Dear Friends:
Our in town neighborhoods are under tremendous stress from a number of over aggressive developers, who are subdividing existing residential lots, building new homes completely out of scale with the neighborhoods (McMansions) and demolishing historic structures worthy of historic designation. The pace of these activities has certainly increased in recent days, suggesting that these developers are attempting to "beat the clock" on historic designation applications of a number of our in town neighborhoods. The time for City Council to act is now or we may lose much of what makes our in town neighborhoods distinctive. "Smart growth" means, if anything, the preservation of the special character of our neighborhoods, which in the end benefits everyone - homeowners, developers and the City.
I participated in a press conference on this issue on Tuesday, along with a number of neighborhood leaders, and released a five part plan as a blue print for City action to protect our neighborhoods. My plan includes an immediate six month moratorium on the subdivision of existing residential lots, the demolition or moving of structures more than 50 years of age or the creation of new subdivisions in neighborhoods eligible for historic designation. This moratorium will allow our neighborhoods seeking historic designation the time to complete their applications and City Council to have the opportunity to adopt new and revised ordinances to protect our neighborhoods from over development. Mayor Coble appeared at the press conference and endorsed the plan. I understand the Mayor intends to bring the plan before Council as early as August 15.
I have attached a copy of my Plan of Action for your review and consideration. Please share with me any suggestions you may have for additions or revisions of the plan. I have also attached a link to a recent State Newspaper article on this issue and our press conference.
Working together and with City Council, I know we can adopt policies that will strike a fair balance between our interest in preserving the distinctive character of our neighborhoods and allowing responsible and compatible development.
Sincerely,
Belinda Gergel