Brother, fear only God!
I pray to the Most Holy Theotokos and Evervirgin Mary that your town is saved.
May God’s will be done.
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Thank you! What a nice video and thought!!
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I’ll have to check… I think he would be free and clear to develop if it was allowed in our town’s Unified Development Ordinances (which it is not) or if he got de-annexed from the town. But he has spent millions of dollars developing this plan, and he owns a very successful construction company that has built projects like this, so I would bet he is very well educated on what permits and clearances he needs. It truly is a massive project.
The issue has never been that Summerfield cares if he wants to develop his land. The town has really tried to work with him in the past… They have made so many concessions it makes me sick… but he wants the high density apartment villages all connected by biking trails and streets or nothing. He could easily build as many stores, restraunts, houses, quadraplexes, duplexes and coffee shops if he wants, but without those high density residents to shop at them, he has no motivation to build them because they wouldn’t be profitable…
His real motive is to exploit Summerfield by getting in on the ground floor of a huge urbanization project, that would radically change the demographic make-up of the voters and pave the way for more development. Mr. Couch says either we are growing or dying, which is clearly a false dichotomy and reveals what his intentions are. It will never end if he gets de-annexed. So right now, we are just waiting to see if Phil Berger is going to introduce it into legislation. The last thing we heard from Mr. Berger, was that he wanted us to negotiate with Mr. Couch. Our town sent a new letter of concessions, which is not made public, but I think it was pretty generous… and have heard nothing back from Mr. Couch or Mr. Berger. But we all know he will not negotiate on the apartments. So it is what it is at the moment.
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That does look like a massive project, do you have any contacts in the construction company you can talk to about how this sounds like a horrible idea and it should never be built regardless of what happens with the politicians?
It is sad how things like this happen just for profit, without regard to the non-monetary cost.
Not everything about this looks completely horrible, as in seems like this could be ok for people who don’t have cars.
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I think its like Sal2lee says, it is happening everywhere. From what I hear our reps get about 200 phone calls a week complaining, in addition to emails and letters… It just comes down to will they do the right thing or not. My neighbor who is the main organizer has a group of lawyers, developers, pastors, local politicians and every profession you can imagine. They meet often and go through all the possibilities. But I think right now it is out of our hands and other than keeping up the pressure on the state representatives and prayers, it is just a waiting game and will be for years to come if it does not make it into this sessions agenda. But they are still trying… Our focus lately is our spread the word campaign… So we are not just sitting around and lobbying for other bills that will protect small towns ability to govern themselves… but it is what it is. And I am so grateful for everyone’s prayers and well wishes on this site!
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Yeah there are common problems across all states and counties, but definitely some major regional differences.
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Plan to go to couple meetings this next week to hear about what is going on with local government where I’m at, one project I’ve mentioned here about is a motel building possibly being converted into permanent apartments many people don’t want that to happen.
I’m not personally for or against that happening at the moment, just trying to understand what is even going on with this have heard some really confusing contradictory information about that.
May want to live there myself if I qualify for an apartment, haven’t heard back from the county about my inquiry for that.
Usually all the problems are with management.
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That sounds interesting! I hope it works out for the best! It sounds like it could be a positive thing for your community if it’s done right. I actually really enjoy our council meetings although I wish we didn’t have to deal with this particular problem… But sometimes it’s like a live theater show when things get heated and our more outspoken neighbors speak up… But I like the people and it’s a great way to learn whats going on.
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Thanks, I wouldn’t say this is “my community” what I’m talking about but this is in one of the main towns near where I’m from.
A few people had started a lawsuit to try to stop this project but then dropped the lawsuit, for reasons I heard described by one person as a problem with anyone signing their power away to an attorney is in effect; sacrificing what little rights they initially had to a completely nonsensical and failed legal system.
Monday afternoon one of the county commissioners has informal meetings at a cafe where anyone can drop in to talk about whatever is going on for them, then Tuesday morning are the more official meetings where people can speak for up to three minutes to all three commissioners and anyone else there for the meeting so those ones are more important, I might try speaking at that one have a few things to talk about.
Most bizarre for me as how some folks say they are literally “fighting” the commissioner on things, by going to her meetings, I don’t see how anyone would consider that to be fighting. I was thinking of joking at them, why don’t you go outside and march on the sidewalk with torches and pitchforks or something? That would probably be mean to say that I shouldn’t say that to their faces, but basically they’re just protesting and I don’t see that being productive for anything.
You also reminded me about your story with the private plane, some recent meetings there were some folks trying to sell the county on buying up an old airport, so it can be used for emergency medical flights and supposedly for FEMA to bring in emergency supplies in case of a catastrophic earthquate they are predicting for this region. If that does happen it could destroy the bridge and ferry terminals so trucks can’t bring in supplies, planes or boats would be the only way since we’re on an island.
There is a navy base and outlying field pilots use for training for aircraft carrier landings, those planes are so loud the growlers I am lucky to not live near those airfields wish they would just shut those down we don’t need airplanes.
Sorry for long-winded ramble there, now I remember why I mention this because at the meeting one of these stooges said they could fly the commissioner to the major airport in Seattle so she didn’t have to deal with traffic, I think that is extortion or bribery to offer a favor like that to a politician to try to manipulate them to use taxpayer money for purchasing an airport.
