Citizens of Greensboro are fortunate to have the strong voice of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens to advocate for your interests. I commend Keith Brown for his power-house efforts to promote the long over-due Protest Petition that unfortunately has been compromised by City Council.
The undue influence of property developers and corporate interests in local government is not representative of the population at large and diminishes the public trust and threatens private property rights. Financial systems and democratic government are ultimately based on trust of the administrators, and clearly can and will collapse when administered by avaricious, unethical individuals. When this issue comes before the Guilford delegation of the NC General Assembly, I believe they will wisely support the request of "the people".
Cathy M. Poole
1607-A Squire Davis Road
Kernersville, NC 27284
Phone: 336-869-0256
cathypoole@northstate.net
Showing posts with label guest column. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest column. Show all posts
Jan 20, 2009
TREBIC Speaks To Greensboro News & Record on Protest Petitions
The Greensboro News & Record has let Marlene Sanford speak on the side of denying you the citizen of Greensboro your right under state law to use Protest Petitions in the zoning process. CLICKHERE or click on the title above.
Here are a few points that need to be addressed the were stated in the opinion from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, which is your local special interest group who likes to slam their members on boards and commissions all over Guilford County.
It is actually easier to change the U.S. Constitution than to get a rezoning approved under a protest petition.
Proponents argue that "everybody else does it." But none of the 100 North Carolina counties has it (legally).
Wrong, this blog has called you out on that point when you made it last year in May 2008 and still keep on pointing it out.
And if we're governing by the lemming model, then we have to get rid of anything else that is unique, like RUCO and the Citizen Initiative Petition (which some remember is why we got the protest petition exemption in 1971)
When you see TREBIC say in statement above that some remember that is because they don't know what happened but it looks to everyone else that they snuck this bill in to deny the rights of the citizens of Greensboro for political reasons, plain and simple . Hey Marlene Sanford who are those some remember.
Our zoning process isn't broken. We've made changes to give neighbors more effective involvement. Developers meet with neighbors (or suffer the consequences),
Are you kidding me, then why does TREBIC fight the mandatory meeting in other cities in Guilford County like you did in High Point to no avail. It is required to meet with the neighborhood in High Point that TREBIC fought but in Greensboro it is only voluntary to meet. There will be some changes in future to the meet and confer and let's see if TREBIC is on board.
Wow what an amazing opinion by Marlene Sanford at TREBIC
Here are a few points that need to be addressed the were stated in the opinion from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, which is your local special interest group who likes to slam their members on boards and commissions all over Guilford County.
It is actually easier to change the U.S. Constitution than to get a rezoning approved under a protest petition.
Wrong
Proponents argue that "everybody else does it." But none of the 100 North Carolina counties has it (legally).
Wrong, this blog has called you out on that point when you made it last year in May 2008 and still keep on pointing it out.
And if we're governing by the lemming model, then we have to get rid of anything else that is unique, like RUCO and the Citizen Initiative Petition (which some remember is why we got the protest petition exemption in 1971)
When you see TREBIC say in statement above that some remember that is because they don't know what happened but it looks to everyone else that they snuck this bill in to deny the rights of the citizens of Greensboro for political reasons, plain and simple . Hey Marlene Sanford who are those some remember.
Our zoning process isn't broken. We've made changes to give neighbors more effective involvement. Developers meet with neighbors (or suffer the consequences),
Are you kidding me, then why does TREBIC fight the mandatory meeting in other cities in Guilford County like you did in High Point to no avail. It is required to meet with the neighborhood in High Point that TREBIC fought but in Greensboro it is only voluntary to meet. There will be some changes in future to the meet and confer and let's see if TREBIC is on board.
Wow what an amazing opinion by Marlene Sanford at TREBIC
Nov 14, 2008
Time to Bring Back Protest Petitions To Greensboro Round #2 Repost to Refresh Memory
The Coalition of Concerned Citizens Member Keith Brown wrote a Guest Column to the Greensboro News And Record on Thursday May 15, 2008, click here to comment.
Greensboro residents want rights on zoningBy Keith Brown
Thursday, May. 15, 2008 3:00 am
The N.C. General Assembly can create new law and destroy old law. Cities such as Greensboro are subject to those laws, unless state legislators allow an exception.
In 1971, local elected officials supported a bill under a cloud of politics to exempt Greensboro from N.C. General Statutes 160a-385 and 386, which created what formally is called a "protest petition." This exemption never should have been made in the first place and is bad public policy.
