This was originally posted as a series on Live Oaks in September 2009. Comments have not been migrated. That is what I mean when I say that “right” is the same thing in all states, namely the interest of the established government; and government is the strongest element in each state, and so if we…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on September 2, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. In the aftermath of the city granting permission to Buckhead Development to build the Ashby High Rise, Houston bloggers have jumped in with a variety of suggestions for avoiding similar conflicts in the future. One of those suggestions comes…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on August 20, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. During the debate over zoning in Houston in the early 1990s I sponsored a booth at a convention on Houston development. Among the literature we distributed was a pamphlet that described how zoning operates in other cities. One of…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on August 13, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. A recent piece on the KHOU web site asks if zoning is in Houston’s future. While the article does not come to a definitive conclusion, it implies that more restrictive land-use controls will be necessary. Or, as urban planner…
The following article was published in the June 15, 2009 issue of The North Country Bulletin in Chama, New Mexico. $ $ $ Many claims are made about zoning. It will promote our “quality of life”, it will protect neighborhoods, it will prevent “incompatible” land uses, and much more. But zoning is not a benevolent…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on December 4, 2008. Comments have not been migrated. The comments to a post at Houston Strategies evolved into a lengthy debate over zoning. The debate was civil and interesting. The advocate for zoning presented reasonable arguments which are shared by many people. Below are some excerpts from…
In the mid-2000s, residents of Hobbs, New Mexico were debating a proposal to implement comprehensive zoning. I was hired as a consultant to fight the proposed zoning ordinance. The article below was published in the local newspaper. $ $ $ Zoning proponents have presented zoning as the solution to many of the “problems” confronting Hobbs….
In the mid-2000s, residents of Hobbs, New Mexico were debating a proposal to implement comprehensive zoning. I was hired as a consultant to fight the proposed zoning ordinance. The article below was published in the local newspaper. $ $ $ Zoning advocates have claimed that zoning will improve our “quality of life”, but they have…
In the mid-2000s, residents of Hobbs, New Mexico were debating a proposal to implement comprehensive zoning. I was hired as a consultant to fight the proposed zoning ordinance. The article below was published in the local newspaper. $ $ $ The Maddox Foundation has offered a grant of $15 million to the City of Hobbs…
In the mid-2000s, residents of Hobbs, New Mexico were debating a proposal to implement comprehensive zoning. I was hired as a consultant to fight the proposed zoning ordinance. The article below was published in the local newspaper. $ $ $ On October 30, 2005 an Editorial in this newspaper stated that the city commission should…
The following talk was delivered at a luncheon hosted by the Houston Property Rights Association on May 14, 1993. The warning was not heeded. During the debate over zoning, its proponents have made many claims about zoning: it will encourage economic growth, it will improve our “quality of life,” it will prevent “undesirable” land…