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Anyway I’m sorry that went way off topic from Summerfield, please keep us posted about what is going on with that and how we can help!
If there are any plots of land for sale in where that development is at risk of happening, I’d recommend you buy those or anyone who has money to do that, that has been the most effective way to stop unwanted development just buy the land or occupy it so the building can’t even start.
You have pegged exactly why I quit working in South Florida designing PUD’s. Problem is, as a land planner/landscape architect, you do what you can to create the most ideal community as you have been TAUGHT. These are absolutely ideal for the smart city Agenda 21-30 plan to further enslave the population and control the “vote”.
What actually did it for me was coming up to an area being dredged for development to see a roseate spoonbill wandering through what would soon be land after the canal he was in was drained of water. Sadly, we are all spoonbills at this point.
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I agree justawhoaman… His plans for the apartment villages are very similar to 15 minute cities in that they are all connected by biking trails, they are all high density, they all have food, shopping and entertainment in a compressed area. They could easily be converted to a true 15-min-city at any time.
And yes, I agree that architects are all taught how to think the same… You find that in every single profession, doctors, teachers, economists, bankers, etc. I think that is the whole point of standardizing tests… It produces standardized thinking. If everyone has the same experiences, everyone thinks similar.
I also the whole housing “crisis” as it is portrayed in the media is caused by investors looking for houses as investments and not for actual housing. It drives the price up and the quality down… To me I think the housing crisis is a myth, but the prices are definitely artificially inflated by “investors” in many parts of the country.
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UW architecture department used to have study abroad in Chandigarh, which is a planned city, but looks like that isn’t active anymore.
There are a lot of problems with this city and other planned cities, hard for anyone to understand fully without seeing them in person.
Probably already posted about this a few times here but these architects have a much better way of establishing towns and cities, based on the way this was done in the time before architects.
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I will definitely keep you posted, and I enjoyed reading all your posts… and thank you for reading mine. FEMA is bad news, I wouldn’t trust them to shelter a dog much less people… so I hope they stay out of your area!
I also agree the term fighting is used very loosely! My neighbor always tells me to bring my pitchfork to the meetings lol. Fortunately in my small town, the town council and mayor all live and work in the area so they have to interact with the people they represent. It does help keep them honest, as opposed to the state government making decisions about our town and many of the legislators have never even been in my town. To them their is a disconnect.
It does make me sad that so many injustices are carried out, and I’m glad you are not near the airfield… I agree with Catherine Fitts that the only way to govern people honestly is locally. It is heartbreaking to here how corporations and government just steam roll over people.
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According to Zillow my 950 sq ft house increased in value $2,200 in the last 30 days. How they determine the prices on real estate has yet to be explained or found.
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In the last year Zillow’s estimate on my house went up 40,000 and down 30,000. I do not have any trust in their numbers or the company. I just get the feeling they manipulate the housing market with sites like Zillow.
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This is true, the crisis is not with housing it’s just the banks.
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Zillow, Red Fin and Tulia are essentially media companies with data bases. Our Information Age brought about their existence. The old real estate model where agents hauled their clients around to tour homes for sale is gone.
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The house where I live now was built in 1923 a hundred years ago, and changed owners most recently in 2011 for sale price of $177,000.
Previous sale in 2006 was at a price of about $280,000
In 1979, it sold for about $30,000.
Today, the Red Fin estimate for the value of this house is 1/2 million.
Nothing about this makes any sense, does it?
Graph from redfin for past five years:
Anyway there is a problem with people who don’t have houses, I’m one of them I don’t own this house, but planned cities aren’t the answer.
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Here’s my take on the situation. This is the same thing that is happening all around the country and indeed many countries around the world. If we look at who these investors are and who they eventually sell to, we can see the “shell game” where big money hides behind some front company or stooge that is shilling and is ultimately betraying his/her country. Many of these people in big business are beholden to those bigger fish that control through nefarious means that gave the “Black Nobility” their name (playing dirty pool.) Some are controlled though greed or their particular vice, but others are threatened and coerced gangster style. The fact is that these mega corporations that are ultimately owned through the big banks (Black Rock, Vanguar,d etc.) that are now investing in real estate in preparation for the world wide economic collapse that they are planning. This is not for their want of profit so much as so as to do maximum damage to those who don’t have any. It is a war on the middle class. This is the same East India company and the financial monopolies of colonialism, the banksters of London/Europe. Their wealth can just buy up those they wish to conquer, so powerful is the “power of the purse” that they initially built up through slavery, drugs, weapon trade, war, etc. This phase is the laundering part where they trade it in for the sovereignty of nations and their natural resources to control technology and the up and coming debt slavery corporatocracy. They call it the new world order or the next industrial revolution to try and con the common man into going along with a cashless society that would see everybody’s bank get hacked one day, making the one world government necessary(not.)
The solution is grass roots government and state/county/city rights standing up to compromised federal government that is overstepping its checks and balances. Musicians have taken such a hit since the cancel culture, lockdown plandemic because it is such a tool for bringing the people together and uniting them in one voice that is louder than the news monopoly on the TV (or in large news corps. that all just read from the bankers Associated Press and Reuters script.) That is why they just hire actors and persecute real journalists.
Organize a bluegrass concert to bring attention to the situation, but be careful of who the sponsors are. Make it free and open source better yet. You will have more allies all across small town America than you can Imagine!
Strength in Numbers
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