Excellent editorial from the Baltimore Sun... EXCERPT: In Maryland, smart growth policies started under Gov. Parris Glendening and were strengthened under Gov. Martin OMalley in large measure because development threatens to consume more than 560,000 acres between now and 2035. Smart growth rules do not tell local governments how to conduct matters of planning and zoning. They dont decide who gets to build what and where. What smart growth really does is make sure state tax dollars are not spent wastefully to support destructive pro-sprawl decisions. Want to let developers run rampant in your county, tearing up green space and fouling the land and water? Fine, but dont expect the state to build roads and bridges, extend water pipes or sewer lines or otherwise support or accommodate that decision. This isnt about right-wing or left-wing politics. It isnt just about the environment for that matter. Its about rational and sustainable growth policies. Considering how costly it is to address the flow of pollution into the Chesapeake and its tributaries, why would the state of Maryland spend money to make matters worse and thereby more costly? If Mr. Hogan thinks the fee imposed on property owners to reduce pollution from stormwater runoff (also known as the rain tax) is egregious, then how can he possibly justify creating more stormwater pollution by encouraging sprawl development? Heres another misplaced criticism of smart growth — that its anti-growth. Not true. Actually, its pro-rational-growth. Redeveloping Marylands urban centers is an avowed priority for the Hogan administration. Its a task made much easier if developers are encouraged to build on brownfields and similar sites already served by roads and transit, water and sewer lines, schools and other infrastructure. Thats primarily what smart growth attempts to do, and not just for cities but smaller communities, too. AND: The reality is that smart growth, if administered correctly, is good for Marylands economy. It makes the state a better place to live, allows tax dollars to be spent more efficiently and encourages redevelopment of blighted communities. Saying yes to every development to roll down the pike might sound like a way to create jobs, but its actually quite destructive in the long term. Mr. Hogan hasnt taken the oath of office yet. Perhaps, on reflection, hell seek a more moderate course than to trash a program that, if anything, deserves to be strengthened. But at the very least, he needs to stop digging himself in a political hole in matters involving the environment. To our knowledge, voters arent concerned that the Chesapeake Bay — the overall health of which was recently judged a D-plus in the Chesapeake Bay Foundations biennial report card — is excessively clean or too well protected. baltimoresun/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-smart-growth-20150115-story.html
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 00:08:22 +0000
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