Er Um What?

Pros, cons of smart growth debated
http://www.dailyadvance.com | Elizabeth City News Online
By DAVID MACAULAY, Staff Writer
Saturday, May 26, 2007

CAMDEN NC — With Camden officials still undecided about whether to incorporate "smart growth" principles into future planning decisions, commissioners heard from two policy think tanks this week that hold very different views about the proposal's effectiveness.

On Monday, officials with the Washington, D.C.-based Smart Growth Institute made the argument for smart growth principles, telling commissioners that the policy allows for concentrated growth while reducing the potential for sprawl.

The next night, representatives of the N.C. Farm Bureau and the conservative-leaning John Locke Foundation spoke against the proposal, telling commissioners that it would hurt farmers' ability to sell their land and be an unnecessary limit on developers' freedom.

At issue is an ordinance drawn up by Camden Planning Director Dan Porter that aims to concentrate denser housing development in the county's three "core villages" — Camden Courthouse, South Mills and Shiloh — while restricting it in many other parts of the county. According to Porter's proposal, development outside of the core villages would be limited to one home for every 10 acres.

Porter's "smart growth" ordinance originally was intended to be in place by the time Camden's moratorium on new subdivisions ended. But the measure expired in April with commissioners still divided about some aspects of the proposal.

During his presentation to commissioners Monday, the Smart Growth Institute's Benjamin de la Pena said concentrating growth in three areas would allow Camden to reduce the potential for sprawl while protecting more open space for recreational use. Smart-growth communities are also better for the environment because they encourage businesses and residential areas to locate within walking distance, thereby reducing residents' need to drive.

Smart growth allows a community "to enjoy the benefits of growth without having to sacrifice the whole community," de la Pena said.

Susan Weaver, also of the Smart Growth Institute, said concentrating growth would help preserve Camden's agricultural heritage.

"You have to ask yourself a question: Do we want to keep agriculture as part of Camden County? If we keep gobbling it up in one acre lots, at some point you are going to have parcels that are no longer economical to farm."

Several commissioners still appeared skeptical, however.

"The problem is those core areas will be overdeveloped," Carolyn Riggs said.

Riggs said she likes the idea of compact development, but would prefer that it not be restricted to just the three areas.

De la Pena said the Smart Growth Institute had not talked about where denser growth in Camden should go.

"That's a decision you have to make," he said.

On Tuesday night, Chad Adams and Michael Sanera of the John Locke Foundation argued that smart growth policies "limit freedom" and "don't like cars."

Adams also said the high residential densities associated with smart growth policies create environments where it is "increasingly difficult to conduct business." And, notwithstanding the warnings about sprawl, Camden is likely to remain a sparsely populated county for some time to come, he said.

"The projected density for your county in 2030 is supposed to be 65 people per square mile. In Pasquotank County it will be 227 (people per square mile) in 2030," Adams said. "Wake County is 917 people per square mile. (It) will be about 1688 in 2030."

The John Locke Foundation also claims that cities in the state like Wilmington and Asheville that have adopted smart-growth policies have seen marked increases in property values but no similar impact on household incomes.

Steve Woods of the N.C. Farm Bureau also addressed commissioners. He said the group is concerned that smart-growth policies restrict farmers' ability to sell their land.

"If you can only sell 10-acre plots that policy robs farmers of an investment and makes their land less valuable," Woods said.

Camden commissioners are likely to consider Porter's smart-growth ordinance at their next meeting on June 4.

(Contact David Macaulay at dmacaulay@coxnc.com)

Let's see now, sprawl harms agriculture, so the town is attempting to guide growth so that agriculture remains viable, so the farmers are upset with the town for trying to guide growth.

I got it.

From the N&O forum . . .

At long last, a real discussion of issues has begun.

teardowns
Submitted by mimosa on August 13, 2007 - 12:31am.

Even when trees are being tagged to be saved by the demolition crew and the home builders, the protection fences often are not placed far enough away from the trees to do much good. Many people believe if the fencing includes the trees' driplines then the trees are protected. However, roots expand further than driplines. Many new homeowners will experience the death of older trees on their property eight or nine years after purchasing their homes. Are there any developers in the area who consult with arborists prior to demolition and construction within an infill environment?

