LETTER: Grass, sprawl and Las Vegas development
It’s not the grass, but the sprawl was Stacy Standley’s message in his April 18 Review-Journal commentary. Mr. Standley also wants to drain or cover everyone’s pool. But stopping BLM land auctions and forcing builders to develop in-fill parcels was his primary message.
Developers would love to build out in-fill parcels. The utilities and streets are already there, making it less expensive. However, in-fill parcels come with neighbors who have no interest in welcoming working families to their neighborhood. Recent battles over the Badlands and Black Mountain golf courses are good examples. Residents in existing neighborhoods want vacant land to stay vacant. If not that, they insist new neighbors be of their class and color.
Mr. Standley’s points have logic, but are politically naive as to the difficulty of gaining zoning and development approvals over bellowing, organized neighbors sporting torches, pitchforks, email addresses and phone numbers for their respective City Council members.