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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us September 10, 2005 Contentious planning brings mediocrity By George Kramer, MS Ashland There is an unfortunate fractiousness plaguing Ashland’s land-use planning of late. Whatever the project, no matter how well-crafted, a few folks leap to the decision that “they” are behind it, meaning that all right-thinking people should be entirely opposed. It doesn’t help that our land-use code is complex and can be interpreted by anyone with an agenda, confusing and confounding everyone else. The Ashland Planning Commission and City Council are asked to parse language, devise “intent” and generally split hairs, encouraging stalemate and delay. There’s no trust and there is rarely a middle-ground. This contention just pushes everything toward the middle and mediocrity has never been an Ashland tradition. At the moment, our land-use planning process unfortunately reminds me of the famous Walt Kelly line that “We have met the enemy and he is us.” It shouldn’t be this way. Being critical, I can see where some of this contention is mere orneriness, produced by folks who just enjoy the process. More generously, I think some well-meaning people believe that constant vigilance is all that will keep Ashland the way it is. This is wrong. Nothing, especially a thriving city like Ashland with huge economic and demographic pressures, can remain static and survive. I say this as a historic preservation professional with more than 20 years experience. Towns change. They have to. The present lack of compromise is a form of denial about growth and change and it will stifle creativity and harm Ashland’s future. We face a variety of serious problems that require creative and, yes, non-standard solutions. The present climate cannot help but create an Ashland that is mundane and mediocre as timid developers present inoffensive, safe projects to avoid controversy. There will be no “co-housing,” no creative answers to affordability, no high-density infill to help preserve our beautiful hillsides and open spaces, no new living-wage job creation, no quality design, no cutting-edge anything, because all of that involves too much risk and too much potential for litigation, delay, and failure. Does taking a risk, going for the brass ring, occasionally involve falling on one’s face? You bet. But being safe smoothes outs the edges that make communities vibrant and interesting. Safe projects will, over time, make Ashland the insipid little touristy-town that we have long fought against. Sure, we may be temporarily buoyed by high-income immigration but eventually Ashland will become so bland, so like everywhere else, that those immigrants will take their liquidity and move to somewhere that remains “real.” Some think Ashland has already crossed the line on this issue. I, perhaps without reason, do not. Ashland needs to talk in moderate tones. We need to collectively envision our future and admit that it can’t be just as it is now. We must articulate our dreams and recognize that many of our laudable land-use goals, be it preservation, saving trees, avoiding sprawl, or affordable housing are in direct conflict. We’ve got to prioritize, make a plan to get there, and stick with it. Ashland needs to stop arguing and re-arguing about any proposal that can’t manage to be all things to all people. Together we can manage change and keep Ashland the place we all love, a little different perhaps, but still a community that shares a positive vision, that argues, makes a decision, and actually moves on. I really don’t want a dumbed-down, safe, community because no one has the nerve or vision to bring anything better forward. I don’t think most Ashlanders want that either. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams