Fearing change will only hurt, not help, the community (6/18)
The evidence becomes more clear almost every day.
Columbus, like so many towns before it and surely more to come, is in the throes of potentially dramatic change. And it has some people scared.
That's understandable.
But change should not be feared. In Columbus' case, it should be embraced.
Last Monday night, a large group of Holly Hills area residents turned out to oppose a Tuscaloosa, Ala. developer's plan to put 55 zero-lot line homes in a new subdivision in their neighborhood. The homes - 1,200 to 1,500 square feet and costing from $90,000 to $150,000 - would have been starter homes for many young families and individuals.
The developer withdrew his proposal.
While much of the attention to the county's current housing shortage has focused on larger, more-expensive residences, the market targeted by the Tuscaloosa firm, which has extensive experience in its home community, are going to be in serious demand here sooner than later.
Residents attacked the plan on two fronts - traffic and devaluation of their property. Drainage also was a concern.
The arguments are heard almost universally in communities on the verge of an economic boom.
I appreciate the residents speaking up. We need that kind of community involvement, but it needs to go beyond just protection for their neighborhood. Some of those residents are involved in other parts of community and civic life, but many others aren't. I hope they will take their new-found activism into other arenas.
One would be pushing the city to continue to upgrade its planning and zoning standards.
The fact is, the proposal on the table Monday night was not a bad one. Traffic is going to be an issue in Columbus, no matter where development occurs. It's that simple.
That's why the Highway 45 North bypass is on the drawing board and pushing toward becoming a reality during the next 20 years. That road will alleviate some of the very concerns the residents raised Monday night.
Furthermore, the 55 homes proposed for the development wouldn't have been built at once. That's an impossibility. Traffic will have an opportunity to take care of itself as new homeowners work into the flow. Signage and other things can mitigate some of the dangers.
In addition, if the developer had requested R-1 single-family zoning rather than planned unit development, the Planning Commission would have had little choice but to approve the plan. In fact, the developer could have built just about as many homes.
And finally, the city's planning requirements, as scant as they are, would have required the developer to take care of the drainage issue.
A planned unit development designation actually would have given the city more leverage to require greenspace, demand other modifications and even push the developer to contribute to improvements - a turn lane would have been one idea - to Holly Hills Road to address some of the safety issues.
Again, I applaud the residents for getting involved and speaking out. Their passion is laudable.
But as Planning Commission members so aptly noted after the residents left, Columbus can't survive as long as it continues to live by a 'not-in-my-backyard' mentality. With growth and prosperity comes some growing pains, but we can work through them.
We must.
The Planning Commission is the first stage. It has do what it said and carefully analyze development proposals and approve the good ones, even in the face of withering pressure from the public.
Unfortunately, the commission has wilted under that pressure three times this year.
They are right to be concerned about the message they are sending potential developers, both residential and commercial.
But they hold the cards.
Second, the commission must encourage the City Council to move forward as quickly as possible with developing a comprehensive plan for the city and implementing stronger planning and zoning regulations, from subdivision rules to site plan reviews.
We have lost valuable time, using costs as an excuse. We can't wait any longer. Upgrading the city's planning and zoning processes are at least as valuable a long-term investment as roads and will have a more-lasting legacy.
All we have to do is look around and see other cities are catching on. Starkville has done it, Tupelo is doing it and its existing land-use plan is much newer than Columbus'. Lee County is doing it. Even Macon is doing it for recently annexed areas.
If it's going to cost $100,000, then let's spend it. And if that means city residents have to pay a little more to foot the bill, then members of the Planning Commission - and residents like those from Holly Hills who said they want planning - should lead the way in spreading the message concerning the need.
Similarly, the Planning Commission's leadership should extend to the city's proposed sign ordinance. Tuesday night, a different group of residents - in this case, business owners - paraded to the microphone during a public hearing to decry some of the proposals toughest standards. Fortunately, a handful of residents recognize the concept's value and spoke in favor of it.
In my mind, some of the provisions could have been tougher. But compromise is the name of the game. I'd rather have something than nothing.
