Have you ever rely thought about how we got into the zoning mess we are in because of zoning laws. First let's check Wikipedia about Zoning. The planning sketch above illustrates why we have the traffic problems that plague our communities. If you look at the upper half of the drawing (sprawl), you will see that each development project must separately connect to the road. This means that for each trip to a different project, each car must go out onto that same road. It creates a system of non connectivity, which leads to total GRIDLOCK and CONGESTION. If you look at the bottom development (traditional town), your eye can see multiple ways to travel to you destination without every going on that one main road. And yet our planners who wrote these codes, seem unable to understand this simple concept, or do not have the political courage to find the vehicle to address this issue with the BOCC. And members of the BOCC complain about the traffic problems and the costs associated with the traffic. Then again, the BOCC seems able to think that the way to solve the problem is through moratoriums, zoning denials and the wonderful community groups that are having great input into a broken system.
There is truly, a lack of real VISION on the part of the BOCC. The real question becomes, "Are we happy with the status quo that so effects our daily life's?"
Why not put together a community road show in the form of a charrette to give the residences of the county options. Such as our current system (Euclidean), Performance, Incentive or Form Based zoning. This does not mean, creating more community groups under the cover of their having more input into their local community area. How does that work if the model that they are using is broken? Let us give the citizens of Lee County a chance to give input into a real VISION of what the county should become and not use the eighty (80) year old template! I believe as a society we have learned a lot in that time period. Just think, we have gone to the moon, and yet we are using zoning codes modeled from 1926. To give an example, look at a car from 1926 and than a new 2007 automobile. They look different. What about our zoning laws. The only thing that has changed, is that the staffs have learned how to make them more one sided (to create an advantage for the staff in reviewing projects and costly to the citizens, " The fox watching the chicken coop!"), restrictive (and not always for the communities best interest) and inflexible and slow to societies changes and requirements.
It is time for the BOCC to create a BOLD VISION and break with the past! The system is broken, let's fix it.
There is truly, a lack of real VISION on the part of the BOCC. The real question becomes, "Are we happy with the status quo that so effects our daily life's?"
Why not put together a community road show in the form of a charrette to give the residences of the county options. Such as our current system (Euclidean), Performance, Incentive or Form Based zoning. This does not mean, creating more community groups under the cover of their having more input into their local community area. How does that work if the model that they are using is broken? Let us give the citizens of Lee County a chance to give input into a real VISION of what the county should become and not use the eighty (80) year old template! I believe as a society we have learned a lot in that time period. Just think, we have gone to the moon, and yet we are using zoning codes modeled from 1926. To give an example, look at a car from 1926 and than a new 2007 automobile. They look different. What about our zoning laws. The only thing that has changed, is that the staffs have learned how to make them more one sided (to create an advantage for the staff in reviewing projects and costly to the citizens, " The fox watching the chicken coop!"), restrictive (and not always for the communities best interest) and inflexible and slow to societies changes and requirements.
It is time for the BOCC to create a BOLD VISION and break with the past! The system is broken, let's fix it.
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