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Tired of Sitting in Traffic and Rising Property Taxes?
By Thomas J. Sevigny, Canton
Mr. Sevigny is the Green Party candidate for State Senate in the 8th District.
The residents of Avon, Canton, Simsbury, Granby, New Hartford and Torrington, as well as surrounding towns, have been forced to wage battles against chain stores and large housing developments with increasing frequency over the past few years with little success. We are told that growth is inevitable and that there is nothing we can do about it, and that the only thing we can do is to generate a larger and more diverse tax base, i.e. large chain stores and other large developments. When citizens ask why their property taxes have gone up they are told it is because the town is growing, but when asked what the town will do to combat spiraling property tax rates, selectmen and other town officials say "grow some more." Is it me, or is this illogical?
In order to break out of this illogical morass, we first need to define the problem known as "urban sprawl" and understand its consequences. Second, we need to educate ourselves about Smart Growth alternatives that have already been implemented around the country.
Sprawl, at bottom, is a very inefficient way to develop land. Some basic characteristics of sprawl are: (1) large-lot residential developments; (2) low average densities, compared to town centers; (3) development requiring an automobile; (4) fragmented open space; (5) separation of uses; (6) lack of public spaces and community centers; (7) "big box" commercial development; and (8) large paved areas including wide roads, more roads, and large parking areas.
During the past few decades, this inefficient way to develop land has produced serious economic, environmental and social costs that we are all paying for. On the economic front, two recent studies in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island illustrate the cost of sprawl. The Pennsylvania study found that avoiding sprawl development can reduce the costs of roads, utilities and schools up to 25%, and the Rhode Island study found that staying on their present sprawl course for the next 20 years would cost Rhode Island taxpayers $1.5 billion. Across the country, cities like Hartford have lost huge portions of their tax base and employment, while facing rising costs for deteriorating services and facilities. The departure of people and businesses has contributed to huge losses in assessed valuations. A disproportionate number of people with lower incomes and in need of social services live in cities. The combined effect of a dwindling tax base and costly human services forces cities to impose high tax rates, which drive away more people and businesses. In the end, both suburban and city dwellers end up paying for this waste of underutilized urban infrastructure.
In the suburbs, citizens have seen rising municipal costs with the growth in population, commerce and industry. The arrival of residents with children is a money-losing proposition, requiring that more services and infrastructure be paid for by taxes. In addition, the cost of driving is greatly increased by sprawl. Traffic congestion and delay hurts employee productivity, and more roads means more money to build and maintain roads. Finally, sprawl wreaks economic havoc on farming. Since 1988 Connecticut has lost 100,000 acres of farmland as one farm after another has been converted into subdivisions, strip malls or office parks, gradually eroding the critical mass of farms needed to support farm-related services that sustain farming communities.
On the environmental front, the reliance on the automobile that sprawl encourages leads to unhealthy air quality and significant water pollution from road runoff fouled by car emissions and fluids. In addition, the large building "footprints" and large parking lots associated with strip malls also collect polluted water runoff that is delivered to our bodies of water. Meanwhile, new roads and development fragment wildlife habitat, and decimate productive woodlands and wetlands.
On the social front, sprawl has led to social stratification, a loss of community living, and less time spent with family and on community activities as commuting times have increased. In addition the elderly, disabled, and young people find themselves stranded with no means of getting to friends, shops and services.
Is all of this inevitable? Is there no alternative to urban sprawl and the various costs we are all paying? Must we simply get used to increased traffic, rising taxes and the loss of open space? The answer is no.
Smart Growth policies have increasingly been embraced by legislatures in such states as Maryland, Minnesota, Vermont and Florida, as well as in numerous communities throughout the country. Smart Growth is growth that helps to achieve six goals:
• Neighborhood Livability — The central goal of any Smart Growth plan is the quality of the neighborhoods where we live. They should be safe, convenient, attractive and affordable. Careful planning can help bring all these elements together.
• Better Access, Less Traffic — One of the major downfalls of sprawl is traffic. By putting homes, jobs and other destinations far apart and requiring a car for every trip, sprawl makes everyday tasks a chore. Smart Growth’s emphasis on mixing land uses, clustering development, and providing multiple transportation choices helps manage traffic congestion, pollute less and save energy.
• Thriving Cities, Suburbs and Towns — Smart Growth puts the needs of existing communities first. By guiding development to already built-up areas, money for investments in transportation, schools, libraries and other public services can go to communities where people live today.
• Shared Benefits, Social Equity — Sprawl leaves too many people behind. Divisions by income and race have allowed some areas to prosper while others languish. Smart Growth provides more opportunities to people by prioritizing the improvement of existing communities over the subsidization of new ones.
• Lower Costs, Lower Taxes — Sprawl costs money. Opening up green space to new development means that the cost of new schools, roads, sewer lines and water supplies will be borne by residents. Sprawl also means families have to spend more money on driving. Smart Growth helps on both fronts. Taking advantage of existing infrastructure keeps taxes down, and where convenient transportation choices enable families to rely less on driving, there is money left over for other things.
• Keeping Open Space Open — By focusing development in already built-up areas, Smart Growth preserves rapidly vanishing natural treasures. From forests and farms to wetlands and wildlife, Smart Growth lets us pass on to our children the landscapes we love.
To achieve these Smart Growth goals, communities should: (1) mix land uses; (2) take advantage of existing community assets; (3) create a range of housing opportunities and choices; (4) foster "walkable," close-knit neighborhoods; (5) promote distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place; (6) preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas; (7) strengthen and encourage growth in existing communities; (8) provide a variety of transportation choices; (9) make development decisions predictable, fair and cost-effective; and (10) encourage citizen participation in development decisions.
Further urban sprawl is far more likely to be the problem than the solution for today’s communities. Urban sprawl is not something to be sought after like a prize or a blessing. Instead, it is more like a parasite that saps the strength and will of our communities. It continually erodes economic, environmental and social conditions, and prevents communities from achieving their aspirations. By taking control of growth, the citizens of the 8th District, along with citizens across the state, can shift the focus of our energies from how to accommodate more growth to how to create a better place to live. This will enable our towns and cities to achieve new heights of livability, sense of community, environmental quality, public services, participatory democracy, and much more.
If elected, I will push for a focus on state spending on existing communities, help enact a state growth management plan, fund alternatives to driving, preserve open space, and protect historic districts. It is obvious that business as usual at the state capitol will not solve the problem of urban sprawl. It is time for fresh ideas like Smart Growth and new faces that are not beholden to the financiers of our elections. I ask for your vote so that together we can raise our expectations about our government and our communities.
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