I've seen good sign ordinances work in many, many places. Some business owners said it would make the city business-unfriendly. Others have said the same thing about tougher planning and zoning standards. They cite Starkville as an example.
The last time I checked, Starkville has had one of the state's highest percentage increases in sales tax revenues in the state in the last year. That doesn't sound anti-business to me.
Good sign ordinances, while reflecting change, don't hurt business. Instead, they increase business, promote development and improve quality of life.
Can this proposal be tweaked? Certainly. The five-year compliance provision can be revised and we've got some ideas for doing that.
But we can't turn our backs now. Frankly, I don't buy such arguments that huge signs and fluttering banners make that big a difference. I know almost no one who drives down the road and sees a sign for a car dealership and says, 'That's what I meant to do today, buy a new car. I think I'll rush right in.'
Signs have their place in marketing, but we can and should do it better. The sign ordinance on the table is a good starting point. It will get better, but the Planning Commission must not cave by removing many of its teeth.
The same goes for the City Council.
We can't fear change, we simply can't. Otherwise, all the things we're so happy about - a growing business climate, an improved job market, increased prosperity across the economic spectrum - will be all for naught. Instead of promoting those benefits, we'll choke them off.
Different kind of fear
The Pentagon now has suggested it may be July before it announces the winner of a $2 billion contract to build more than 300 light utility helicopters for the National Guard and U.S. Army.
American Eurocopter is thought to be the prime contender to win the contract. If so, it would mean a major expansion and between 150 and 250 additional jobs at the company's Lowndes County facility, where the choppers would be made.
Originally, the contract was to be awarded in early May, but that date was pushed back until June.
The new delays have some observers speculating that military decision-makers may be taking some heat from members of Congress to award the contract to a more 'American' company. American Eurocopter is a subsidiary of EADS - the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Co. - which is based in France. Another of the four firms vying for the deal also is based overseas. Two others are largely American with strong ties to the influential California, Arizona and New Mexico congressional delegations.
I don't think the delays are based in politics but having worked in Congress, I wouldn't be surprised. But I suspect the postponement is just a factor of the Pentagon. In the best of times, the military doesn't move quickly on decisions. And with everything going on right now, the processes are even slower.
Besides, American Eurocopter in general and its Columbus plant in particular, with its well-earned 'Made in the U.S.A. designation awarded by the U.S. government, is about as American as any of the other companies.
And if you don't think so, ask the more than 130 hard-working Mississippians who earn their paychecks their each week what they think.
Steve Rogers is the city editor of The Commercial Dispatch. Write or phone him at The Commercial Dispatch, 516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39701, 328-2471, or e-mail him at srogers@cdispatch.com.
One would be pushing the city to continue to upgrade its planning and zoning standards.
The fact is, the proposal on the table Monday night was not a bad one. Traffic is going to be an issue in Columbus, no matter where development occurs. It's that simple.
That's why the Highway 45 North bypass is on the drawing board and pushing toward becoming a reality during the next 20 years. That road will alleviate some of the very concerns the residents raised Monday night.
Furthermore, the 55 homes proposed for the development wouldn't have been built at once. That's an impossibility. Traffic will have an opportunity to take care of itself as new homeowners work into the flow. Signage and other things can mitigate some of the dangers.
In addition, if the developer had requested R-1 single-family zoning rather than planned unit development, the Planning Commission would have had little choice but to approve the plan. In fact, the developer could have built just about as many homes.
And finally, the city's planning requirements, as scant as they are, would have required the developer to take care of the drainage issue.
A planned unit development designation actually would have given the city more leverage to require greenspace, demand other modifications and even push the developer to contribute to improvements - a turn lane would have been one idea - to Holly Hills Road to address some of the safety issues.
Again, I applaud the residents for getting involved and speaking out. Their passion is laudable.
But as Planning Commission members so aptly noted after the residents left, Columbus can't survive as long as it continues to live by a 'not-in-my-backyard' mentality. With growth and prosperity comes some growing pains, but we can work through them.
We must.
The Planning Commission is the first stage. It has do what it said and carefully analyze development proposals and approve the good ones, even in the face of withering pressure from the public.
