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GOOD
PROP, BAD PROP
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Matthew B. Ackerman, LEED
AIA
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I
typically shy away from black and white, good
and bad thinking, but the upcoming election
next Tuesday offers some sobering choices,
that have serious implications for the future health of our communities.
At the top of the "Bad Prop" crop, is Proposition 207. Whipping
up an
unreasonable fear of government seizure of private property known as
eminent domain, backers of this proposition claim their intention is to
protect the small business or homeowner who lack the resources to fight
back. Nothing could be further from the truth in this case.
On September 22, PBS aired an investigative report entitled "Taking The
Initiative".
The program focused on the dealings of a New
York based land speculator,
Howard Rich. Rich, who refused to be interviewed for the program,
is chairman of the Chicago based
Americans For
Limited Government (ALG). This group is the
deep-pocket funding source behind many of these
so
called "grass roots" Property Rights initiatives appearing in numerous
states
across the country this year, including Arizona's Prop 207.
The PBS program exposed how Mr. Rich and the ALG, operating behind
front groups such as "Montanan's In Action",
used deceptive ploys to collect thousands of
signatures. In Montana, after suspicious
signature gathering
tactics came to the attention of local authorities, proposition
measures funded by Rich and the ALG were removed from the ballot.
In
our own state, according to the Arizona
Secretary of States' Ballot Information Pamphlet, the (nearly
$1 million) funding source of our own Proposition 207 is same
Illinois based Americans For
Limited Government-- whose chairman is Howard Rich.
Despite those claiming Prop 207 is intended to protect
defenseless citizens from the evils of eminent domain, the reality of
this classic "bait and switch" measure is to the distinct advantage of
private land speculators
and developers-- at the expense
of taxpayers. The actual motivation of this proposition is to
remove significant financial risk from private developers, by placing
it on our taxpaying citizen base instead. If passed, this measure
would require financial compensation to private developers who
experience a loss in value from any jurisdictional action such as
neighborhood or water protection ordinances, or wildlife habitat
measures.
The implications of Proposition 207 would seriously impair our local
agencies' authority to maintain land use and zoning laws, building
height and setback limits, historic preservation districts, locally
generated design guidelines and standards, environmental protection
ordinances, as well as wash and hillside
protection measures.
Groups strongly recommending a NO vote on Prop 207 include the
Arizona Preservation Foundation, the Arizona Planning Association, The
Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, The Sonoran Institute, as well as The
League
of Arizona Cities and Towns.
As a concerned citizen, a design professional, and someone who has
personally witnessed the long term, detrimental effects of unchecked,
environmentally thoughtless
development on our communities, and our state, I would also urge you to
vote against Proposition 207
next Tuesday.
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Prescott, Arizona. We specialize in educational, commercial,
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Copyright
©
2003-2006 CATALYST ARCHITECTURE, LLC. All images, sketches,
artwork and photographs are the property of CATALYST ARCHITECTURE,
LLC. No reproduction, copying or redistribution of this
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