These are great points. Many of the developing townships in ol' NW Ohio are run like businesses. More tax revenue equals a better raise for the zoning inspector, township administrator, etc when review time rolls around...it also equates to a nicer office, nicer township vehicles, etc etc.
They are also scared crapless of being sued by developers.
Todd and I had one township trustee walking around his office talking about orangethroat darters a few months ago but when it came time to plant a 15-yr conservation easement on a township property, it didn't happen. They wanted that parcel for development. The development value of this 6.0 acre floodplain area was probably $250,000 due to its proximity to the creek. Maybe more. People love to live on creeks. The easement was 15-years, $7,000. Thats about as black and white as it gets.
The key to preserving these areas is to get riparian setbacks in the local zoning code and then somehow convince local jurisdictions not to allow variances. Some NE Ohio have had success with this, however variances are often given.
Jeff
geoffrey kimber <gkimber2-in-gmail.com> wrote:
One major problem is that trees don't pay taxes and wal-mart does.
When decision makers look-in-essentially free money, it's hard to say
no, no matter how much they might individually love the environment.
Additionally, the land owner has the right to sell the land to any s/he wants
On top of that, if the council does not approve the development, they
might be facing a legal challenge from wal-mart who has infinitely
deeper pockets than most cities do.
It never surprises me when land is developed. There are just too many
factors in favor of it and too few factors against it.
Even 'comprehensive land use plans' fall by the wayside quite often if
enough money is waved about.
Geoff Kimber
Fredericksburg, VA
>From the Rappahanock to the Potomac to the Chesapeake Bay. Nothing but net.
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<DIV>These are great points. Many of the developing townships in ol' NW Ohio are run like businesses. More tax revenue equals a better raise for the zoning inspector, township administrator, etc when review time rolls around...it also equates to a nicer office, nicer township vehicles, etc etc. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>They are also scared crapless of being sued by developers. <BR></DIV>
<DIV>Todd and I had one township trustee walking around his office talking about orangethroat darters a few months ago but when it came time to plant a 15-yr conservation easement on a township property, it didn't happen. They wanted that parcel for development. The development value of this 6.0 acre floodplain area was probably $250,000 due to its proximity to the creek. Maybe more. People love to live on creeks. The easement was 15-years, $7,000. Thats about as black and white as it gets.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The key to preserving these areas is to get riparian setbacks in the local zoning code and then somehow convince local jurisdictions not to allow variances. Some NE Ohio have had success with this, however variances are often given.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jeff </DIV>
<DIV><BR><B><I>geoffrey kimber <gkimber2-in-gmail.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">One major problem is that trees don't pay taxes and wal-mart does. <BR>When decision makers look-in-essentially free money, it's hard to say<BR>no, no matter how much they might individually love the environment.<BR><BR>Additionally, the land owner has the right to sell the land to any s/he wants<BR><BR>On top of that, if the council does not approve the development, they<BR>might be facing a legal challenge from wal-mart who has infinitely<BR>deeper pockets than most cities do.<BR><BR>It never surprises me when land is developed. There are just too many<BR>factors in favor of it and too few factors against it.<BR><BR>Even 'comprehensive land use plans' fall by the wayside quite often if<BR>enough money is waved about.<BR><BR>Geoff Kimber<BR>Fredericksburg, VA<BR>From the Rappahanock to the Potomac to the Chesapeake Bay. Nothing but
net.<BR>/-----------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes<BR>/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily<BR>/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,<BR>/ visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are<BR>/ consistent with the guidelines as per<BR>/ http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get<BR>/ help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at<BR>/ http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><p>
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