Unfortunately, the commission has wilted under that pressure three times this year.
They are right to be concerned about the message they are sending potential developers, both residential and commercial.
But they hold the cards.
Second, the commission must encourage the City Council to move forward as quickly as possible with developing a comprehensive plan for the city and implementing stronger planning and zoning regulations, from subdivision rules to site plan reviews.
We have lost valuable time, using costs as an excuse. We can't wait any longer. Upgrading the city's planning and zoning processes are at least as valuable a long-term investment as roads and will have a more-lasting legacy.
All we have to do is look around and see other cities are catching on. Starkville has done it, Tupelo is doing it and its existing land-use plan is much newer than Columbus'. Lee County is doing it. Even Macon is doing it for recently annexed areas.
If it's going to cost $100,000, then let's spend it. And if that means city residents have to pay a little more to foot the bill, then members of the Planning Commission - and residents like those from Holly Hills who said they want planning - should lead the way in spreading the message concerning the need.
Similarly, the Planning Commission's leadership should extend to the city's proposed sign ordinance. Tuesday night, a different group of residents - in this case, business owners - paraded to the microphone during a public hearing to decry some of the proposals toughest standards. Fortunately, a handful of residents recognize the concept's value and spoke in favor of it.
In my mind, some of the provisions could have been tougher. But compromise is the name of the game. I'd rather have something than nothing.
I've seen good sign ordinances work in many, many places. Some business owners said it would make the city business-unfriendly. Others have said the same thing about tougher planning and zoning standards. They cite Starkville as an example.
The last time I checked, Starkville has had one of the state's highest percentage increases in sales tax revenues in the state in the last year. That doesn't sound anti-business to me.
Good sign ordinances, while reflecting change, don't hurt business. Instead, they increase business, promote development and improve quality of life.
Can this proposal be tweaked? Certainly. The five-year compliance provision can be revised and we've got some ideas for doing that.
But we can't turn our backs now. Frankly, I don't buy such arguments that huge signs and fluttering banners make that big a difference. I know almost no one who drives down the road and sees a sign for a car dealership and says, 'That's what I meant to do today, buy a new car. I think I'll rush right in.'
Signs have their place in marketing, but we can and should do it better. The sign ordinance on the table is a good starting point. It will get better, but the Planning Commission must not cave by removing many of its teeth.
The same goes for the City Council.
We can't fear change, we simply can't. Otherwise, all the things we're so happy about - a growing business climate, an improved job market, increased prosperity across the economic spectrum - will be all for naught. Instead of promoting those benefits, we'll choke them off.
Different kind of fear
The Pentagon now has suggested it may be July before it announces the winner of a $2 billion contract to build more than 300 light utility helicopters for the National Guard and U.S. Army.
American Eurocopter is thought to be the prime contender to win the contract. If so, it would mean a major expansion and between 150 and 250 additional jobs at the company's Lowndes County facility, where the choppers would be made.
Originally, the contract was to be awarded in early May, but that date was pushed back until June.
The new delays have some observers speculating that military decision-makers may be taking some heat from members of Congress to award the contract to a more 'American' company. American Eurocopter is a subsidiary of EADS - the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Co. - which is based in France. Another of the four firms vying for the deal also is based overseas. Two others are largely American with strong ties to the influential California, Arizona and New Mexico congressional delegations.
I don't think the delays are based in politics but having worked in Congress, I wouldn't be surprised. But I suspect the postponement is just a factor of the Pentagon. In the best of times, the military doesn't move quickly on decisions. And with everything going on right now, the processes are even slower.
Besides, American Eurocopter in general and its Columbus plant in particular, with its well-earned 'Made in the U.S.A. designation awarded by the U.S. government, is about as American as any of the other companies.
And if you don't think so, ask the more than 130 hard-working Mississippians who earn their paychecks their each week what they think.
Steve Rogers is the city editor of The Commercial Dispatch. Write or phone him at The Commercial Dispatch, 516 Main St., Columbus, MS 39701, 328-2471, or e-mail him at srogers@cdispatch.com.
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