Land-use planning is more complicated than Councilors Madore and Mielke realize. Politicians seem to like the “personal story,” but when it comes to land-use planning, there are probably over 100,000 individual stories.
The Growth Management Plan was on an even keel, with tremendous input by the public via the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners. This was augmented by both planning and county staff and legal departments. The plan will also impact Regional Transportation Commission planning. The growth plan also has state legal implications.
Why upend the lengthy and professional process with hours of individual stories ranging from those who hate apartments to those who want to make retirement income from selling off agricultural assets to those who like large lots for McMansions to those who want to micro-farm (when M&M can’t even figure out what a “small farm” is)?
Planning must rise above individual stories and focus on the long-range vision of what we really want to look like in 10 to 20 years. Listening to more testimony is a testament to nothing more than we need to finish the Growth Management Plan and end all the posturing … as soon as possible.
