> Everyone loves to speculate. That is why I pushed to have
> a scientific public opinion poll done in Latah County. Last fall the
> U. of Idaho conducted a survey of county residents regarding
> the demand and desired location for rural housing in Latah County.
> While far from perfect, this study is the first bit of credible
> evidence as to what people in Latah County really desire. The
> bottom line is that it is not a bunch of little acreages dotting
> the countryside. Residents really want to preserve the agricultural,
> low density environment that makes Latah County attractive.
> At some point, I hope to write up the report and give it to the
> Commissioners and the press. I'd be willing to sponsor and
> work with an individual in an independent study in examining
> and preparing the report (is anybody out there interested
> in such a project?)
Sounds interesting, However, i worry about policies driven from
preferences such as these. Seems to me they would put upward pressure
on housing costs, rental as well as ownership, in Moscow as well as
some of the smaller communities. The last time I read there were
approximately 70 families on the waiting list for IHA housing
subsidies in Latah County. (These are not students by the way.)
>>It had quotes from the "property rights" crowd, and the
>>opposition: those who already had their rural retreats. The second
>>concerned zoning for industry--was there enough in the right places?
>> The third (today) was the impact on small towns. Most mayors
>>agreed that they weren't growing, just reshuffing population, some
>>new houses going up.
> The census data is real. The county is growing at over 2%
> per year. County residents would not like to see any faster
> growth rate than we are currently experiencing.
Greg has a point, the idea that we are "reshuffling populations"
seems rather odd. Though perhaps that is only from the perspective
of those of us that live in Moscow.
Greg, who exactly did the survey and are there any short summarizations
from the data?