Smart Growth at the Expense of Your Property Rights.

"Smart Growth" for our cities is something I have recently been looking into with a great deal of "Open Mindedness." While "Smart Growth" appears to offer a Utopian approach to land use, there are many unresolved questions. These questions arise out of the pushiness of its promoters to our elected leaders in the public arena and of course whenever something of a new program emerges that is being peddled around the country I naturally get curious. My first instinct is to figure out who started this latest movement. In the case of "Smart Growth" the earliest instance of who thought it up appears to be a 1970's architect Peter Caltorpe. To begin lets focus on Peter. For starters Peter is no slouch in the arena of imposing his ideology on Government and municipalities, as a matter of fact his traveling road show already convinced several cities to implement his "Smart Growth" plan. Peter is someone I know from a documentary entitled "The end of Suburbia." He claims that "Peak Oil" a concept where we will eventually run out of "Cheap Oil" is going to force all of us to abandon our homes in the countryside for more congested cities where life will be cheaper. Peter and I both can agree that oil has no future, but I am pretty sure I am not going to abandon my home in my lifetime and I certainly hope the Hydrogen economy emerges before an oil crash does.

On my website, rfrank118.com and under my agenda I have expressed my opposition to "Smart Growth." It was a hard position for me to take, and I must admit that the temptation of having a picture perfect Utopia, with dedicated open space, artsy historic buildings, biking and hiking trails and happy Americans is amazingly tempting. The part I like the most is the "Green" vision of these utopian cities where we will all use less energy because urban planning will be as such that we will not need to go far for services. Than it occurred to me, we have such a place and it is only a train ride away, you know it too its called "Manhattan."

Aside from the strangeness of creating little Utopian artsy communities of which may or may not be wonderful, I am more against "Smart Growth" on the grounds that it is intent on violating our "Individual Property Rights" it expands the powers of "Eminent Domain," has the effect of upsetting "Real Estate Values" and fills our Town planning offices with "closed minded" idealists that will draft more un-constitutional zoning laws. That aside, lets talk about what else may change with "Smart Growth." For starters, some land such as large parcels of open space will be pressured down in value due to new land use and zoning restrictions. Other homes in the vicinity of where the "Smart Growth" Utopia is built up, the property values "Sky Rocket" making those homes "Un-Affordable." Note these are not my personal objections but rather the results of what has happened in communities where this "Smart Growth" has been tried. Not everyone believes "Smart Growth" has been good for their towns. The objections and concerns that I have mentioned are by people who have experienced smart growth first hand. See the "opponents" reference link below.

While during my campaign for State Representative in Milford Ct. I will welcome any and all suggestions that may help our community and state improve its infrastructure, I am adamantly against anything that will impose sanctions against American individual property rights, and property use. This goes against freedom, It goes against the fabric of a "Free America." While I do admire their ideas, their energy, their resolve and mostly their willingness to convince our elected leaders, I must protest their plan as it further imposes the already "heavy hand" of government upon Americans. Maybe I am wrong, but I sincerely believe that we American's are getting "sick and tired" of being duped out of our freedoms. The Government must protect our individual property rights.

If "Smart Growth" is really that important to a municipality, than that municipality should not abuse its powers to alter real estate values in favor of an experimental ideology. Municipalities intent on smart growth should compete for Real Estate the same as any American. Land owners are entitled to fair value for their property, and municipalities can build whatever they wish, with whatever developer they want. Municipalities also have tools at their disposal such as a "Zoning Board of appeals," and the ability to get a "Variance" from local neighbors for their "Smart Growth" projects. I sincerely believe "Smart Growth" is a great idea, but I cannot agree with it as long as it continues to insist on taking away our individual property rights.

For more information see the below links:

Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_growth

Opponents: http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/opposition_toward_smart_growth_g.htm