousel Mall, ugly industrial areas near the State Fair grounds. With more suburban development, visitors will see that Syracuse does have lovely, beautiful well-maintained suburban neighborhoods.
Clearly, sprawl or suburban development does not CAUSE urban decay.
So what really causes old neighborhoods in both the city and suburbs to decay?
1) Rentals!!!! Single family homes turning into rental properties decrease the property values in surrounding homes. Why? a) Renters tend not to take pride in their property. Therefore renters do not maintain the exterior of the home or the landscaping. b) quality of life in the neighborhood goes down. It can start with just one house on a street. Then as neighbors see the quality of life in the neighborhood decrease with more noise, drug dealing, kids getting into trouble etc. the good neighbors move away in search of a nicer neighborhood with a better quality of life. Then as homes have trouble selling, the rest of the homes on the street become rentals.
How to solve this problem? Simple. Outlaw rental properties in certain neighborhoods. Contain rentals to special districts.
2) Lack of population growth in the region. No need to for a lengthy explanation for this one. Simple supply and demand. Without high population growth, all the demand is in the better school districts and in the neighborhoods with larger homes. That's why you see most new homes are large in size and are located in the better school districts.
Clearly, sprawl or suburban development does not CAUSE urban decay.
So what really causes old neighborhoods in both the city and suburbs to decay?
1) Rentals!!!! Single family homes turning into rental properties decrease the property values in surrounding homes. Why? a) Renters tend not to take pride in their property. Therefore renters do not maintain the exterior of the home or the landscaping. b) quality of life in the neighborhood goes down. It can start with just one house on a street. Then as neighbors see the quality of life in the neighborhood decrease with more noise, drug dealing, kids getting into trouble etc. the good neighbors move away in search of a nicer neighborhood with a better quality of life. Then as homes have trouble selling, the rest of the homes on the street become rentals.
How to solve this problem? Simple. Outlaw rental properties in certain neighborhoods. Contain rentals to special districts.
2) Lack of population growth in the region. No need to for a lengthy explanation for this one. Simple supply and demand. Without high population growth, all the demand is in the better school districts and in the neighborhoods with larger homes. That's why you see most new homes are large in size and are located in the better school districts.
Check the laws. I don't think you can outlaw a homeowner renting out his house, as long as he doesn't turn a one-family into a two-family.
Check the laws. I don't think you can outlaw a homeowner renting out his house, as long as he doesn't turn a one-family into a two-family.
Neighborhoods can set up home owners associations for this, but HOAs can be a double edged sword--can limit things like tree types/height, etc. Thats the way they do it here in Vegas
Holding a line on sprawl by John Mariani Tuesday July 22, 2008, 7:56 AM
Syracuse Post Standard
Mahoney administration wants no more exceptions to development plan
Onondaga County's development plan is about to undergo its first review in a decade, an effort county officials hope will bolster the fight against suburban sprawl while making the rules clearer -- and harder to break.
Over the years, exceptions to the county's "2010 Development Guide" have been granted to developers and their municipal sponsors in what seems to have been an improvised basis, County Executive Joanie Mahoney said.
That "2010 Development Guide" plan for Onondaga County is so terrible that not one other metropolitan area in the country has tried to copy it yet. Too bad our local media and local leadership does not even understand simple supply and demand.
Hey Bella, move to Rochester, you seem to like it more. Can't blame you.
Hey Bella, move to Rochester, you seem to like it more. Can't blame you.
Actually, I've thought about it. The #1 reason I could never move to Rochester or any other Metropolitan Area in the US is the people who live there. I know that Rochester was once nicknamed smugtown. Well, in my opinion many of its’ residents still have that “greater than thou” personality. Most residents of the Rochester area, although friendly, have a tad bit too much of that smug attitude for me. I could never live or truly enjoy living in a city where most residents look down on my hometown of Syracuse.
On the other hand, while there are many Moderator cut: inappropriate slobs who live in the Syracuse area, I've found that the average normal people living here are some of the best people in the whole country. Yes, IMO the whole USA! They are super down to earth, easy to talk with, unjudgemental and unpretentious. In addition, people in the Syracuse area are free to be whoever they want to be, no one feels the pressure fit a mold or a stereotype. Generally, people accept you whoever you are without judging the cloths you wear or the way you look. Character is more important than fashion here. However, sometimes I wish Syracuse was a little more sophisticated.