Another question . . . What precautions are taken when demolitions occur, especially in the infill areas where there is already a density of homes? In homes built prior to 1978, asbestos and lead paint are present. How many demolitions are occurring where water is being used to continuously wet the materials as the older homes are being demolished? In the recent NYC pipe explosion it was said that the steam from the pipes kept the asbestos from becoming airborne. So does that mean if water is not part of the demolition process, then surrounding property owners and their families are being exposed to hazardous pollutants coming from the demolition site?

What are the regulations in Wake County and North Carolina concerning demolitions? Are people who are doing the demolition work required to be licensed or can a builder subcontract the work? Are the workers required to use protective gear? Is there a washdown area for the workers so they will not take home hazardous materials on their clothes and shoes?

While many of the new homes are being built "green," are builders and community leaders stressing a "green" safe environment for nearby neighbors? And is that same concern being stressed for the demolition and construction crews who are onsite and the most at risk?

Anyone want to answer this?

Danger, Will Robinson!

REAL ESTATE
THE REAL ESTATE GENERATION GAP
With baby boomers soon ready to retire and the state's population growth stagnating, who will be around to buy our houses when we're finally ready to sell? Experts predict a dangerous glut in real estate inventory is possible -but there is some hope.
By MARY CARMICHAEL | March 25, 2007 | bostonglobe.com

Bill McInerney had a million-dollar house, and he hated it. The 1½-acre lot that constantly needed raking and mowing and shoveling, the multiple bedrooms and big kitchen that were too much for one person, the half-hour commute from Dedham to downtown Boston –none of it suited him. He didn‟t even like the quiet. “I‟m a city boy,”he says. “I want to hear cars and fire trucks and ambulances.”So a little more than a year ago, approaching his 60s and rattling around the halls alone, he started thinking small. McInerney found a one-bedroom apartment in Brookline under the shadow of the Citgo sign, a “lower end”place in the high $300,000s that he nonetheless loved for its location, with “13 restaurants and the streetcar right across the street.”He sold his white elephant in Dedham to a family of seven for a little under a million, “just as the real estate market started to go down the tubes.”He never wants to live in a big house again, he says, and he doesn‟t miss his old one either.

He may be lucky he sold when he did. The 57-year-old is at the older end of the baby boom generation, which is now between 42 and 61. Most boomers will partially or fully retire in the next two decades, and as their lifestyle slows down, so will their desire for the huge houses the wealthier of them have been snapping up in the past few years. Many will have the same idea as McInerney –to unload those houses –which means the number of McMansions for sale is about to get super-sized.

But who‟s going to buy? Generation X, a.k.a. the baby bust, is largely uninterested in sprawling suburban homes. And there aren‟t nearly as many Xers as there are boomers. There just won‟t be enough potential buyers unless the Xers and the older members of Generation Y are joined by a flood of new immigrants who both want the boomers‟ houses and are able to pay for them. If that doesn‟t happen, prices at the high end will sink.

The article, found here provides data and analysis and background (i.e. context) for these points. In short, we are being shortsighted, and allowing our communities to be made LESS viable in the long term, by not paying greater attention to current building trends.

If there‟s no way to save those boomer houses (and thus those boomer retirement funds), is there at least some way to make sure that prices for the smaller homes don‟t go skyrocketing past the means of the middle class? “What we really need [more of] is three-bedroom, 1½-bath homes, the kind that were built for the returning vets after World War II,” says O‟Connell. Here, then, is a possible future role for the home builders who are starting to see the market for “faux chateaux” evaporate: They could redirect their efforts into building more modest homes.

But wait, there's more:

There‟s just one problem, adds O‟Connell: “Those homes are the most difficult to build, because the community doesn‟t want them.” Wealthy homeowners who fund local school districts with their property taxes usually don‟t want to open their neighborhoods to lower-income parents, who would reap the benefits of good schools while paying comparatively less for them in taxes. “Nobody,” says O‟Connell, “wants to educate those kids.” In the long run, though, says Myers, opening up might be the only viable long-term strategy that could save the big houses. Better-educated kids grow up to be richer (read: home-buying) adults. In his new book, Myers writes that by paying for public education now, the rich can create a more prosperous class of home buyers for the future. So far, though, he says, “they don‟t get it, even if it is in their best interest.”

