Re: Protect ALR from shrinking (Our View, Nov. 30)
Many towns and cities have developed into a footprint the shape of which causes many logistic inefficiencies. Hospitals, schools, shops as well as offices and industry are often badly connected with residential areas. Time, energy, money and well being are drained by the effort and investments to connect people, goods and services.
Productivity levels are threatened, limiting the ability to compete and nearly always demand increasing tax contributions from residents, landowners and establishments. High infrastructural operations and maintenance costs stress municipal and regional budgets.
Piecemeal urban development should not be pursued without a long term reference plan (call it a ULR plan) which outlines a general plan for urban development. Not a community development plan which is zoning specific, but a plan based on expectations of growth and measured against above mentioned social and efficiency parameters. Such a plan will afford a structural working relationship between local and regional planners. A plan is needed to facilitate constructive and transparent land use tradeoffs with a better connection between long term and short term planning incentives and objectives.
Johan Diemer
Brentwood Bay