Protest petitions are used if a certain percentage of property owners most affected by a zoning change object to the rezoning. These residents may petition for a super-majority vote of at least 7-2 to approve the rezoning if the council has 9 members.
Protest petitions level the playing field for residents, especially when pro-development members of the City Council are making rezoning decisions.
Professor David Owens of the UNC School of Government says, "The provision in North Carolina zoning law for a protest petition is mandatory for cities." His use of the word "mandatory" demonstrates that Greensboro is not following a law every other city must follow. As stated before, the General Assembly can destroy old law, and this exemption is definitely old law.
To hear Gary Rogers from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC) say that Greensboro, back in 1971, had the foresight to exempt itself from this statute is condescending to citizens here. No, Mr. Rogers, it was not foresight. It was an effort to take away a right of the citizens to use the power of petitions against unwanted development in established neighborhoods.
Those who oppose protest petitions in Greensboro say they would discourage in-fill development. They say the current exemption aids growth, and not having the exemption would hurt growth.Yet Raleigh and Charlotte have protest petitions, and both have grown faster than Greensboro since the exemption has been in effect.
Because I live in High Point, my neighborhood had the right to use a protest petition against a major developer not once, but twice, in a highly contested rezoning case off N.C. 68. I'm certain Greensboro citizens also would like to have this powerful tool as their voice against encroaching development.
Why not let the Guilford County legislative delegation push a bill to make the city of Greensboro comply with this state law? This would give Greensboro residents the same right as other North Carolina residents who live in cities.
Thirty-seven years is long enough. Let your state legislators know you would like to have protest petitions back in Greensboro.
I will leave you with a quote from a Greensboro resident who said it well: "It's time that citizens had a way to stop the business-as-usual crowd from developing our quality of life out of existence."
Keith Brown lives in High Point and is a member of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens of The Triad.
Greensboro residents want rights on zoningBy Keith Brown
Thursday, May. 15, 2008 3:00 am
The N.C. General Assembly can create new law and destroy old law. Cities such as Greensboro are subject to those laws, unless state legislators allow an exception.
In 1971, local elected officials supported a bill under a cloud of politics to exempt Greensboro from N.C. General Statutes 160a-385 and 386, which created what formally is called a "protest petition." This exemption never should have been made in the first place and is bad public policy.
Protest petitions are used if a certain percentage of property owners most affected by a zoning change object to the rezoning. These residents may petition for a super-majority vote of at least 7-2 to approve the rezoning if the council has 9 members.
Protest petitions level the playing field for residents, especially when pro-development members of the City Council are making rezoning decisions.
Professor David Owens of the UNC School of Government says, "The provision in North Carolina zoning law for a protest petition is mandatory for cities." His use of the word "mandatory" demonstrates that Greensboro is not following a law every other city must follow. As stated before, the General Assembly can destroy old law, and this exemption is definitely old law.
To hear Gary Rogers from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC) say that Greensboro, back in 1971, had the foresight to exempt itself from this statute is condescending to citizens here. No, Mr. Rogers, it was not foresight. It was an effort to take away a right of the citizens to use the power of petitions against unwanted development in established neighborhoods.
Those who oppose protest petitions in Greensboro say they would discourage in-fill development. They say the current exemption aids growth, and not having the exemption would hurt growth.Yet Raleigh and Charlotte have protest petitions, and both have grown faster than Greensboro since the exemption has been in effect.
Because I live in High Point, my neighborhood had the right to use a protest petition against a major developer not once, but twice, in a highly contested rezoning case off N.C. 68. I'm certain Greensboro citizens also would like to have this powerful tool as their voice against encroaching development.
Why not let the Guilford County legislative delegation push a bill to make the city of Greensboro comply with this state law? This would give Greensboro residents the same right as other North Carolina residents who live in cities.
Thirty-seven years is long enough. Let your state legislators know you would like to have protest petitions back in Greensboro.
I will leave you with a quote from a Greensboro resident who said it well: "It's time that citizens had a way to stop the business-as-usual crowd from developing our quality of life out of existence."
Keith Brown lives in High Point and is a member of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens of The Triad.
May 15, 2008
Guest Column on Protest Petitions for Greensboro
The Coalition of Concerned Citizens Member Keith Brown wrote a Guest Column to the Greensboro News And Record on Thursday May 15, 2008, click here to comment.
Greensboro residents want rights on zoning
By Keith Brown
Thursday, May. 15, 2008 3:00 am
The N.C. General Assembly can create new law and destroy old law. Cities such as Greensboro are subject to those laws, unless state legislators allow an exception.
