---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 10:18:42 -0800
From: nils_peterson@wsu.edu
To: Bill London <london@wsunix.wsu.edu>
Subject: Re: No to Cameron Farms, and yes to what? (fwd)
Bill,
Please forward to 2020 list for initial reactions, then on to the Co-op
newsletter:
Green Light on Development
or
Don't Just Say No
Nils Peterson
The time has come when we must recognize Nancy Reagan was wrong: "Just say
No" is not adequate public policy. It was laughable policy against drugs,
and it won't work forever as a planning and growth management tool in
Moscow and Latah County.
Michael Riehm, an urban planner recently made presentations to the City and
County Planning Commissions. He was invited here as part of local efforts
to think about population growth. He talked about the value of
neighborhoods, and the impact traditional neighborhoods can have on
reducing vehicular traffic-as well as improving quality of life. If you
missed the Riehm's talk, take a walk through the Fort Russell neighborhood
then compare it to the any of the recent additions to Moscow.
Implementing Riehm's vision faces challenges. Local developers, real estate
agents, and others who shape the growth process, are risk-averse and driven
by "market" forces. They want to create what sells and they know what has
been created sells. The tendency is to create more. New visions imply
taking some (manageable) risks.
I'm looking for some partners with an alternate vision. People who think
there is a market for more neighborly neighborhoods, both in town and in
the county. Folks who will put their own money down to be that market, to
build and live in the vision we share. I'm also looking for a developer or
land owner interested in joining in this vision. Together we need to state
some visions and goals, then develop some housing for ourselves and
demonstrate it can be done. It will take work, because what we seek may
require educating local officials, seeking some alternative zoning, or
convincing a bank.
Perhaps you have a vision of co-housing, or some other cost-sharing
arrangements. Maybe you worry about water conservation or hope to have your
small-scale business in the neighborhood where you live. Perhaps you think
housing developments should include parks. Maybe your focus is preserving
agriculture and protecting Latah County's rural beauty. Are you ready to
stop saying "No," commit your money and sweat, and build the community we
want? I am.
--->Priscilla is focusing here on an opportunity for you to express your >idea. Go for it.......BL > >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Thu, 1 Feb 1996 13:46:55 -0800 >From: Priscilla Salant <salant@wsu.edu> >To: vision2020@uidaho.edu >Subject: No to Cameron Farms, and yes to what? > > Last night I attended the County Planning Commission's town meeting >on rural residential zoning. Almost all of the others who attended were >new faces to me. That means they weren't the same ones who came to the >Cameron Farms hearings, and so strongly voiced opposition to 16 5-acre lots >north of Moscow. > The Planning Commission is trying to develop a new zoning ordinance >that will guide where and how new housing is built in open areas of Latah >County. It's intended to solve problems created by the old -- supposedly >stopgap -- ordinance, which limits density to one house per 40 acres. > Few people seem to like the one-per-40 rule -- so volunteer >commission members are holding 5 public meetings around the county to hear >what the public wants instead. Agreement that something should be done is >close to unanimous. > But what? > At the meeting last night, people who live in rural parts of the >county said they want more flexibility in how they use their land. Not one >of them, nor any of the rest of us, seem to know what zoning system we *do* >want. > The commission members truly seem to want our ideas. And I don't >think they should have to figure out how to balance private and public >interests all on their own, which is what this amounts to. > My question: How do we get more people thinking about the possibilities >... instead of the endless criticisms? >Priscilla Salant >Department of Agricultural Economics >Washington State University >Pullman, WA 99164-6210 >(509) 335-7613 >(509) 335-1173 FAX