[Winona Online Democracy] I can't speak to all of the issues in Craig Brooks's post, but as a city planner with experience in many cities and counties around the state, I can speak to the larger issues of growth and annexation that I have seen played out in 28 years of professional experience.
* First, growth happens. Our population is growing and the size of households (number of people in each home) is shrinking, which means only one thing - we need more housing units. You can't simply say, "don't grow" or "stop growth". The bus is speeding down the road at 90 mph - you either try and steer it, or get out of the way. In one growing community we analyzed a few years ago, the size of households (HH) had dropped from 4.5/HH in 1965 to a projected 2.5/HH in 2010. Overall State figures are similar. If Winona is similar, even if its population stays constant at 25,000-30,000, that means a population that used to fit into 6,000 housing units a generation ago will soon need almost 12,000 units. Where do you want them to go? * The best place to handle growth is close to existing dense urban areas. Therefore, sparse development in these logical growth corridors is misplaced and ultimately very costly to the environment and the local economy. In Winona, those areas are in the adjacent townships within a few miles of the city. Winona Township and Wilson Township are the logical locations. * Criticism of development per se is very short-sighted. Someone cleared the woods to make way for your home - yes, yours. Every home in Winona, whether 10 years old or 110 years old, came at the expense of some pristine woods or prairie, or tranquil farm land. * 2-acre to 10-acre lots are the worst form of development within logical growth areas (and are not "rural" in my book). If we need to accommodate more households, these lots consume a large amount of land, often with the removal of trees, prairie, or farmland. Large-lot development on septic systems consumes roughly 10 times the amount of land needed for the same number of households on urban lots served by city sewer (assuming 1 rural unit on 3 acres average vs. 3 units/acre urban). So, in Winona this means that 1,000 new households can either consume 3,000 acres (5 square miles) or 300 acres (1/2 square mile). If it's the latter - new subdivisions planned efficiently and connected to city sewer and water - that means the other 4-1/2 square miles can stay rural - woods, bluffs, cropland, pasture, etc. The best way to protect the environment is to stay off it. Urban development is actually good for the environment in this sense. * Development on large lots with septic systems almost always leads to environmental problems - wells poisoned by our own waste from septic systems. I've seen it played out in dozens and dozens of communities around the State: septic systems fail after a number of years. If not yours, then your neighbor's. It only takes one failed system to create lots of problems. And if homes are only a few hundred feet apart, a failed system affects those nearby. On the other hand, if homes are developed at truly rural densities (on 40 acres or more) the effect of a failed system is more easily controlled. I have never seen an entire subdivision of septic systems that was maintained in perfect working order over 30 years - the effort needed in enforcement and maintenance is huge. * Once septic systems fail, the cost to cure is huge. An example from the Brainerd area is typical: a few septic systems fail in an area of a few dozen homes. Wells are contaminated. The PCA comes in, the area is ordered connected on an emergency basis to city sewer and water. The people who just spent $8,000 last year to upgrade their system are treated the same as the folks who let their system go bad. Each homeowner is assessed $22,000 apiece to connect (the average for planned urban expansion being $10,000-$15,000 per home). The cost of sewer pipe is by the foot, so the farther the homes are apart, the greater the cost. But each home was not getting $22,000 of benefit, so the city had to pick up a share of the tab. Millions are spent to fix a problem that didn't need to happen if we had planned with a little foresight. * And what about the cost of services before the above crisis happens? Nowadays, many of the people who choose a "rural" lifestyle aren't farmers or lumberjacks, they are city folks who want to get away from it all - and they bring their desire for city services with them. They want the open country and quick response times from police and fire. Compare the cost per household of police calls, fire calls, and school buses in a township vs. a city. It only makes sense that costs are lower if you have a population of 20,000 within 5 miles of the police station vs. 2,000 population within 10 miles of the police station. Or picking up 3 school kids per block vs. 3 kids per mile. It's OK to live in the country, but don't expect city-style services. Do the math. * All this requires the constant provision of well-planned areas for long-term growth. If there is adequate land available with sewer and water housing cost can stay low. It is only when there is a shortage that land prices go through the roof. * The townships aren't the only people who need to play this game, however. People in the city need to accommodate more dense development in order to keep the city thriving. This means redevelopment of marginal or blighted areas into new, denser development, allowing townhouses, condos and apartments to develop where previously there may have been less intense buildings. Are downtown businesses hurting? Remember the household figures? In order to fit the same population in the city to support those businesses we need higher density. A core city of 3,000 households near downtown held a population of 12,000 people a generation ago. Now we need 5,000 households to hold the same population. Something's got to give. I would love to see Winona stay a beautiful, vibrant city nestled in the bluffs. The best way to do that is to plan for growth, both within the city and at the edges, rather than resisting it or pretending it won't happen. Phil Carlson, Mpls _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
