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Research
<br /> FOR DETAILS: If Growth Is So Good, Why Are My centrated around rail lines, the land it utilizes is
<br /> Copies of the Taxes Going Up? New Illinois Study cheap, but requires expensive infrastructure ex-
<br /> report, Irrcacts of Unks Commercial Development to tensions to low-density areas. The results
<br /> Develoomenr on Higher Taxes strongly suggest that an efficient pattern of
<br /> DuPage.County How many times have we herd county and city development can make the difference between
<br /> Property Taxes, are councils defend sewer, water, and road exten- stable local taxes and an ever-increasing burden
<br /> available for S10 sions to remote development with L`* explana• on city budgets and taxpayers.
<br /> from the DuPage tion,"We've got to grow;growth will expand our
<br /> County Regional tax base."'y t how many times have those same (Reprinted courtesy of The Coastal Guardian,
<br /> Planning Commis- councils lowered taxes as a result of the finan• newsletter of the South Carolina Coastal Con-
<br /> sion, 421 N Coun- cial fruits of growth? servation League.)
<br /> ty Farm PC- A recent study of 20 years of development in
<br /> Wheaton, IL 60187. fast-growing suburban DuPage County, III., ex- Oregon Affordable Housing Study
<br /> plores this apparent contradiction.The study es- Shows Importance of Land Use
<br /> tablishes a direct correlation between new Planning
<br /> development, both residential and non-residen-
<br /> tial, and increases in local property taxes. A joint study by the Homebuilders Association
<br /> Previous research confirmed the drain on local of Metropolitan Portland and 1000 Friends of
<br /> budgets when residential development moves Oregon shows that Oregon's land use planning
<br /> Into rural areas. The Illinois stud i» laws have created higher density housing in the
<br /> y is surprising g metro Portland region, helping to keep housing
<br /> because It draws the conclusion that commer-
<br /> cial costs affordable compared to other West Coast
<br /> Commerc.a, t sopping en it urban areas, particularly urban areas (see Dec.1990 Developments).
<br /> p Aping centers and malls,also cost local
<br /> developments in governments more than they generate In tax Copies of the final report executive summary
<br /> urban areas. par- revenues, resulting in tax Increases. are now available for $3 ($10 for the technical
<br /> ticularly st^a shop- The study cites two major reasons for the In- report) by contacting 1000 Friends of Oregon,
<br /> ping ceme-s and 534 SW 3rd Ave., #300, Portland, OR 97204.
<br /> malts, also cost crease in local taxes. The first is the cost of In-
<br /> local governments frastructure (roads, sewer, water) and services i^►
<br /> more rhar they (police, schools, parks) required to support the �n the Courts
<br /> generate ,n tax new development The second is the wIllingness
<br /> revenues, result- of cities to offer tax breaks and discounted ser- (continued from previous page)
<br /> ing in tax in- vices to compete for large development, themselves and pulling up the drawbridge."
<br /> creases. Further, because new development is often The idea of 'fair share" housing has already
<br /> Pnom by B,__e Fo,ste, scattered at the edge of cities, rather than con-
<br /> been integrated into planning laws in California,
<br /> Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsyl-
<br /> vania and New Jersey.
<br /> •
<br /> Florida Court Upholds State
<br /> $(JI Policies Against Sprawl
<br /> A Florida district court has upheld the state
<br /> Department of Community Affairs' (DCA) ability
<br /> • rtl to curb sprawl as part of Florida's statewide
<br /> • .�• - �' - -- i growth management initiative. Homebuilders
<br /> oo-o(A ' and some county officials had challenged DCA's
<br /> ittuc
<br /> � •. V+1 application of "anti-sprawl" policies, such as
<br /> t— ( urban service areas and large minimum lot sizes
<br /> 1 in rural areas, In reviewing local comprehensive
<br /> plans.The plaintiffs argued that DCA was using
<br /> ( < < the policies as"de-facto"adminisirative rules,an
<br /> invalid exercise of DCA's authority.The court dis-
<br /> agreed, however, noting that DCA's policies as
<br /> applied do not constitute rules, and are applied
<br /> flexibly as best suited to each plan.
<br /> 14 Developments
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