Reply to MOCO - County Wide Upzoning, Everywhere

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Reply to "MOCO - County Wide Upzoning, Everywhere"

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[quote=Anonymous]Given the extensive nature of the change, the uncertainty of the resulting structures/impacts and the relative irreversability of removing any allowance thus created, the Council should, [i]at a minimum[/i]:

Put the change to the represented citizenry in an independent public referendum.  This would tend to ensure the minimum public support such sweeping change should have, no matter the orientation of elected representatives on the particular issue.

Establish moratoria on use of additional densities made available with zoning change in any area that is shown not to have fullsome public infrastructure (schools, utilities, parks, etc.)/where committed funding for such would not meet the then-additional density at the time of occupancy.  This would tend to ensure that the Council backs up its Planning-painted vision with the projects necessary to keep under-served areas from persisting as such.

Place reasonably low yearly caps on parcels granted allowance in any given area/neighborhood (but not on the County as a whole, except for the cumulative count across all neighborhood caps) for the first few years, with short approval-to-breaking-ground maximums prior to those granted allowances being clawed back for re-issue (limiting opportunity hoarding).  This would ensure that individual neighborhoods were not overwhelmed by rapid change and that any associated downside from increased densities would be shared across communities, so that support for the measure would have to come from a broader base of those who might directly be affected, rather than from a majority who might be relatively insulated from associated change to the detriment of a minority who would not be so protected.

Establish a sunset provision for all of the changes after the first few years mentioned above, so as not to create an expectation that would interfere with efforts to revert zoning to prior definition, should the effects of the changes turn out to be worse than hoped.  That sunset could be extended every few years by the Council until such time as the policy/changes prove to be beneficial, at which time they, or some proximate modification, could be made permanent (or allowed to sunset if benefit does not prove out).[/quote]

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