Regulation and Prosperity

[Lee Nellis]

Hi All! I am looking for examples of jurisdictions -- cities, towns, townships, counties -- that have either a) repealed most or all of their land use regulations, or b) severely weakened their regulations, or c) failed to adopt progressive regulations after significant local debate that included lots of allegations that the proposed regs would wreck the local economy. We are interested in doing a study of whether such communities actually do prosper.

 

[Cardinal]

I guess we failed to adopt downtown design guidelines back in 1998. The Plan Board has unofficially followed them (loosely). Still there are more vacancies now than there were back then.

 

[Queen B]

Cowley County Kansas has repealed theirs.
People are hauling in junk cars and old mobile homes as fast as they can be pulled in.
But their commissioners said that their citizens know what is best to do with their land.
I always thought it would be interesting to put an ad in the local paper asking for good open land with good road access, buy it and them advertise it for nuclear waste dumping!!!!

 

[Lee Nellis]

Thanks for the replies so far. I hope there are many more.

I know about Cowley County -- I had the dubious fortune of growing up there. I had running shoes on under my high school graduation gown. I was under the impression they had proposed zoning, but never actually adopted it? Can you clarify Queen B?

Mike: Are you suggesting a connection between the failure to adopt the guidelines and the vacancies? Not a causal connection, of course, but do both reflect an attitude?

 

[Queen B]

They did actually adopt it but it was just repealed a couple of years ago. The county commissioners there have been ignorantly vocal in their comments about not needing zoning, at this time every entrance into Winfield has huge junk yards, growing daily.
The smaller incorporated communities within the county are just beating their heads against the wall trying to keep some kind of order.
I just escaped.
Thank god I wasn't there long.

 

[Cardinal]

Mike: Are you suggesting a connection between the failure to adopt the guidelines and the vacancies? Not a causal connection, of course, but do both reflect an attitude?

I think the two exist as they do somewhat by coincidence. Yes, there was opposition from some to the standards. Those who did not voive opposition tend to have been the ones with the better buildings, or ones who have done good improvement projects. The problem is the ones who own the building and do not want to do anything to it, or who want to change it but simply have no taste (to speak bluntly). Sadly, little has happened either because of the city's efforts or the property owner's efforts to improve the economic conditions of downtown. The failure to pass the standards might be taken more as an indication of apathy to the problem, or resistence to potential solutions.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

Does it count if you have zoning but the Planning director throws it out the window for his buddies? Oh, and we're not prospering, either.

 

[Trail Nazi]

Does it count if you have zoning but the Planning director throws it out the window for his buddies? Oh, and we're not prospering, either.

The director has even ignored the attorney's office telling him that he can not do what he wants for his buddies. But for the little guy, keep to all of the rules.

 

[lowlyplanner]

I'm glad this doesn't just happen in my town.

Or maybe both of you are in my town.