Time to wake up, Wake County.

A New Kind of Infill

As the wooded areas that have sprung up in the older neighborhoods are destroyed to make way for more brick and mortar, the animals that have re-habituated themselves are uprooted again. It has been like living in the country as the old forests have matured over here, and the wildlife has come with it. This picture is from an ITB backyard, new development in the background.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

In an article dated August 6 in the Charlotte Observer Charlotte wrestles with preservation issues in the older neighborhoods.

The names change, the story is the same.

Old neighborhood, long term residents, new interest in the the land because if its charm and location. Homes that are much larger than the original neighborhood plan are built, they change the character of the neighborhood and affect the neighbors property. Some residents get concerned that they could lose this historic neighborhood to this redevelopment boom. Start looking at options. Other people get excited and invest in a rising market. Old settled neighborhood begins to look a bit unsettled.

As the Observer stated it:

Today Americans seek more space than their parents. In new developments bigger homes can be built without hindrances.

But the desire for more space creates a tension in some older neighborhoods, built for the needs of the past. Neighbors there find themselves walking a line between preserving the past and maintaining property rights, promoting growth yet controlling how it takes shape.


Preserving character

Big renovations or teardowns can remove trees as homes take up bigger footprints on their lots. Taller houses can block sunshine or change the streetscape as they supersize. But homeowners have rights, too. And renovations can help boost a community's property values and may get rid of dilapidated buildings retrofitted with nonhistoric touches such as aluminum siding.

And some additional development in existing neighborhoods increases density, reducing the need for more new, sprawling subdivisions that claim undeveloped land on the edge of the city.

On both side of the issue, it creates strains on neighborhood relationships.

What to do?

... historic designations aren't enough. In Plaza-Midwood, the historic district covers a small area of the broader neighborhood, said resident Krista Murphy.

"People are buying the old, little bungalows and putting up these 3,800-square-foot homes that aren't in keeping with the neighborhood," Murphy said. "A lot of us moved here because of the character of the neighborhood, and a lot of the character is being torn down."

So in Charlotte, a new idea surfaced. A community center was the site for a neighborhood association meeting which featured education and information. Tim Griffin, president of the association, invited architects, builders, bankers and other professionals to demonstrate how to renovate and maintain the feeling of the neighborhood. His idea is to inspire. "I'm just so adamant about no more McMansions," he said. "We're not a homeowners' association. We're not a historic district. So the next best thing is to educate."

According to the article, "residents from older communities around uptown have joined forces as Save Our Older Neighborhoods to share ideas on how to preserve their feel and character." I like their acronym.

Civics 101

pay attention • show up • get involved

I found this to be an informative post on a nearby blog (newraleigh.com):

Opportunities with City Commissions

The Planning Commission is already settled. Expect development interests to play a large part in the City's future. But there are plenty of places to plug in for the interested resident. Also, the Raleigh CAC meetings are held regularly in a neighborhood near you.

Raleigh City Council

Raleigh Planning Commission

Raleigh Neighborhoods

City links will allow you to watch meeting videos online to get a feel for city deliberations, or read the minutes. The City has a top-notch website that informs for engagement in person or from a distance. The RTN network will even allow online viewing of meetings in progress. Our city's culture counts on a connected citizenry. Our city needs you....

Anytown USA

An assistant village manager, cites the ... subdivision ... as an example of the effect the redevelopment has had on property values.

“It’s an older development built after World War II,” he said. “Instead of moving, property owners are deciding to put additions on their properties.”

The story continues:

... While it hasn’t happened in great numbers yet, village officials are bracing for an increase in teardowns once the real estate market improves and the redevelopment is complete.

“You see it right now in [Neighborhood A] with the two- and three-bedroom ranches coming down and $800,000 homes going up,” ... said. “ [Neighborhood B] is a much more modest community.”

While teardowns have been adamantly opposed by many residents of [Neighborhood A], [Neighborhood B] officials are working on the issue before it becomes a problem.

“As far as teardowns we’re trying to get ahead of the code. We’re going to be looking at our ordinances over the next six months. It would not be a teardown ordinance but a redevelopment ordinance.

“We want to encourage people to improve their property but still have some control so we don’t get McMansions on a (small) lot." “It’s a delicate balance between property rights and zoning.”

Exactly.