Opposition View of TND

This email was sent to the city and thought it would be worth a post. I just had a great conversation with Tom and think this opinion is worth considering. Thanks for the input Tom, -Scott

"I was doing a little snooping around the internet about Victor and found this web site:

http://www.ecospace.cc/ecoproducts/mountainside-sustainable-neighborhood-1207.htm

I want to make a comment about my feelings about Mountainside Village. I think that it is the most rediculous piece of planning for this valley I have ever seen. It is not "forward-looking" design and it is not inspirational to say the least! We do not like that kind of density and I am surprised that the City of Victor allowed it. The roofs are so close together and so steep, that a child could be playing in between the buildings when the ice and snow slides off and get killed. There is no privacy. This type of clostrophobic living is what people move here to get away from! If this is anything like what is slated as a Traditional Neighborhood Overlay, I say dump it now! How in the world can "this type of design...increase vitality and productivity in Victor"? The residents of communities like that become like chickens that peck themselves to death in their little tiny cages. High density living does not increase vitality, rather it reduces the quality of life. We moved from San Diego, California to escape this kind of high density nonsense. To me, it's all about profits. Developers want high density to increase profits. Cities want high density to increase revenues. This is where common sense takes a back seat to profits. Is it any wonder, when people live on top of one another that they, like the chickens, start to peck at each other and become maladjusted? The streets, rather than becoming a place where people hang out on the porch to visit with the neighbors, are taken over by gangs.

Here is an excerpt from the above web page:

Mountainside Village is a leader in forward-looking design on a local level as well. Officially incorporated into the town of Victor, Idaho, it has become an inspiration for the city’s City Planner, Bill Knight. Re-energized by the warm look and feel, Mr. Knight is leading an effort to encourage the incorporation of Traditional Neighborhood Design principles into the development of downtown Victor.

“When knitted into the town plan,” Knight explains, “this type of design will increase vitality and productivity in Victor.” Based on this vision, Knight is currently in the process of presenting Victor’s planning and zoning committee with plans to implement a new, Traditional Neighborhood zoning overlay, slated to surround the center of town. This parallel zone will allow landowners to develop Victor’s town center in way that enhances its warm, neighborhood feeling, preserves the aesthetics of its streetscape, and encourages pedestrian and bicycle transport – many of the same values that Mountainside Village seeks to promote in its community."

Tom Egbert
Victor, ID

Good Article on TND

The subprime crisis is just the tip of the iceberg. Fundamental changes in American life may turn today’s McMansions into tomorrow’s tenements.

Click HERE to Read more of this article from Atlantic.com.