Travel Pete's Journal: Basements, Kids & Mental Health

Colorado Conflict: Growth is Unreasonable

If I could sum up the conflict that is affecting life in Colorado as we know it, it would go something like this:
"We came out here for the peace and solitude. So did everyone else."

An article in the Denver Post yesterday is subtitled: "Ideals clash as county faces high growth" Denver Post Article (only online for 10 days, then use their Advanced Search, look for "Growing Pains in Adams.")

Basically, whoever lived in the country before wants things to remain idyllic. Whoever is just moving in wants roads, stores and convenience. This leads to older owners' property being condemned for roads and schools and such, and it pisses them off, because in Colorado, as in most Western states, growth always wins. I feel sorry for the couple in the article whose house in Adams' county is likely to be paved over.

We have the same issue near my house, but at least I've been aware of it since buying my house, and my house won't actually be leveled. Cities to the north of me want to widen state highway 93 (50 yards west of my house) so they can build malls and new subdivisions up north (i.e. near Rocky Flats Nuclear cleanup site. Yep, you read that right) and get people from down south to drive up there to visit said shopping extravaganza.

Two state-sponsored studies have been done which show this road isn't necessary, and that people won't drive 10 miles west (to where I am) and then up north, and then back east. Yet, studies in these suburban cities up north must be showing some good tax base revenues, because they are pushing like crazy to get the road widened and built up into a true freeway (get rid of the occasional red light intersection and house in the way).

If you want to know the outcome, I'll just say again: Growth will win.

Visit the Institute for Justice, a center dedicated to individual rights (vs. eminent domain used by corporations to grab land they want at below-market prices).

The important issue to try and wrap your brain around is: It's not a matter of reasonability. Growth is unreasonable. You can't argue with it, it just happens (or so it seems around here).

So, if you are in the market for a house, don't think, "oh, well, we were here first, there's no way some new person can come and take my property and my lifestyle." You'd be wrong to think that, no matter how good your "reasons."

Because? Well, because you're matching your feelgood reasoning up against cold hard numbers (i.e. usually new tax revenues for growing cities) and the numbers always win, because people can count them. I mean, how much is it worth for you to lose your home? Just buy another one, right? Right?

Posted by BilFish at February 19, 2004 07:32 AM