Today’s Washington Post brings this story about the latest version of Nimby-ism to hit Northern Virginia
The trees were the last straw.
Becky Cate spotted the destruction one day last December: Amid the sprawl of her neighborhood just south of Tysons Corner, a Caterpillar had barreled through a grove of towering poplars and oaks, wiping out what she and her neighbors considered their last remaining treasure. Giant trees that a developer had promised to save on an old family goat farm were now being bulldozed for 14 more houses.
“We started making calls to the county and said, ‘This is not right,’ ” recalled Cate, a civic activist and former candidate for county supervisor who helped lead a fight for fewer houses on the property. “We want the natural canopy back. . . . It’s a high-profile case, and people are watching it.”
Ummm, excuse me Ms. Cate, but did you own the property on which the trees were located ? No ?
Did you have a covenant from the owner of that property that they would preserve the tree canopy that you and your neighbors enjoyed ? Oh is that another no ?
So, basically what you’re saying is that you were enjoying the benefit of someone else’s undeveloped property, without paying for it, and now that they want to exercise their property rights you want to stop them ?
I’m sure that the answer to this question would also be no, but it would be untrue, because that is exactly what this “civic activist” and her compatriots are seeking. And, since they either can’t or won’t utilize the market to achieve their ends, they want the government to do it for them.
And, apparently, they succeeded:
Neighborhood pressure pushed the case of the lost trees on the goat farm to the top of the county board’s agenda in the spring. The supervisors ordered the developer to stop work until it came up with a plan to replace the trees. The board will take it up Monday
The article goes on to describe other examples of what appears to be a so-called “slow-growth” movement taking shape in Fairfax County, which is now becoming one of the most densly populated counties in the area. “Slow-Growth”, of course, is just another name for regulation and restriction of property rights.
This is why the Kelo decision and its progeny are so bad. Based on Kelo, it would be entirely logical for Fairfax County to condemn the property on which the tree canopy that Ms. Cate and her neighbors enjoy so much is located and turn it into a park for their benefit. Or worse yet, they could let the owner keep the property but regulate it in such a way that it becomes valueless to him. All because a few people want a nice view out their kitchen window without having to pay for it.
There are market-based solutions to the growth and sprawl problems that people in Fairfax are apparently upset about, but apparently my neighbors on the opposite bank of the Occoquan River find it easier to use the power of the state to achieve their ends.
Linked with today’s Beltway Traffic Jam
