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Thursday, June 01, 2006

Ind. Gov't. - Urban sprawl in Allen County

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has an interesting story by reporter Benjamin Lanka on a discussion by county commissioners on the looming problem of urban sprawl in Allen County. It begins:

Allen County is overdeveloped, but efforts to stop the construction of more homes conflict with the notion of free enterprise, a county commissioner said Wednesday.

The commissioners rezoned four parcels of land – three of them farms – to allow for new residential and commercial developments. After approving the individual projects – some after lengthy discussion – the commissioners were asked to take a broader look at land development so it is done in the best way for the entire community. This prompted an even lengthier discussion on urban sprawl in the area.

David Van Gilder, a local attorney and member of Mayor Graham Richard’s environmental task force, said development in Allen County has been typically developer-driven, meaning governmental bodies usually accept any development proposed to them. He said the commissioners and others in power will eventually need to take a stand to prevent Fort Wayne from having the urban sprawl problems of Indianapolis or Atlanta.

“At some point, legislative bodies are going to have to turn developers away from farmland,” he said.

Van Gilder said this would be difficult because there is nothing easier to develop than open land. He said the community would either have to push businesses to develop land in urban areas or provide incentives to keep farmers from selling. He represented clients who were concerned with two of the rezoning projects.

Related is the Journal Gazette editorial from Tuesday on the city process. Some quotes:
Members of the Fort Wayne Plan Commission got it right when they nixed a recent rezoning request. The vote showed commission members understand the importance of keeping the approval process for land use straightforward and transparent. * * *

Too little attention is paid to the activities of the city Plan Commission – there were only two persons in the audience at this meeting – despite the group’s far-reaching powers to guide and control the development of this community. The decisions the appointed members make dictate the community’s destiny for decades. And while there are guidelines for the commission members to follow, there is plenty, perhaps too much, wiggle room in the process.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 1, 2006 08:06 AM
Posted to Indiana Government