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COALITION: Composition critical

| March 28, 2021 1:00 AM

I read about a “coalition” group being put together to address growth. According to The Press article, area planners already met last week; then the elected officials will meet, then “stakeholders” (business people, industry people, basically those who will profit from the development and growth) and then, maybe the average resident.

This is supposedly to “educate” the people about what can and can’t be done. More like, what they want, and don’t want, to do.

This “coalition” needs to include the average resident in the process immediately (transparency), not at the end. There are choices that can be a part of the plan. Will the following choices be on the list?

Stop annexations until existing undeveloped land and infill is developed. Revisit single family home zoning density to a maximum of four per acre. When existing prairie land is annexed, require a balanced percentage (20% of each) of five-acre, two-acre, one-acre, half-acre and quarter-acre lots within each new subdivision.

Very few are advocating to STOP growth; that’s not going to happen. What a large number of citizens do want, is to slow down, and reduce the density. Let’s shoot for an end county buildout of 225k-250k people instead of the projected 300k-400k by 2040.

Bring the people into the process at the beginning, (not at the end) listen, and start responding to what the people want. Cities are not obligated to facilitate all those who want to come here.

ED DePRIEST

Hayden