tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post3465830632319430790..comments2024-03-22T16:02:08.213-05:00Comments on The Wheel: The Zoning Process in Richardson is BrokenMark Stegerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02376182294736839659noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-23694361254395719542022-11-16T12:54:51.963-06:002022-11-16T12:54:51.963-06:00Maybe it's time to go back to first principles...Maybe it's time to go back to first principles.<br /><br />What is the purpose and benefit of zoning?<br /><br />Asked a different way: what is "bad" about not having zoning?<br />- e.g. Houston, famously, and many rural areas. <br /><br />Are there long term comparative studies of "unzoned" vs "zoned" areas and their respective tax bases, quality of life, etc? Surely there must be urban planning PhD's who've looked at this topic. <br /><br />From first principles again: what is the justification for the City to have a say at all in what a property owner builds? <br /><br />What's wrong with the bare minimum of requirements. <br />- sufficient utilities / demand on city services (solved with building codes and use fees)<br />- building code compliance <br />- simple stuff like # of parking spaces, setbacks, exterior surfaces. <br /><br />Is any further control justified? How?<br /><br />And what is the opportunity cost of a vacant lot sitting for decades, vs something, anything, getting built and paying taxes?<br /><br />Thanks Mark, appreciate your posts. <br /><br />- Scott<br /><br />Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365524072685329886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498525082522582900.post-62402383821291511712022-11-16T09:35:22.080-06:002022-11-16T09:35:22.080-06:00COVID is a great example how everything can change...COVID is a great example how everything can change. Mixed use hedges against some of this vs being stuck in office/business only zoning. The idea that a city council is trying to dictate how a developer proceeds? That is a standard that could hamstring ANY developer in the future especially if the same standard is not applied to EVERY project of mixed use, large or small.Steve Crumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11829344929385488018noreply@blogger.com