In 1971, local elected officials supported a bill under a cloud of politics to exempt Greensboro from N.C. General Statutes 160a-385 and 386, which created what formally is called a "protest petition." This exemption never should have been made in the first place and is bad public policy.
Protest petitions are used if a certain percentage of property owners most affected by a zoning change object to the rezoning. These residents may petition for a super-majority vote of at least 7-2 to approve the rezoning.
Protest petitions level the playing field for residents, especially when pro-development members of the City Council are making rezoning decisions.
Professor David Owens of the UNC School of Government says, "The provision in North Carolina zoning law for a protest petition is mandatory for cities." His use of the word "mandatory" demonstrates that Greensboro is not following a law every other city must follow. As stated before, the General Assembly can destroy old law, and this exemption is definitely old law.
To hear Gary Rogers from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC) say that Greensboro, back in 1971, had the foresight to exempt itself from this statute is condescending to citizens here. No, Mr. Rogers, it was not foresight. It was an effort to take away a right of the citizens to use the power of petitions against unwanted development in established neighborhoods.
Those who oppose protest petitions in Greensboro say they would discourage in-fill development. They say the current exemption aids growth, and not having the exemption would hurt growth.
Yet Raleigh and Charlotte have protest petitions, and both have grown faster than Greensboro since the exemption has been in effect.
Because I live in High Point, my neighborhood had the right to use a protest petition against a major developer not once, but twice, in a highly contested rezoning case off N.C. 68. I'm certain Greensboro citizens also would like to have this powerful tool as their voice against encroaching development.
Why not let the Guilford County legislative delegation push a bill to make the city of Greensboro comply with this state law? This would give Greensboro residents the same right as other North Carolina residents who live in cities.
Thirty-seven years is long enough. Let your state legislators know you would like to have protest petitions back in Greensboro.
I will leave you with a quote from a Greensboro resident who said it well: "It's time that citizens had a way to stop the business-as-usual crowd from developing our quality of life out of existence."
Keith Brown lives in High Point and is a member of Coalition of Concerned Citizens.
Greensboro residents want rights on zoning
By Keith Brown
Thursday, May. 15, 2008 3:00 am
The N.C. General Assembly can create new law and destroy old law. Cities such as Greensboro are subject to those laws, unless state legislators allow an exception.
In 1971, local elected officials supported a bill under a cloud of politics to exempt Greensboro from N.C. General Statutes 160a-385 and 386, which created what formally is called a "protest petition." This exemption never should have been made in the first place and is bad public policy.
Protest petitions are used if a certain percentage of property owners most affected by a zoning change object to the rezoning. These residents may petition for a super-majority vote of at least 7-2 to approve the rezoning.
Protest petitions level the playing field for residents, especially when pro-development members of the City Council are making rezoning decisions.
Professor David Owens of the UNC School of Government says, "The provision in North Carolina zoning law for a protest petition is mandatory for cities." His use of the word "mandatory" demonstrates that Greensboro is not following a law every other city must follow. As stated before, the General Assembly can destroy old law, and this exemption is definitely old law.
To hear Gary Rogers from the Triad Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition (TREBIC) say that Greensboro, back in 1971, had the foresight to exempt itself from this statute is condescending to citizens here. No, Mr. Rogers, it was not foresight. It was an effort to take away a right of the citizens to use the power of petitions against unwanted development in established neighborhoods.
Those who oppose protest petitions in Greensboro say they would discourage in-fill development. They say the current exemption aids growth, and not having the exemption would hurt growth.
Yet Raleigh and Charlotte have protest petitions, and both have grown faster than Greensboro since the exemption has been in effect.
Because I live in High Point, my neighborhood had the right to use a protest petition against a major developer not once, but twice, in a highly contested rezoning case off N.C. 68. I'm certain Greensboro citizens also would like to have this powerful tool as their voice against encroaching development.
Why not let the Guilford County legislative delegation push a bill to make the city of Greensboro comply with this state law? This would give Greensboro residents the same right as other North Carolina residents who live in cities.
Thirty-seven years is long enough. Let your state legislators know you would like to have protest petitions back in Greensboro.
I will leave you with a quote from a Greensboro resident who said it well: "It's time that citizens had a way to stop the business-as-usual crowd from developing our quality of life out of existence."
Keith Brown lives in High Point and is a member of Coalition of Concerned Citizens.
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