[Durham INC] FW: Greensboro Neighborhood Congress Opposing S.731 - Zoning/Design and Aesthetic Controls

[Tom Miller]

Dear Neighbors:

 

Here’s another anti-planning bill.  Please read the bill and the fact sheet below.

 

Tom Miller

 

From: Ben Hitchings [mailto:bhitchings37 at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2011 10:08 AM
To: Tom Miller; John Schelp; Ilse Henagan; Johnnie Henagan; George Bryan
Subject: Greensboro Neighborhood Congress Opposing S.731 - Zoning/Design and Aesthetic Controls

 



 

Dear Tom, John, Ilse, Johnnie, and George,

 

I wanted to let you know that the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress is very upset about S.731 and has been contacting Sen. Vaugh asking him to oppose the bill.  Greensboro is currently working on five Neighborhood Conservation Districts that could be negatively impacted by the legislation.

 

The bill would prevent communities from using a number of design controls in single-family neighborhoods.  This would inhibit the efforts of communities to enact Neighborhood Conservation Districts to ensure compatible infill development, and would limit the ability to establish Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) districts.  

 

The legislation should really be called the "Snout House" bill because, among other things, it would prevent communities from regulating the location of garages, a fundamental component of most TND districts.  

 

The N.C. Senate vote on the bill has been delayed until this coming Tuesday, May 17th.  Immediate action is needed to oppose it.  To contact your N.C. senators, please visit ( <http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=Senate> http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=Senate).  

 

To view the full text of the bill, go to  <http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s731> http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2011&BillID=s731.

 

Here are some additional talking points (see below).

 

Thanks,

Ben

 

Ben Hitchings, AICP, CZO

President-Elect

N.C. Chapter of the American Planning Association

 

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TALKING POINTS ON S.731 - ZONING/DESIGN AND AESTHETIC CONTROLS

  

This bill would have a harmful impact on the following: 

1)  Property values:  

•  Many of the design provisions that would be restricted by this bill are used to protect the character and property values of existing residential neighborhoods. 

•  This legislation would negatively impact property owners who have made an investment, based on an expectation that the community would continue protecting the character of their neighborhood through design standards. 

2)  Local heritage: 

•  North Carolina communities are using design standards to protect local historic character in places that don’t qualify for the National Register and aren’t ready for the controls often required in a local historic district. 

•  Instead, many places are choosing to establish a neighborhood conservation district to protect the older neighborhoods that help give their community its charm and its desirability. 

•  Communities across the state have worked with residents and other stakeholders to develop neighborhood conservation districts.  This bill would undue the extensive efforts that many communities have gone through to develop customized local solutions to protecting neighborhood quality. 

3)  Housing choice:  

•  Ensuring architectural compatibility often helps build the support necessary to site a range of housing types in a community, and to allow a developer to build at higher densities.  

•  A number of communities in North Carolina offer a density bonus to developers in return for meeting certain design standards.  

•  This bill would remove choices from the marketplace that communities could offer to the development community.   

In sum, this bill would undo the customized solutions that many communities have developed to protect property owners and the quality of the neighborhoods in which they live.  Please oppose it! 

 

Sincerely,

Ben

 

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