The Shape of the Future: “Infill” tration v. Sprawl

If you do not live in Midlothian, VA, this may not interest you. Please move on to the next post.

Andrea Epps has written another great post on her blog. This post deals more generally with the issues of infill vs. sprawl. Though, it does still speak to the current decision regarding the placement of the CVS deal. This quote brings up something that has bothered me in every community that I’ve ever lived in:

The existing residents have little say in what happens to their surroundings.

This is true whether you live in Midlothian, VA or Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. New developments are most often looked at from a tax perspective by the counties in which they are planned. Pure economic impact. I’ve never liked the phrase “not in my back yard” either, but most residents in an area do not have any other way to express themselves. Regarding the CVS deal, “not in my back yard” is very true for some residents. But county governments do not want to hear this argument. Especially since it’s not really an argument. NIMBY is really just a knee jerk reaction, a defensive posture, or a cry for help. County governments who are considering developments such as this need to hear (and listen to) how it would negatively impact safety, home values (though they rarely consider this–sales tax is a bigger revenue source), and quality of life. Quality of life, that’s the soul of a community. That’s why people shout NIMBY so loud when they don’t know what else to say, they don’t want to change the soul of the community.

Similar Posts:

School Fundraising


Brandermill Community Decisions


Update on the Brandermill CVS controversy


What Will Your Green Card Say?


And that’s why I’m not an accountant!