A letter in Mountain Xpress [“Progressively Paving Paradise,” April 4] mentions the need for a moratorium. This would be an opportune time for the city to play catch-up by declaring a moratorium on any further new zoning and development, considering the following circumstances:
• Citizen opposition to the present runaway development is very high, [while] citizen confidence in the city’s capacity and competence to manage additional development is very low.
• There’s a substantial inventory and backlog of approved development that can keep the city’s planning, zoning and development staff, developers, engineers, contractors and all trades very busy for many months to come.
• The planning and development director, upon whom the Planning and Zoning Commission depends and who heads the Planning and Development Department as well as the Technical Review Committee, is leaving the city’s employ effective June 30. He’s a lame duck, in a phaseout mode. He shouldn’t be making further administrative decisions, but only offering information, advice and suggestions—not recommendations.
• [A moratorium] would help the incoming replacement director to start with a clean slate to which to apply her/his skills. In the interim, it would give the city manager and Council a calmer opportunity to find, hire and install a new director. Also in the interim, it would give the city attorney the opportunity to complete thorough review, consideration and revision of the UDO, and [give] the city manager and Council the opportunity to consider his and staff’s recommendations.
• Most important, it would give the city the time to back off a bit, refocus on and reevaluate its “smart (intelligent) growth” concept and its master plan for near and midterm.
— Ashton Walton
Asheville
I’m willing to bet that this person moved here a few years ago, and now they don’t like more people moving here. I’m also willing to bet that they don’t see the irony in that viewpoint.