So yes, the quality of the people in a city is more important to me than most other factors.
To be honest, I'd love for Syracuse to have Rochester's suburbs and skyline.... yet you can keep the Rochester smug attitude there. I'll take the people in the Syracuse area.
Last edited by bellafinzi; 07-25-2008 at 07:50 PM..
bellafinzi, I'm sure you mean well, as you really seem to love Syracuse, but suburban sprawl is NOT the way to go. It's the "Been there done that" of planned development. The trend nationally is smart growth, which means using the areas that already have the infrastructure in place. That keeps costs down for cities, and taxes for residents. Plus, it preserves more open space, and cuts down on traffic, pollution, cost/time of commutes,etc. Syracuse would be a perfect city for this, as it has a lot of older residential areas, and - most important fo the Smart Growth recipe - older suburbs. They may have been built post-WWII in the 50's and 60's, and then maybe went downhill a little 20 years later. But there is a movement on to revitilize these older suburbs, as the infrastructure isn't as old as right in Syracuse. I'm sorry, but the city planners are doing the right thing.
As far as Rochester VS. Syracuse goes, I think Rochester has maybe just aged more gracefully. As you know, Syracuse was once one of the great mid-sized city in America. My parents met each other there, they both worked and lived there. Well, actually they met in Buffalo, but they were both living in Syracuse at the time. And while the snowfall in Syracuse is legendary, I always heard winters were more harsh in Rochester.
I'm all for revitalizing the city. I just believe that trying to stop suburban growth is the wrong approach.
You can not force people to live inside the city limits. If you really want to revitalize the city, than focus on solving the problems with the city. For example, 1) beautification of the neighborhoods so that people feel good about living there, 2) creating an impressive modern skyline so that homes with views of the skyline become more valuable, 3) improving the city school district 4) preventing crime 5) stop the spread of rental properties
The suburbs do not cause people to abandon the city. Rather, the suburbs are the result of people choosing to live anywhere else but in the city. Make the city such a wonderful place to live that people start abandoning the suburbs to move into the city. I do not see this happening today. Rather we have short sighted leadership that actually believes that stopping sprawl will automatically solve the problems with the city. Sorry, but preventing people from building new homes or businesses in the suburbs will not direct any growth back into the city. Most people I know would rather move to Rochester's suburbs than move into the city.
Actually, I've thought about it. The #1 reason I could never move to Rochester or any other Metropolitan Area in the US is the people who live there. I know that Rochester was once nicknamed smugtown. Well, in my opinion many of its’ residents still have that “greater than thou” personality. Most residents of the Rochester area, although friendly, have a tad bit too much of that smug attitude for me. I could never live or truly enjoy living in a city where most residents look down on my hometown of Syracuse.
On the other hand, while there are many Moderator cut: inappropriate slobs who live in the Syracuse area, I've found that the average normal people living here are some of the best people in the whole country. Yes, IMO the whole USA! They are super down to earth, easy to talk with, unjudgemental and unpretentious. In addition, people in the Syracuse area are free to be whoever they want to be, no one feels the pressure fit a mold or a stereotype. Generally, people accept you whoever you are without judging the cloths you wear or the way you look. Character is more important than fashion here. However, sometimes I wish Syracuse was a little more sophisticated.
So yes, the quality of the people in a city is more important to me than most other factors.
To be honest, I'd love for Syracuse to have Rochester's suburbs and skyline.... yet you can keep the Rochester smug attitude there. I'll take the people in the Syracuse area.
You are right. Though I have noticed with smug attitude comes beauty. If we did not think we were not b
I once had a teacher in high school say you can drive through syracuse but you wouldn't want to live there. I personally thought that was harsh though I do understand where he's coming from.
In Rochester if you don't take care of your lawn or don't keep up your house your neighbors will all over you. Rightfully so, personally when my neighbor painted her house pink my dad went up to her and confronted her the color of your house brings down our neighborhood.
Come on now you can't have both. If people didn't really have an attitude that we are better than others who would care about beauty. Why do we have to prove anything to anyone why we are better.
What I am trying to get at, Rochester maintains its beauty by caring about what others think, trying to be better than person next to you. Though sometimes I wish I could wear sweat pants to the mall but I am afraid to be judged, its nice to look good and be confident.
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