vision2020
Re: P&Z and rural residential
Why the discussion about the so-called 40 acre rule. That rule was repealed
and replaced over 2 years ago, by a new system in which soil types and other
factors are considered in the area required for land splits
Doug Whitney
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken Medlin <dev-plan@moscow.com>
To: Greg Brown <gregb@alaskapacific.edu>; Moscow Vision 2020
<vision2020@moscow.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2000 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: P&Z and rural residential
> >Why 40 acres? Good question.
> A Moscow city official told me that this amount of acreage would
> presumably not disturb the natural land uses (agricultural) while
> enhancing the county tax base. Each 40-acre plot is required to retain
> only 5 for residential development needs/interests. As a rationale, it is
> obviously contrived to fit a number of different land use interests; but
> ecologically, it just does not make any sense. To test out the wisdom of
> such practices, we'd have to come back, say, 20 years from inception and
> measure the impacts of such arrangements, of which there are many in the
> County, and increasing. It's obvious that we do not have anything close
> to the name of "development planning", or urban planning, or rural
> planning, or community development. We have a vague 'comprehesive plan'
> that simply lays out certain contours on the landscape for human impacts,
> some of which relate to density, to services, to water rights, and the
> like. But if you raise questions about natural resources gain/loss,
> cost-benefit, communtiy sustainability, etc., there are no data built
> into the planning programs to answer these questions. It's about time
> that our planning associations and govt. development officials began to
> get a little scientific about their work. Otherwise, the politicians, qua
> developers,will continue to write the rules as they go, unmindful or
> unaware of what they are doing to both natural biotic communities and our
> human ones. It really isn't too difficult to see why they have not moved
> in these directions, or why the salmon are in such a hell of a mess.
> Ultimately, we'll all lose. Ken M.
>
> ------------------------
> William K. Medlin
> Dev-plan associates
> 930 Kenneth Street
> Moscow ID 83843
> 208/892-0148
> dev-plan@moscow.com
>
>
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