Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:57:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: Val Proffitt
Subject: Re: Fact checking Cliff Beasley
Tom West states that county taxes have not increased under the present Board of Commissioners.. In fact, my husband and I saw an increase of just over $60, so perhaps Cliff Beasley’s report is accurate.
We live near Cliff, and in fact do have high density development near by- Bob Cat Point and Cattail Creek. Traffic has increased, as he reports.
I hope we can find a middle way between “growth at any cost” and “no growth”. It is possible to combine growth and a healthy environment.
Many years ago I lived in northern Granville County. My husband to be/then husband worked and went to school in Raleigh. We both were up and down Route 50 and had plenty of chances to watch north Raleigh go from old farms to dense, congested urban landscape. It happened very quickly, and is certainly in my mind as I think about Chatham County. A field trip to north Raleigh or Cary is a powerful reminder about uncontained “sprawl”, and the noise, bad air, water issues, crowding and (to me) ugliness that go along with sprawl.
Including meaningful environmental assessments in planning for growth is a whole lot easier than trying to repair damage after the fact. Chatham County is growing. People want to live here because it is NOT north Raleigh or Cary, but experience suggests it does not take much to tip the balance.
Maybe it’s not either growth or the environment. Both/and works well for me..
Thanks,
Val Proffitt