WSP00202

• File Number: 8059
• Description: Section D General Studies-State Water Plan
• State: CO
• Date: 10/1/1973
• Author: James Nathan Miller
• Title: Land Use Planning-Readers Digest-Condensed from The National Civic Review-Hawaiis Quiet Revolution Hits the Mainland
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Till; RI','IDJ;R'S DIGEST

October

regIOn has been drawll liP, sh:lclcd
to shO\.... gr;ldations of blld type..
fJngirlg from ;1f(:~JS :-'Uit:lhk lor lllini~
m:t1ly restricted uc\"clupml'llt to
fragile stretches nccc!ing ;-thsoltm'
protection. Soils ha\'t.: heen cl:tssificd
w indiclte which G1I1 LIke septic
t:mks :md which G111nnt; dOI)csh.l\'e
been r:ltcJ ~s ;lcccptablc for build-
ing, or too steer. Pr;\ctiCllly c\'Cry
beaver cbm ':1nd c;lglc's Jll'st, flood
phin anc1 hi~wrical siu:. h'lking trail
:lIld \\'Jtcrl..l11ll:ls been identified.
The pJ.lll \\'on'[ stop the rC.l;.ion's
growth (under iI, POPUl:lIiDJ) ((ill in-
creJSC tcntold); it merely indlC1tCS
where th;n growth call bl'st be put.
Today, it i.<; unlikely that WhJ1 hap-
pened LO Slunmit COllnty will hJp~
pen to the Aclirondacks.
How will/he neu..' laws affect in.
dividual homeowners? Although
,his is the biggest (ear most people
have :ibouc bnd-use p!Jnnjng~ most
of the pbns IC;1VC homeowners alone.
In Vermont, for instan.ce, the law
doesn't touch you unless YOll plan to
build ten or more housing units; in
Florida, ,he smollest de~'elopment
affected is 250 hOllses. Clearly, the
people mmt seriously affectcd by the
ne\\-. laws are the big developers. Bur
even here results will be mixed.
Some developers may be driven out
of business; others will prosper.
In Vermont. for eXJmple, builders
must apply to district commi~siolls
of the st:1te environmental bO:lfu for
development permits. The commis-
sions judge these 3pplication:'i 011 the
b3Sis of the ten criteria-ill\'oh.in~
ermioll, water supply. poJhHioll, trat.

fie safct\'. c:tc.-citcd 111 the state's
land-u.~<.;' ;ICt. For ;1 s;1I11plc p{ thc
kind uf ()b~l;lClc course this cn:atcs,
folio\\" what happened when LCI.~ure
Cn.:ati()ll.~. Inc.. ;lppliec1 to huild a
rl~(J-l1llit st:cCllld-hon1c..: dcvdnprnt:1lt
ill Lunc1ondci"rv. Vt.
The ;l~)plicat(on W;IS (lIed ill .-\U-
gUSt 19;.:!. Fiv<.; mollth~ I<ltLr-;lftcr
Ic)ur hC:lring-s and ')0 hours of testi-
mony-the "lk~\"cloi)er got a comli-
liolwl permit to go ;1hc::"tCl. S(Jrnt: of
the conditions: he ml1st jn~t;lll three
12oo.g:l11on septic tallks :lnJ dispcr-
~;1] pipes [0 sprcad the SCW.1ge. ovcr
thc widest possihlc arC;1; dig a system
of trenches to lo\\'cr the ground-
\\,ater level belo\\' thc septic ~L1tAo\\':
inst:lll a 2oo,ooo-gallon li'csh-w;1tcr
reservoir: build and m;1inwin ;:J\l
roads within the unit to state-high-
W:l.y st;Jnd:lrcls; comply with all
recommendations or [he U.S. Soil
Comcrv.:uion Service to minimize
erosion; post a hond to guar;1lltee
that JIl the condi,tions will be met. As
of this \""ritillg"":"a ye;u after the ini.
ti;1] application-the developer has
not started construction.
Not surprisingly, a Ilumber of
Vcrmont developers hJve simply
quit-but development in the statc
is thriving ne\'errhck>~$. Land prices
are ri.~ing about 25 percent per ye;u,
and development applic:ltions con-
tinue to pour in. The rCJson is thm
the law actually helps responsible
developers by providing <-lssuranee
that Vermont WOIl't dis;1Jlpear clown
the urban-sprawl Jr:till. Thus they
can arlord to invest the kg-ally
J11Jl1d,1red time ;lnd money bec,1use

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