Couple of things
- Ultimately, this is a big step in the right direction, and it's that type of grassroots enthusiasm that we need for the biofuels industry to go. I've said it once and I'll say it again ... we need a regional economy and one of its centerpieces needs to be a strong biofuel industry. Out of all the regions in the state, not one is suited better for it with the mix of urban and rural landscapes than Athens-Clarke County and its surrounding counties.
- Again, Leonard Pitts is my favorite columnist.
- I thought Blake made some good points here.
- This story is a perfect example of why I don't understand the mindset of so many developers in this community. The market works based on supply and demand. Speaking with several friends who are in real estate or the mortgage business, our demand has gone down drastically and our supply is already at an incredibly high surplus ... yet these folks still want to keep building at a pace that is considerably higher than our projected population growth. And everyone is struggling to find the best way to approach this thing. Do we need to consider rezoning particular areas? What about possibly developing incentives for more mixed-use developments to spur commerical growth? I'm interested to hear some of the thoughts from those on comprehensive growth plan committee examining this issue.
- Easy cupcake ... that's still Blake Mitchell as your quarterback and not Danny Wuerffel. You'll still finish 7-5 by the end of the year.
- Franklin Langham's a Georgia boy, so kudos for the win good sir. He had some success on the PGA Tour a few years back, but is working his way back through the Nationwide Tour. If he keeps playing like this, he'll earn his tour card in no time.
- Speaking of golf, Charles Howell III reached the final playoff event for the FedEx Cup, though it would take a win in this week's Tour Championship to capture the title.
- Again, Leonard Pitts is my favorite columnist.
- I thought Blake made some good points here.
- This story is a perfect example of why I don't understand the mindset of so many developers in this community. The market works based on supply and demand. Speaking with several friends who are in real estate or the mortgage business, our demand has gone down drastically and our supply is already at an incredibly high surplus ... yet these folks still want to keep building at a pace that is considerably higher than our projected population growth. And everyone is struggling to find the best way to approach this thing. Do we need to consider rezoning particular areas? What about possibly developing incentives for more mixed-use developments to spur commerical growth? I'm interested to hear some of the thoughts from those on comprehensive growth plan committee examining this issue.
- Easy cupcake ... that's still Blake Mitchell as your quarterback and not Danny Wuerffel. You'll still finish 7-5 by the end of the year.
- Franklin Langham's a Georgia boy, so kudos for the win good sir. He had some success on the PGA Tour a few years back, but is working his way back through the Nationwide Tour. If he keeps playing like this, he'll earn his tour card in no time.
- Speaking of golf, Charles Howell III reached the final playoff event for the FedEx Cup, though it would take a win in this week's Tour Championship to capture the title.
posted by Jmac at 5:59 AM
5 Comments:
Re: CHIII
I believe he's mathematically eliminated from contention for the FedEx Cup. I read this morning that only the top 5 in the current standings could win.
Darren
Dang it!
Oh well. He's had a considerably better year than last year, so that's a positive.
Jmac:
On developers, it often isn't that they want to build now, it's that they want to go ahead and get things "entitled" so they can build when they want to, or so they can flip it to someone else.
This is one of the things that is hurting Oconee. Much of what is being built now (or was built in the past 18 months) was approved all through the early 2000s. Developers then either sat on it, or flipped it to out of town developers, basically making money for using local connections to get something entitled. Then these out of towners come in, with out of town banks and contractors, and without knowing the market, and build their crud, or change the deal to a lower quality and price point. The end result: low quality construction and housing for our region while the developer who got it entitled pockets the cash and moves to Highlands, Lake Oconee, wherever.
BB
Developers have lost their minds in my part of Gwinnett County. New strip malls are planned or going up all around Peachtree Industrial in the Suwanee/Duluth areas. Land has been cleared further north in Buford along Satellite Blvd. But I see so many finished places sitting vacant. Not many "under contract" signs around either.
I enjoy Leonard Pitts too.
I don't understand the mindset of so many developers in this community.
You should say "working in this community" -- not many of them live here.
...yet these folks still want to keep building at a pace that is considerably higher than our projected population growth.
Flipping was mentioned, but cannibalizing should also be. Most of these developers want to cut business away from other developers, and are betting that they will be able to and therefore sell enough units to meet their needs.
Do we need to consider rezoning particular areas? What about possibly developing incentives for more mixed-use developments to spur commerical growth?
Neither, I would argue. A) We need to be very stringent with rezoning standards, since we're already estimated to have platted or in the pipeline enough housing to last us through 2030. Smart developers will then pursue existing plans, or simply choose not to develop in Athens. B) We need to be careful and stringent with regard to utilities, because water lines are a primary determinant of where people seek to develop. C) We need to work with the school board so that they might make more logical decisions along the lines of B. We have two major problems with the board, leaving aside their abysmal land use practices in general. Specifically, a) they situate schools where land is cheap and the county is obligated to provide them services that they would otherwise prefer to situate strategically. b) they sometimes situate schools in places that cause problems for Athens in terms of other businesses. For example, Coile has the potential to limit commercial growth in what is supposed to be one of the designated locations for commercial growth.
Beyond that, we don't legally have the right to limit development in general. We do have the right to not approve anything that is not completely conforming to the existing plans.
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