Things will get worse before they get better.
Posted: March 10th, 2006
Category: Real Estate News
If you read the local newspaper in Cherokee County, you will find many new planned developments for both residential and commercial real estate. If you read further, you will find most of the people interviewed or sending letters to the editor are complaining. They are complaining about traffic congestion, overcrowding of schools, degrade the environment, and strain public resources.
The irony of these comments comes from the fact that these problems already exist in the area and have been created by these same complainers. The Cherokee County School System issued a critical overcrowding report in 2005 and if you remove the portables from the schools (who likes class in a portable?), then 25 out of 31 schools are operating at 100% or above capacity. All 4 county high schools are overcrowded with at least 101% including the portables. Most of the residents in Cherokee County have moved to the area within the last 15+/- years. Over that time, the county’s population has doubled from 90,000+/- in 1990 to 174,000+/- in 2004. (view complete stats here)
These complainers I have been referring are often referred to as NIMBYs.
“while NIMBYs often claim that they are trying to prevent urban sprawl, NIMBYism can in fact accelerate such sprawl. Because population grows continuously, new developments must be built somewhere. If suburban NIMBYs demand a reduction in the density of a proposed development, one foreseeable result is that the same amount of development, when built at a lower density, will simply occupy more land. Thus, the same amount of development will sprawl more than under the original proposal. Alternatively, the developer can simply avert lengthy political fights by building in less developed areas on the outskirts of suburbia, where either NIMBY opposition cannot galvanize or the local government welcomes new development. When many developers build large developments on the outskirts, they fuel the pattern of low-density development.”
This quote from Wikipedia further illustrates my point about the need for higher-density housing. Density housing often includes a commercial component and the combination of both will help solve the current and future infrastucture problems in Cherokee County. Why will more housing help? Read the Urban Land Institute’s report about Myth and Facts of High Density Development. Plus the very simple fact that local governments have 1 major need that must be met before improving schools, roads, and parks…MONEY. Money comes from local tax payers. The more local tax payers, the more improverments that can be made by the local governments.
If we can all agree that money will help local governments solve our current and future problems, then there are 2 ways to get them the money they need:
1) Raise Taxes
2) Welcome More Taxpayers
The population is coming either way. The problem we are faced with is where to put them? Higher Density housing is a better solution for everyone, newcomers and locals alike. With these thoughts in mind, we should embrace new developments like Woodstock Downtown and look for more opportunities to create true live-work-play environments.
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