There is an April 10th Public Hearing that will determine the future of our beautiful community.  We are at a crossroads.  If ever there was a time to act, it is now.  I received this from the Raven Society:

Dear Friend,                                                                                         April 3, 2007

                                                           The Raven Society has developed and sent to each County Commissioner an analysis of six proposed changes in the Blount County zoning ordinances.  We are enclosing the condensed version in this packet.  The complete analysis is available at www.theravensociety.com.  Click on “position papers” under “Important Notice” at the bottom of the home page and then choose “Full Analysis.”

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1) Call your County Commissioners, and call several others Commissioners.   Ask them to vote against the proposed zoning changes (or for postponing the decisions until the County can have a serious discussion about a long-term growth plan for Blount County).

2) Call the County Mayor (273-5700). 

3) Write letters to the Editor.  Mail or hand deliver to Daily Times, 307 E. Harper Ave., Maryville, TN 37804.   Include your name, address and telephone number so Dean Stone can call you to verify.

4) Attend the Public Hearing on April 10 at 6:30 in Room 430 of the Courthouse. 

5) Attend the County Commission Meeting on April 19 at 7:00 in the Courthouse.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGES

#1        Raising permitted height of buildings in Suburbanizing Zone

#2        Permit multifamily developments on 26' roads instead of only on 4- lane roads

#3        Increase density of residences in Rural 1 from 1.2/acre to 3/acre if on sewer or sand filtration.

#4        Allow three story structures in the Commercial District and 45' structures in commercial zones in Rural Areas.

#5        Delete the 10,000 square foot size restriction on commercial buildings in the Rural Arterial Commercial zones.

#6        Create “Commercial Sports Complex” Zone.

ISSUES TO CONSIDER

• Blount County citizens have entrusted Commissioners to make the best possible decisions on important matters that affect all of our lives.  None is more important than the one before them now regarding the proposed zoning changes.  They need to TAKE ENOUGH TIME TO CONSIDER these changes, not only for the immediate impact on current citizens, but on future generations.   

• GROWTH IS GOOD  – THE RIGHT KIND OF GROWTH.    The issue is how and  where growth is accommodated.  Blount County has no long-term, comprehensive land use plan.   Smart growth concentrates growth in existing communities – this is a more cost-effective use of infrastructure, preserves farmland and open space, and makes communities more attractive. It provides for a healthier and more diverse economy than unplanned “development.” 

Though supportive of growth, communities nationwide are questioning the ECONOMIC COSTS OF ABANDONING INFRASTRUCTURE in the cities and rebuilding it farther out.  They’re questioning the practice of abandoning older communities while developing open space and prime agricultural lands at the suburban fringe.

• RESIDENTIAL GROWTH IS COSTING US A FORTUNE.  Dave Bennett, County Budget Director, has told us repeatedly that subdivisions do not generate enough property tax to pay for themselves.  Property taxes must increase to pay for services that new residential growth requires. It takes an average of 20 years for a single new house, and 40 years for a new subdivision, to pay back in property taxes what it costs the county in infrastructure. 

• The County is struggling to find ways to meet the current demands placed on schools, roads and the sheriff’s department.  The zoning changes will further strain the County’s financial predicament and promote sprawl.  SPRAWL IS EXPENSIVE. Every Tennessee county is having trouble keeping up because property taxes don’t do it.  We end up with spiraling tax rates.

• People talk about PROPERTY RIGHTS, but if someone builds a subdivision that adds a hundred or more students to our school system, our property taxes have to go up to pay for new schools, roads maintenance and other county services.   Taxpayers end up subsidizing the expenses of the subdivision.  Whose rights are being respected?

• ARE THESE CHANGES EVEN LEGAL?  The Tennessee directive known as Public Chapter (PC) 1101 was designed to guide and define land use and zoning decisions statewide.   Mr. Jones, the County Mayor’s legal advisor, has stated that the PC 1101 raises a serious question as to whether these changes violate the intent of the law. 

• Blount County population is projected to grow from 106,000 to 200,000 by 2050, requiring nearly double the number of dwellings and public services. THERE IS A BETTER WAY TO GROW than suburban sprawl. We need growth that emphasizes preservation of open space, greater choice in housing and transportation, efficient investment of limited infrastructure dollars, and the strengthening of existing neighborhoods.

• Our quality of life depends on having a plan for growth, one that is environmentally and economically smart.

NOTABLE QUOTES:

U.S. Rep. John Duncan, Jr.  “Blount County has become one of the most popular places to move in the whole country.  Growth must occur but it needs to be regulated.  Also, we want to preserve what we all love about East Tennessee.  We want growth, but we want quality growth.”  (Daily Times, 3/31/07)

Blount Co. Planning Dir. John Lamb.  “Everybody wants to grow, but you’ve got to understand the consequences.” (Knoxville News Sentinel, 3/27/07)  “The pattern you create when you just sprawl out requires the use of a car to go just about anywhere you need to go.  (Health consequences of sprawl) is not just sprawling waistlines.  It’s about air quality, water quality and the livability of an area.”  (Daily Times, 3/29/07)

Blount Co. Commission Chair Robert Ramsey.  “(County commissioners) may be a bit rushed in not considering the true impact on the orderly growth in Blount County.  I would certainly recommend we use all prudence in making an effort to see if this is the right way to go.”  “Most of the responses I’ve had from other commissioners recommend caution in the approval of these speedily developed changes.  There is a certain amount of concern that we make sure this is the right approach.”  (Daily Times, 3/28/07)

Blount Co. Planning Commission Chair Jim Scully.  Not controlling sprawl will hurt Blount County.  “If it is not done, the community will not prosper.  Taxes will be unbearable.  The health of the citizens will be harmed.” (Daily Times, 3/31/07)

Blount Co. Health Department Dir. Micky Roberts.  “There is a clear link between how we plan community growth and development and its impact on the public’s health.”  (Daily Times, 3/29/07)

Blount Partnership President and CEO Fred Forster.  “The dream is alive.  We’re all in this together.  The more we can confer and share our hopes, dreams and ideas, the better off we’ll be.  (Daily Times,  3/31/07)

Tom Ross, former North Carolina Superior Court Judge.  “Rates of development are having a negative impact on our environment and, thus, our quality of life, and we are not appropriately planning for growth.  …We must deal with automobile emissions…We must enact thoughtful zoning and land-use policies that preserve green space, keep our water clean, and allow for adequate recreational sites. “

“If we fail to begin to act now to deal growth, we will not have the same quality of life to which many of us became accustomed growing up in the South.  The good news is that, if we act now by taking steps to avoid many of the negative consequences of growth, we will go a long way toward protecting the quality of life we have known and loved in the South.”   (Knoxville News Sentinel, 2/4/07)

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