KEVIN KIRTON presents his perspective on Houston growth and planning in a Chron op-ed today. Here’s an excerpt:
People often assume there is no plan, and nearly any discussion of this topic these days includes a reference to our project at 1717 Bissonnet, mislabeled by opponents as the “Ashby high-rise,” as an example of the need for more rules. What is often overlooked is that there is a plan; there are chapters of existing development regulations. The problem is that, in our case, city leaders have chosen simply not to follow them.
In a letter published in the newspaper earlier this week (scroll down), Kendall Miller of Houstonians for Responsible Growth offered related thoughts:
When it comes to land-use controls, Houston relies primarily on deed restrictions and lets the marketplace steer growth. This seems very odd to those who believe government knows best, but in every other city where land use is strictly controlled by government, three things happen: Prices go up dramatically, unexpected development occurs outside boundary lines, and corruption at City Hall finds an incubator.
Please be sure to click over and read both. These perspectives are sometimes underrepresented in straight news stories, so at least they are getting some play on the Chron opinion page and blogs. It’s still surprising that the HRG website hasn’t been a more active outlet.
