Smart growth report says give power to local governments
By ESTES THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
November 14, 2001 5:01 pm
Posted on 11/16/2001 1:15:47 PM PST by Constitution Day
Smart growth report says give power to local governments
By ESTES THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
November 14, 2001 5:01 pm
RALEIGH -- Growth in North Carolina can be managed in part by giving local governments taxing options and incentives to fill in urban areas and strengthen downtowns, a commission reported Wednesday.
The report by the 37-member Commission on Smart Growth, Growth Management and Development, created in 1999 by the Legislature, ran into opposition almost immediately.
Real estate agents said they didn't like recommendations to allow local governments to levy real estate transfer taxes and impact fees.
Tim Kent, executive vice president of the Greensboro-based North Carolina Association of Realtors, said only a handful of counties got permission to levy transfer fees before legislators stopped the practice.
Transfer taxes are charged on the sale of real estate and impact fees are charged to developers.
The fees "drive up the cost of the person who is buying the property," Kent said. He said the association embraces the report's suggestions aimed at better communication, planning and infrastructure development.
Rep. Joe Hackney, D-Orange, a commission co-chairman, said granting local taxing flexibility was a difficult issue for the Legislature.
"We do need to work more on local options and local flexibility," Hackney said. "Growth can be managed while it is encouraged."
Hackney summed up the commission's 60-page report as encouraging communities where people could easily and safely get around by bicycle or on foot.
Sen. Howard Lee, D-Orange, also a co-chairman, said the report's purpose was encourage growth in downtowns and blighted areas of cities "as opposed to going out and developing virgin land."
"We do not want to stop growth," Lee said.
The commission was created at a time when economic growth was strong and the state's current budget crisis was well down the road.
Commission member Lucy Allen, mayor of Louisburg, said her town wants to prepare for overflow growth from nearby Raleigh.
"We want a strong center in the town," including getting a road rerouted to direct traffic into downtown, Allen said.
Recommendations in the 60-page report include:
-- Facilitating the reuse of older buildings by giving tax credits for some removal of asbestos insulation or lead paint.
-- Locating more state offices in downtown areas.
-- Increasing the number of public school classrooms in built-up areas.
-- Including private property owners in the planning.
-- Increasing the value of land in conservation easements and allowing localities to defer or eliminate property taxes on that land.
-- Creating legislation that allows localities with a smart growth policy to get financial incentives.
-- Creating legislation that requires bus lanes, parks, bike and walking paths and high occupancy vehicle lanes to be included in planning for new or expanded highways. URL for this article: http://www.herald-sun.com/state/6-162641.html
© Copyright 2001. All rights reserved. All material on heraldsun.com is copyrighted by The Durham Herald Company and may not be reproduced or redistributed in any medium except as provided in the site's Terms of Use.
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They NEVER consider the fact that many people who already live here build new houses and build and occupy retail establishments. They also NEVER admit that yes, impact fees will be passed on to the purchaser of the property. One of the reasons that homes are so expensive in Cary is because Cary has the highest impact fees in the state. Cary's impact fees dwarf those charged by Raleigh and Apex.
High density and "apartment" living is not what people in the Triangle want. If they did, apartment complexes in the area wouldnt be half empty and begging for residents. Just take a look at what apartment complexes are offering to get people to move in. Many are giving first months rent free along with other goodies.
People want houses and they want those houses in subdivisions.
"Power isn't something somebody gives you, it is something you take."
--Jock Ewing, "Dallas"
Here in NC this year we had a rather large budget "shortfall" of around $1 Billion dollars. The democrats and the governor demanded that taxes needed to be raised to balance the budget. Well, to sell it to the public they renamed the budget. Now remember, this is the state budget, the same as last year and the year before and year before and so on. Nothing more than the state budget. To garner public support the democrats decided to change the name of the budget bill that would be voted on from "the state budget" to "The Education Revenue Act." Hows that for marketing. I will bet you that if you polled 1000 NC residents not more than 10% would know that the "Education Revenue Act" was actually just the state budget and the other 90%+ would think the "Education Revenue Act" was a seperate bill no different than any other bill being voted on.
Another reason, the new school redistricting. They are going to start bussing high and middle income kids to schools that have a higher percentage of reduced and free lunches. They say they don't practice bussing so this is how they are justifying it now. People that have children usually investigate schools very carefully before buying a house. Well now it doesn't matter, your kid in his $500,000 neighborhood may have to ride the bus for 45 min everyday to a school downtown rather than walk across the street.
I'm not affected this time but am right on the edge. I've spoken to a number of parents of kids in my son's class that are affected and they are mad. One called me last night and said they are going to move back to NJ. They moved here 9 years ago because the cost of living and owning a home etc. was cheaper. After they tax us for every little thing in NC and the increase in sales tax she said it has now become cheaper to move back to NJ.
