(Photo taken of development across from Cambridge High School.  This property was rezoned to provide 3X the density that would have been allowed under AG-1 zoning.  Bill Lusk made initial motion to approve, which was seconded by Matt Kunz.)

May 25, 2017

Several days ago, the Milton Coalition did a soft re-launch of our blog.  For 6 months, we had let our blog go dormant.  However, the rezoning of 3 properties on Hopewell Road prompted a number of citizens to urge us to step up our efforts against reckless development in Milton . . . including resurrecting the blog.  Today’s blog post is meant to provide an introduction to development in Milton and its importance in Milton’s government and politics.

You cannot understand Milton government or politics unless you understand development.  Why?  Because development is where the money is.  And it is a lot of money.  Milton’s remaining development potential ranges from $1B to $3B.  Development is far and away Milton’s biggest industry.  Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that development dominates Milton’s government and politics.  City Council spends well over 50% of its time on land use issues.  And development, and its attendant problems, dominate political debate in Milton.

Of course, developers are naturally keen to maximize their profits.  And this often means lobbying the government for special favors—e.g., rezonings and variances.  Through campaign contributions and business/personal relationships, developers seek to grease the gears of our city government to their benefit.  Their goal is usually higher density, which translates to higher profits.  Unfortunately, Milton’s citizens pay the cost of this higher density in the form of traffic congestion, overcrowded schools, and lower home values. 

Fortunately, the community has been fighting back against developers.  And we have been mostly winning.  Several rezoning/variance applications have been denied or withdrawn.  A cluster home ordinance was voted down.  And ambiguities and gaps in our ordinances are being addressed.  However, to secure these victories will require replacement of some Council members who are promoting higher density development in Milton.

After 2 election cycles with no contested elections, it appears certain that Milton will have competitive races in 2017.  And it appears certain that the main campaign issue will be Milton’s unconstrained development.  The campaign will pit citizens against moneyed special interests.  It will be a battle for the heart and soul of Milton.  Voters will be presented a stark choice.  Citizens can surrender to developers (and their proponents on Council) and become Anywhere, USA.  Or we can assert our prerogatives and preserve what makes Milton special.  It is that simple.

Tomorrow’s post is “Rezoning = Higher Density = Higher Developer Profits – Lower Citizen Quality of Life”