The Taxpayers Association has supported long range planning and

sustainability as the best road to efficient use of county resources. It

is unfortunate that both of these concepts are under attack by an effort

to use misstatements, half truths and innuendoes to create fear of an

innovative planning principal. The saddest part of this negative

campaign against mixed use and the revitalization of our historic towns

is that its sole purpose seems to be election year politics.

 

Across America there has been a realization that the land use policies

which have brought us miles of ugly strip shopping centers, made us

slaves to our cars causing traffic gridlock, wasted valuable open space

and farmland and blurred community identity need to be changed. This

effort to better our communities has led us to look back at policies

which created many of the towns and villages that we love and remember.

Central to these policies is the concept of allowing a mix of uses,

where  business owners and workers live above or near their shop, and

where businesses served a population which live or work within minutes

of their location. This allowed communities to develop where pedestrians

felt safe and enjoyed walking through their communities to work, shop or

play. Beginning 50-60 years ago, this American tradition was outlawed,

bringing us sprawling congested communities like those found in the

counties to our south. To avoid a costly sprawling future and achieve

sustainability we need better planning. The land use lessons which have

been learned over the past 50 years have shown that planning which

creates wonderful places must include the opportunity for mixed use as

one important land use tool. This is exactly what the county is

currently doing, adding this tool along with environmental,

transportation and other tools which already exist.

 

The political fear mongers want voters to believe that noxious land uses

will spread rampantly through every neighborhood of our county; this is

not true. What they fail to say is that integration of uses can only

occur in Planned Unit Developments (PUD) with their myriad of additional

restrictions and requirements, or in our master planned historic

redevelopment areas. Both of these scenarios receive significant review

of every detail including the appropriateness of specific uses for

specific locations. No one is proposing that mixed use projects are for

everyone or every location. And it is important that the specific

features of individual projects consider the unique characteristics of

its location; Martin CountyНs planning procedures will ensure that this

occurs.

 

The land use efficiencies and ability to build healthy, vibrant

communities has prompted planning, architectural, health, environmental

and sustainable communitiesН organizations around the world to support

mixed use policies as part of a strategy for smart growth. It should be

allowed in Martin County.

 

The grassroots efforts to revitalize Martin CountyНs Historic Downtowns

and neighborhoods is showing rewards because of the hard work of

community citizens and the state CRA process. Through the use of this

process the redevelopment successes seen in Stuart, Fort Pierce, Delray

Beach and elsewhere will be seen in the future for Port Salerno, Hobe

Sound, Roi, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Indiantown, Golden Gate and other

neighborhoods. Individuals who criticize с CRAsо  to try and create an

election year issue are insulting the hardworking citizens in these

communities and doing a great disservice to the residents of Martin

County.

 

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Help Wanted

 

Computer data input.  Assist Martin County accounting department by

inputting fixed asset items.  Volunteer opportunity to help your local

government.  Retirees, students, or anyone with computer experience.

 

Spreadsheet analysis - Assist the MCTA by inputting budget information.

Excel spreadsheet experience necessary.