My son's school has a lower enrollment every year even though the population has grown tremdously. People are yanking their kids out of public schools and either home or private schooling them.
I know I have gone off topic a bit here. I guess my point is that this short sighted way of government dealing with this will and is back firing on them.
MKM
Insightful comments as usual, amundsen.
IMHO, the most powerful state agency here in NC is the Dept. of Transportation.
I like good roads as much as the next person, but during this state's current budget crisis, has the DOT been forced to cut back, as has every other agency?
If I were NC Governor, one of my first priorities would be to try and put a leash on the DOT.
Boy, that would set off a fight!
It's more than a "feel good" decision - it also has to do with the NIMBY crowd.
Thanks for your comments.
Have they decided where are they going to move when NJ starts raising taxes? Not to sound to crude, but at some point you have to stand up against the bullyish mentality that wants to raise our taxes and tell us where we can and can not live and where are kids ought to go to school.
If there is anything they do like about NC (family, friends, Tarheel hoops, the Outer Banks, etc) maybe you could convince them to voice these opinions at town meetings and/or the ballot box.
Very much sooo.....
I am starting to hear some anti-growth rumblings from people here in Rocky Mount, as well.
It's not just Econ 101 that is sorely lacking... it's common sense, as well.
They might as well try to stop the earth from spinning, you know.
It's "for the children", you know!!
Perhaps this is a subtle tactic to put pressure on the high income kids to sign up for free lunches even though they don't need or want it. Much of the funds the federal government gives to schools is based on need and "need" is determined by how many kids are on the free lunch program. This is money not just for lunches but all other programs for lab equipment, reading programs, and of course, sensitivity training, school nurses to give out condoms, counselors, etc. As a result, schools get as many kids as they can persuade to sign up for free lunches. This has been going on for years.
Twenty years ago in Houston my kids were subjected to this pressure from teachers and school administrators. They were upset because their egoes didn't want them to seem poor, we definitely weren't nor were most of the kids in the school, but they were being pressured by the school. I went to the school to see what was up and discovered the reason. After I spread the word the pressure stopped but, to my amazment, some of my neighbors wanted their kids to sign up so the school would get more money. They were oblivious to where the money came from, it was just "govenment money".
I think the school redistricting is a tangential issue to the whole "smart growth" fracas and is not off topic at all.
I live in a rural area of Edgecombe County that is being developed pretty quickly.
The guy on the Board of Education who I ran against, and lost to, wants to start busing kids from our area to the north of the county.
He & others are using the same excuses you mention.
Now, I grew up in this area. My mother's family has lived in the area for over 50 yrs.
Although my daughter has 3 years or so before she will start school, I'll be damned if I'm having her ride a bus all the way to the north part of the county every day.
Also, the local K through 2nd and elementary schools have excellent academics.
The ones in northern Edgecombe do NOT.
Unfortunately, home schooling will probably not be an option for us.
If this bozo on the school board gets his way, I will put my daughter in private school, and fast.
Their strategy WILL backfire on them - I won't be the only one to bail out.
Hope your week is going well.
CD
Such revolutionary ideas from the planning committee.
I think some "average Joes" still have common sense. They're just afraid to use it & stand up for it.
BTW - I do think government has its uses.
I do not think it's "only is there to force us to do things we would not otherwise do."
Either we are a nation of laws, or we are a nation of anarchy, IMHO.
Part of my disillusionment with gov't is its ever-increasing size and influence over the minutiae of our personal lives.
Same thing as placing ringers in a town hall meeting.
I'm so sick of the politicians and their phantom commissions, surveys and reports in this state. I worked in news for a long time in this state, EVERY one of these commission reports was covered in mindnumbing detail but the media in NC has NEVER, EVER asked these six very familiar questions about ANY of these commissions:
Who are the people on this commission?
What is their connection to the Governor, Senator etc?
When do they meet?
Where do they get their data from?
Why has this commission been created?
How much is this commission costing the taxpayers?
Once we start asking these questions, you'll see fewer of these phantom commissions!
As soon as we realize that EVERY and I do mean EVERY NC politician is an insecure power freak, who got the crap kicked out of them everyday in high school and now they're getting even, we'll be able to fix things.
People whose situation allows them to do so are bailing out. Smart Growth is not smart, and the only growth is in government rats, stupid plans, and your tax bill - fight it while you can.
Exactly, thereby muddying the debate and obscuring the essence of the REAL issues being discussed and distracting people from their true agenda.
You make good points re: government compulsion & accusations of failure.
That's just too long a debate for me today, however. I suppose we agree that parts of it are a necessary evil.
"We as a people are being encouraged to only feel and not to reason."
That reminds me of the concept of "bellyfeel" from Orwell's 1984.
He was really a visionary.
If you like that book, you may enjoy this link.
Maybe you should run for something?
He's also a "smart growth" advocate.
I thank my lucky stars I don't live there; I foresee bad things in Raleigh's future.
You could very well be right....
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