The very nature of zoning makes it a magnet for controversy and divisiveness. The latest example has erupted in College Station, where some homeowners want more restrictive land-use regulations to combat gentrification and the growth of student housing. But other homeowners don’t want the restrictions. The dispute is pitting neighbor against neighbor. This is an…
In 2005, Dallas used a little-known process called amortization to rezone land along Ross Avenue. Suddenly, many businesses that had operated in the same location for decades became illegal and they were given a few years to come into compliance. One of those businesses was Hinga Mbogo’s auto repair shop, which the Kenyan immigrant had…
Mismatched Curtains Sometimes, the inanity of government regulations knows no bounds. As an example, Mildred Bryant, a resident of Pagedale, Missouri, was fined for having mismatched curtains. This might seem absurd, and it is, but in principle it is no different from hundreds of other regulations that control how individuals use their property. For example,…
In 2012, Austin began the process of rewriting the city’s land-use regulations. The project came to be named CodeNext, and it has been mired in controversy, animosity, and finger-pointing ever since. While detractors have raised numerous points about the process of developing CodeNext, they haven’t questioned the principles underlying it. And those principles are the…
Before the flood waters in Houston had even stopped rising, calls for more land-use regulations to reduce flooding were being voiced. As one example, Bill Balleza on KPRC questioned the wisdom of allowing development near Addicks and Barker reservoirs. In the Chronicle, Bill King wrote, “We will need new, no tolerance development rules prohibit new…
Many Americans view history as little more than a collection of semi-interesting stories. History, they believe, has little bearing on contemporary life. They believe that that was then, and this is now. Times have changed. Viewed properly, history is an intellectual laboratory. We can trace the intellectual causes and motivations of events, movements, and individuals….
The following article was published in the Spring 2009 issue of The Objective Standard. $ $ $ Houston, Texas, my hometown, is one of only two American cities with a population greater than one hundred thousand that has not imposed zoning laws on its citizens. (The other city is Pasadena, Texas, a suburb of Houston.)…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on May 7, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. For decades zoning advocates have promised that the evils of hell would be unleashed upon Houston if we did not adopt comprehensive zoning. The prognosticators have claimed that the city won’t attract businesses, that our quality of life will…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on October 20, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. The headline for Monday’s lead article in the Chronicle blares: “Tough Land-Use Law Supported”. The headline implies that a specific law has been proposed and is generating support. But in fact, the headline refers to a poll conducted by…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on November 17, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. One of the primary justifications for zoning is to prevent “incompatible” land uses, such as keeping industrial facilities out of residential areas. Such “incompatible” uses are regarded as an inherent nuisance, and rather than wait for the nuisance to…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on October 13, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. The American Planning Association recently named Houston’s Montrose one of its “10 Great Neighborhoods” for 2009. The Chronicle laments this award, because the planning that has occurred in Montrose was conducted privately, rather than by the city: As the…