Let's think long and hard about Darrin Ledford and Jerry Mitchell's desires to slow development in hot areas. On the surface, it is easy to agree with big developers pulling their fair share of the weight while they are developing empty properties. They come in with millions of dollars of bank loans in order to build apartments, town homes or retail shops. Why wouldn't they have the money to spend a couple hundred thousand more on runoff control measures?
The city already has a storm water review process, which requires developers to submit engineered plans. The city engineers dig through them and a resolution is met. Only after this process is completed will a building permit be issued. So why are we having this problem? Ask the residents in Black Creek who are dealing with excessive water run off. Ask the ones in North Chatt who are dealing with the same. Ask the folks who live along the creeks near Hamilton Place about how their streets and houses flood a little more every time a parking lot is added. Ask the First Tennessee Bank on East Brainerd Road that utilizes sand bags every time we get heavy rain.
The answer can be found somewhere between our elected officials who make higher and higher barriers to entry and the developers who have deep pockets. You see, these developers do the dance of getting the engineers to design the half million dollar water run off system and then go down and put pressure on the Land Disturbance and Water Quality office to lower the requirements. The city employees are stuck in the middle, often delaying a response for fear of getting a call from the ivory tower. Eventually the call comes and they approve the development and building permits "with conditions." These often turn a blind eye to the expensive infrastructure that storm water wants. Sometimes, they merely require an appearance of run off control. In the end, the biggest developers waltz through the process without adhering to the rules or paying for the infrastructure.
So why are we amping up the conversation? It's easy to see when you look at the parties in play. The developers will nod along, knowing that a campaign contribution is cheaper than doing the required infrastructure and it will keep the little guys from competing with the big developers. The elected officials make sure that the developers remember them every election season and they can tell the electorate that they are "fighting the good fight."
Who loses? The property owners. The residents with homes flooded. The retired couple who want to develop their former business location because that was their nest egg (a one time developer). It only hurts the little guys. You and me.
Darrin and Jerry, I only ask that you enforce the requirements already on the books. Mr. Bridger, let's partner up with the city's stormwater guys and get a good idea on how many developments adhered to the rules in the last five, 10 or 15 years. Prepare that information for the next council meeting before we add more useless words to the books.
I'm for smart and fair development before crooked development
Tim Giordano