Thanks to the Washington Times:Economists increasingly are concluding that the shortage of affordable housing in Washington and other major U.S. cities on the East and West coasts is a result more of man-made restrictions on development than high construction costs or other market forces. “It simply takes too long and is too expensive to move through the development process,” said Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wachovia Securities, pointing at “smart growth, slow growth and no growth” movements in many of the same areas where the population and demand for housing are growing the fastest. The referenced study by the National Bureau of Economic Research remarks:The key underlying reason for rising house prices, though, is supply, according to economists Edward Glaeser, Joseph Gyourko, and Raven Saks…. Local residents — more educated, more affluent — have had a greater ability to block new projects should they be deemed harmful to their own interests, for example to the value of their homes…. 11129).And then, from this week’s C-Ville:In 2001 the County adopted a set of rules for growth-area housing developments called “The Neighborhood Model.â€Â The Neighborhood Model includes a list of 12 so-called New Urbanist principles—rules for building setbacks, sidewalks and parking—that are supposed to make neighborhoods more pedestrian friendly. But the County tends to apply the rules inconsistently, and the resulting Neighborhood Model developments are hardly paragons of progressive design…. The Neighborhood Model clearly needs some tweaking both to protect Albemarle from sprawl and to satisfy developers.
Browsing Category Politics
How can we pay for transportation needs?
The Washington Post has an article discussing how localities are preparing for the real estate market downturn:At the same time, officials increasingly are looking at what would happen if the housing market flattens so significantly that it no longer provides enough tax money to underwrite steady growth in spending. Some have instructed their staffs to craft proposed budgets that cap expanded spending. …Despite signs that the market is softening — home sales nationwide slowed more than expected in October, and inventory is at its highest level in 20 years — assessments typically lag behind the business climate. So a downward trend won’t be reflected in the new round of valuations.Yet this article in the DP notes how a a few Delegates are making promises:House Speaker William J…. Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach, told a gathering of Virginia reporters and editors that the House of Delegates will not pass a measure increasing the state gas tax in 2006.”We have to look at other sources of revenue,” Howell said during the Associated Press Day at the Capital annual forum on pending state issues. “I think that’s what the whole discussion is going to be about.”Howell suggested that increased fines for bad drivers could bring in a sustained source of transportation revenue of $400 million or more for each two-year budget cycle and that international investors could provide hundreds of millions of dollars more for purchasing the right to collect tolls on certain highways.$400 million in increased enforcement? Let the police police, don’t make them become de facto tax collectors (probably with quotas too).This is an interesting idea – In Fairfax … For next year’s proposed spending plan limits, he has instructed department heads to “essentially give us the same budget you gave us last year,” meaning no growth, except for pay raises and increases to cover such items as rising health care costs for employees and retirees.Why haven’t they been doing this all along?
Growth, roads and APF’s
What happens when the Commonwealth does distribute some of its budget surplus and the County remains firm in their anti-growth strategy?The DP notes that:If state officials allow localities to pass adequate public facilities ordinances, as they’re known, local governments could reject developments based on a lack of supporting infrastructure, such as roads and water sources. More likely, they could demand that developers pay for the needed improvements.Over at Bacon’s Rebellion, a this comment states:I would hope the debate would go toward asking why localities make zoning decisions that are seemingly not in their self-interest. Because if you look at their motivation – raising real estate tax revenue – it will lead you back to the General Assembly, and their decisions on how much funding localities should receive for things such as education, public safety, etc., as well as how localities can raise money on their own.Yeah, an honest and fair discussion is a good place to start.
Albemarle County BoS meeting … growth issues come to a head
If you are concerned, curious or just feel ignorant about where the Albemarle County growth process/issue, take 30 minutes to listen to this podcast provided by Charlottesville Tomorrow.”If this were my business I would really be worried about being able to continue in business if my suppliers and my end users were not at all happy with the product that we were creating and the process that we were going about doing it.” Ken Boyd”It’s broken” DorrierDennis Rooker defended the Neighborhood Model while affirming that he is “not against looking at it, but …”… His argument that “one or two people” and “six or seven vociferous” opponents doesn’t hold water.The County’s own survey shows that residents are becoming less satisfied with the growth plan. (I said this the other day, but think it needs repeating)The survey indicated continued support for the county’s major growth management policies, with approximately 70% of respondents favoring concentrating development in the urban areas to protect the rural areas, but that percentage showed a significant decline in support from the 2002 survey where almost 80% of respondents said they favored concentrated growth.The public is raising its voice of disapproval with the direction the BoS has been leading the growth process.”It’s not working.” Ken Boyd”It is a fundamental conflict…”The development process needs to be more efficient, more open and better managed…. The BoS needs to plan and implement their plans better…. Don’t plan to raise the population in Crozet to 12,000 people without at least starting road improvements or mass transit. It is irresponsible and an extraordinary disservice to our community and region.
Eminent Domain update
This post at Bizzy Blog highlights some of the national and individual state movements towards protecting individuals’ property rights, in response to the SCOTUS’ Kelo ruling.Unfortunately, the author comes to this conclusion:I’m not happy with the idea that the “staying power†is already wearing down. If the relatively modest state legislation thus far is any indication, the initial outrage appears to have been largely neutralized….States and cities probably feel that they will be at an economic disadvantage against other states if they give up the ability to abuse eminent domain and other states and cities don’t.An excellent resource for staying abreast of the local and statewide eminent domain discussion is the VirginiaPropertyRights site. Perhaps most important is this link to find your legislator so that you can express your opinion(s) about this issue. I’ve said it before – this issue is neither conservative nor liberal, democrat nor republican; it is a matter of preventing the government from stealing your property.
Land use, APFs and the public good
There is a good discussion over at the Road to Ruin about this article in the DP that highlights the conflict, yet necessary relationship between private developers and the public good/public infrastructure.Note also Bacon’s Rebellion’s discussion about the recent forum held by the State’s new Economic Development Executive Director.I won’t step on their discussion. If you’re interested, check them out. The land use issue are ones that will continue to affect us as growth continues.
Rivanna Village public forum
From Jessica Kitchin’s story this morning in the DP:On Tuesday, the 88-acre development will be the focus of a town hall meeting in the designated-growth area that surrounds it.”The residents of the Village of Rivanna will have NO VOICE, NO VOTE on the Rivanna Village [zoning] and other development within the Village of Rivanna growth area unless we step up, speak up and act for ourselves,” an e-mail sent out by the Rivanna Citizens Committee states. “This meeting is our opportunity to weigh in. We have some options.”Rivanna Village is a mixed-use development in the planning stages that would be built off U.S. 250, east of Charlottesville. It is up for rezoning that would change it from rural area to neighborhood model, opening the door for KG Associates and Cox Associates to build up to 495 residential units and up to 240,000 square feet of commercial space…. The County has some credibility issues regarding rezoning of land. You can’t please everybody – that is an impossible task. At least the County will go through the motions of listening to the people. The County’s own survey shows that residents are becoming less satisfied with the growth plan.The survey indicated continued support for the county’s major growth management policies, with approximately 70% of respondents favoring concentrating development in the urban areas to protect the rural areas, but that percentage showed a significant decline in support from the 2002 survey where almost 80% of respondents said they favored concentrated growth. For more on the County’s growth plans, they have an excellent website.I think this meeting presents an excellent opportunity for a podcast.