Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	5/3/2006

Heart of the Triad (HOT) - Glimspe of the Future

(Paul Johnson at the High Point Enterprise provided a good review on a pending lawsuit over HOT...registration required)

If those pushing for creating a "HOT" supra-governmental zone between Greensboro, High Point and Kernersville are successful, New Hanover County just outside of Wilmington, NC is a likely model that will be followed: Pretend there was planning, tax or otherwise push people off their land and spend the taxpayers money to the benefit of those promoting the project.

The other week I had the pleasure of driving down Military Cutoff road just outside the former city limits of Wilmington. Via the questionably legal tactic of annexing land non-contiguous to existing city limits, the city of Wilmington coerced an unwilling seller of a historic horse farm surrounded by wetlands to sell out to developers. Now the land is under full "planned" development.

Not surprisingly, expansion into the environmentally sensitive area has created problems. Extending the city's aging sewer lines into the new area has been the biggest headache. Too many raw sewage spills have brought the State into the picture last week as Raleigh imposed a moratorium on new sewer line hook-ups.

Today, a private contractor working along Military Cutoff snarnled traffic by chopping into a Piemont Energy gas line. Guess who picks up the tab?

"City officials say neither the construction company nor Piedmont Energy will be getting fined for hitting the gas line, which means tax payers will be footing the bill."

All the usual suspects (.doc file) are tied up in this deal, false front environmental groups, the League of Municipalities, energetic city council leaders...

Let's let developers and their cheerleaders put up their own money to fund all their favorite projects from light rail lines to yet another championship golf course.

11:58:33 PM

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