Sunday, May 21, 2006
Colorado: The price of smart growth
The price of smart growth
Communities debate how to follow Boulder's lead
By Eric Schmidt, Camera Staff Writer
May 21, 2006
With open-space and planning policies dating back four decades, Boulder was among the first American cities to curtail development with growth control and publicly funded land preservation.
The wisdom of what came to be known as "smart growth" remains up for debate. As communities east of Boulder's greenbelts establish growth limits and open-space programs of their own, the question is whether Boulder represents an example to follow or a mistake to avoid.
"I certainly take it as a compliment to be compared to the city and county of Boulder when it comes to open-space purchases," said Louisville Mayor Chuck Sisk, whose city has amassed about 2,000 acres of open space since the early 1990s. "If I can leave any part of a legacy for our children and grandchildren, that is what I would choose."
Yet in a March report titled "The Planning Penalty," Randal O'Toole, of the Independence Institute — a free-market think tank in Golden — cites Boulder as proof that slow growth and open space drive housing prices past what average residents can afford.
O'Toole estimates the combination adds $117,000 to the median price of a home in Boulder County, even when adjusted to reflect affluent residents' buying power. He writes that a planning-induced housing shortage added $3 billion to the cost of homes statewide in 2005.
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Communities debate how to follow Boulder's lead
By Eric Schmidt, Camera Staff Writer
May 21, 2006
With open-space and planning policies dating back four decades, Boulder was among the first American cities to curtail development with growth control and publicly funded land preservation.
The wisdom of what came to be known as "smart growth" remains up for debate. As communities east of Boulder's greenbelts establish growth limits and open-space programs of their own, the question is whether Boulder represents an example to follow or a mistake to avoid.
"I certainly take it as a compliment to be compared to the city and county of Boulder when it comes to open-space purchases," said Louisville Mayor Chuck Sisk, whose city has amassed about 2,000 acres of open space since the early 1990s. "If I can leave any part of a legacy for our children and grandchildren, that is what I would choose."
Yet in a March report titled "The Planning Penalty," Randal O'Toole, of the Independence Institute — a free-market think tank in Golden — cites Boulder as proof that slow growth and open space drive housing prices past what average residents can afford.
O'Toole estimates the combination adds $117,000 to the median price of a home in Boulder County, even when adjusted to reflect affluent residents' buying power. He writes that a planning-induced housing shortage added $3 billion to the cost of homes statewide in 2005.
[Click title above to read the rest (registration required)]
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