It’s a 50-50 proposition as to whether or not the City Council will postpone final action today (Tuesday, May 6) on new subdivision rules as requested by developers.
City Rep. Susie Byrd said she doesn’t know what will happen, but she’s not inclined to hold off on the vote.
“They have had their developer/engineers on that (subdivision ordinance rewrite) committee since it started,” she said.
Byrd said that the argument that developers did not speak against the ordinance last week because it came toward the end of a grueling meeting didn’t hold water with her. [npt background]
She said they’re just stalling for time so they can lobby behind the scenes.
“I think they don't want to make a case for themselves (publicly) because the political case for what they're asking for is maybe not that strong,” she said late Monday.
One of the arguments made by developers is that there was no cost-benefit analysis of the proposed changes. Byrd said the city did an analysis, and developers “have had ample opportunity to bring cost issues to us.”
The argument by developers for postponing was outlined in a letter signed by Doug Borrett of W.F. Karam, Inc. [letter]
Borrett wrote that “There is overwhelming support for change and building better neighborhoods – including from the development community. However, what began as an effort to improve on a system that has had failings in the past appears to have blossomed into an effort at social engineering. We’d like the opportunity to explore what the unintended consequences might be.”
The letter asked a series of questions, including whether the proposals will increase costs and whether the city is prepared to commit to paying for maintenance on more parks.
