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Too often we are finding that Virginia localities have been reluctant--and, some would say, unwilling--to take the effective measures necessary to curb growth. Hamstrung by the Dillon Rule, hard-pressed by developers, and unwilling to rezone in the face of property-rights defenders, local leadership has an amazingly complex web of issues to tackle with no clear solutions.
But across the nation, local planners are beginning to realize the value and vision of smartgrowth initiatives. Citizens are not only taking elected officials
to task on sprawl; they are also demanding that developers pay for the growth they bring.
Make no mistake. Growth and sprawl will dominate the local political dynamic for the next decade to come. Whether or not our elected officials will pay heed and move forward is largely dependent on what local activists focus on in the next five years--before it is too late.
After seeing the effects of sprawl in the area, many concerned residents are at pains to hear of any constructive solutions. But the solutions to growth are out there. Here are a few measures for residents and local leaders alike to consider:
Growth will not pay for itself, despite what those who profit from sprawl say.
New residents who move into the county must be provided with utilities, roads, and schools. The bill for these necessities inevitably gets passed on to the taxpayer, not to the developer who causes the need for it.
Government leaders in this area could look up the road to Prince William County for guidance. Recently, that county's Board of Supervisors levied a fivefold increase in proffers, more commonly known as impact fees.
By offsetting the costs of infrastructure, developers are obliged to help pay for such items as water and sewer lines, schools, and roads that otherwise would be taken out on the taxpayer in the form of higher taxes. Proffers level the playing field, and they are long overdue.
Demand property tax income statements on new developments.
If, as developers say, growth pays, then let the developers show taxpayers the benefits. By using this method of accountability, developers and planning commissioners alike will be able to see exactly where the pitfalls or advantages lie.
Taxpayers can then decide whether or not they are willing to support such projects and influence their leadership accordingly.
Concentrate new development into one area.
Spotsylvania Supervisor Gary Jackson has the right idea by pulling together new developments into one location. By using already existing infrastructure, rather than aimlessly extending sprawl, local planners are better equipped to not only corral new developments but also to focus on the immediate and long-term needs of the existing community.
Protect, preserve and create more open spaces.
That sounds simple enough, but it's not. Developers understandably see one issue when deciding to build on a location--economic advantage. But that does little for the taxpayer living nearby. Providing certain areas as public parks, expanding national park land, zoning areas agricultural, or simply making land that is developed more aesthetically pleasing, boosts not only the property values, it also prevents the "Fairfaxing" of our localities.
Keep finding local solutions to tackling growth.
Recently, the Spotsylvania School Board reviewed plans for a $20.3 million middle school that will accommodate nearly 900 children. Private educational institutions can build the comparable facilities for nearly half that amount. This should speak volumes about what we can do to eliminate waste in government
to help combat the cost of growth.
Downzoning.
Yes, the unspeakable word that terrorizes property-rights defenders and developers alike. But it is the one viable weapon against sprawl that Virginia localities have beyond requesting proffers.
Downzoning not only takes away the developer's ability to build without concern or restraint, it also provides the crucial second step against poorly designed growth that profits the developer on the backs of local residents.
Put the brakes on industrial and commercial growth.
This may sound shocking to some. After all, well-planned light industry and commercial areas can be the best type of growth, offering jobs and other resources closer to home, paying taxes without drawing on resources, and costing the taxpayer much less on face value.
But this type of growth draws out sprawl in more ways than we realize. Roads have to be built, utilities must be extended, and, in the end, poorly planned industrial and commercial growth becomes subsidized by the taxpayer at the expense of more traffic, less open space, and higher taxes to pay for it all.
The moment of truth that we have been putting off in the area for so long is swiftly approaching, if not already here. The Fredericksburg region is about to undergo a transformation not felt since the Civil War. We have a responsibility to make sure that we meet pro-sprawl propaganda with head-on, common-sense solutions.
SHAUN KENNEY is chairman of the Fredericksburg Young Republicans.