Besides the Germantown Overlay bill, the other bills to watch at tonight's Council Meeting are Ronnie Steine's LED alternative to Charlie Tygard's LED-for-neighborhoods bill and an attempt by Eric Crafton to require consent of all affected property owners to have zoning changes implemented. While I have expressed criticism of CM Steine's campaign connections to the pro-LED Nashville Business Coalition, neighborhoods have not mobilized against it like they did CM Tygard's bill. Unless there is a spontaneous outpouring at tonight's public hearing, I would be surprised if it did not pass. Metro Planning has already judged all LEDs to be expressly prohibited.
Is Crafton attempting to insulate individual property owners from community input on rezoning? Has there ever been any planning and zoning issue in municipal history that all property owners who would be affected would agree on? This sounds like a less neighborhood-friendly, more pro-development bill. The Planning Commission disapproved it. It shouldn't have passed first reading without any debate, and it should not pass on 2nd reading. I've heard little or no buzz on it, so I don't know that people will be showing up to speak against it.
UPDATE: Mr. Crafton deferred indefinitely and it sounded like those whom he described as affected owners would be those whose property that Metro was rezoning.
UPDATE: As expected, Mr. Steine's bill passed. However, it did receive criticism during the public hearing that some residential in mixed-use (MUN, MUL) would still be exposed to LED. The CM promised amendments on 3rd reading to address the criticism.
it sounded like those whom he described as affected owners would be those whose property that Metro was rezoning.
ReplyDeleteThat's everybody, then. In another words, no more downzoning or re-zoning.
If that's the way Mr. Crafton wants it then let's make that go both ways: if someone wants to rezone their property, then let's make sure everyone on the street agrees. That will go over well in Green Hills, believe you me.
The alternative is to lock in everyone's zoning. No zone changes of any kind. Ever.