Comments on: Op-Ed: The CSD Expansion Conversation

By: At Home in Decatur

At Home in Decatur — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:48:28 +0000

I completely agree that not everyone lusts after a gigando house. What many people need, especially if they aren’t handy or good at hiring contractors, is a fully renovated home that no longer needs a lot of work. Or new and modest. Big homes with high ceilings will deteriorate and get cobwebs just like any other housing over time in this climate. Without a ton of homeowner upkeep, they won’t always look so new and shiny. I think some are stretching their budgets to buy new and gigando because they don’t see a lot of other move-in options besides condos and townhomes. And many condos and townhomes on the market now also need renovations.

I’m not quite sure how a diverse housing stock with more modest options fits in with Option Zero, One, Two, or Three, or Twenty-two.five, but I’m all in favor of it.

By: nelliebelle1197

nelliebelle1197 — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:21:10 +0000

But it also about the character of the city that those of us who have been here for a long time want. We have a say, too. Builders are changing the character and you cannot expect people to like that. Of course you can tell people what they can do. It is called a building code and ours does not protect the character of our city. As STG says, if people want 5000 sq ft, then Decatur might not be for you. I don’t see why the very landscape of the city has to change so drastically to accommodate newcomers. Why can’t the newcomers adjust to life the way it is here, oldtimers shift forward a bit and everyone meet in the middle?

Older residents are being told we have to give up many of the reasons we live here to accommodate new people or we are not being “welcoming’. Yes, there are plenty of people moving in who settle in like old shoes. But there is an element that does want to change things to suit THEM and they are getting more vocal. I don’t think I should have to compromise that much of my way of life- including the small schools I want for my young children- to accommodate unchecked growth. I believe in the compromise but I am not Obama and some things are NOT in the table.

And these teardowns are the fault of the developers, plain and simple. Many, many people are buying these new houses who would rather have something more modest and original but well-rennovated, but they are not given a choice.

By: SavvyShopper

SavvyShopper — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 02:18:38 +0000

Ben, the purpose wouldn’t be to pay for the new schools (or trailers), but to help deal with the problem we’re facing, which is excess demand on our schools. As Scott pointed out, the CSD response to the problem is to build new and better schools, the byproduct of which is . . . more demand for our schools. A tear down fee, or other zoning or regulatory ideas, would help address the problem by getting at the cause of the problem–reducing the demand on the schools to begin with. It won’t solve the problem, but it’s just another we can, and probably should, try to address it.

And as far as the math goes, I don’t think it would be fair to compare the revenue generated by a fee in one year versus the total cost of school additions, which are meant to be a long term solution of 10 to 20 years, I would assume.

By: Daydreamer

Daydreamer — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:56:19 +0000

Good times. I had forgotten some of these:

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/bushquotes/a/dumbbushquotes_3.htm

By: Daydreamer

Daydreamer — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:50:00 +0000

Wait, so my objection isn’t with a tear down fee, though I do think it would have to be pretty substantial to deter builders. Passing along a fee on a 30 year mortgage for $450k probably wouldn’t be enough to discourage motivated builders and their buyers.

My issue was I just don’t think we should be telling people, who needs what. Each family has their own set of issues that determines the kind of house they buy, and if someone chooses bigger, I don’t think they should be judged for it. Do we want to start telling 2 person families they don’t “need” a second floor, or singletons that they don’t “need” a 3 bedroom house/condo. It sounded judgy, Or maybe I was just a tad defensive in hindsight.

Having said all that, I really don’t think anyone needs 3 whole rooms dedicated solely to gift wrapping (hear that Candy Spelling!) so perhaps I can be a little judgy too.