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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   3437 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 16, 2023

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"...contribute significantly to the rural character..."

"...the stewardship many feel for their communities."

This reads like the preamble to some hardcore NIMBY organizations' charter. Amorphous phrases that point to "character", "community" and (unelected) "stewardship" don't trump personal property rights. They're not even in the same neighborhood.

And when is the "character" of a place set in stone? This is straight up No True Scotsman 101. This is such a literal trope the Simpson have a hallmark episode about it. The only constant is change and no person or group gets to self-appoint as "arbiter of the good character of a place and community." That's a well paved road to localized authoritarianism.

I definitely code traditionalist conservative, but trampling on individual and property rights "to make sure we keep the Main Street Habdashery up for another 100 years" is the same as when progressives want to outlaw parental choice in schools so that "we can end bigotry forever by forcing Ibram X. Kendi book reports."

And when is the "character" of a place set in stone? This is straight up No True Scotsman 101. This is such a literal trope the Simpson have a hallmark episode about it. The only constant is change and no person or group gets to self-appoint as "arbiter of the good character of a place and community." That's a well paved road to localized authoritarianism.

You mean 'bylaws'?

When you move to a place with a law saying 'no lots smaller than X acres', it seems reasonable to expect that neither you nor anybody else will be able to subdivide your lot -- and to go to town council meetings to argue against Slippery Dick's variance application.

"to make sure we keep the Main Street Habdashery up for another 100 years"

This sounds like a strawman no one is arguing for. The reality is typically agricultural land abutting protected conservation land or SFR that a developer wants a change in use to support multi-family, mixed use, or SFR McMansions.

person or group gets to self-appoint

Not sure who's arguing for this. I argued for responsive local elected officials as an example of democracy in action.

Your personal property rights aren't being trumped because you can't develop a highrise mixed use development on a surplus paddock. You can sell it as agricultural land.

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