Have a Say
The original words “We the People” in the opening preamble of the US Constitution, hold as much deep meaning at this moment in time as they did in the beginning of our country.
A government’s power is derived from its citizens, and its existence is to serve its people.
As citizens of Elbert County Colorado, when we use these words, We the People, we do so to underscore a primary principle: the County represents us, and as such, is in service to the people for which it exists.
Our voices matter. We have a say.
Understandably the County serves diverse interests, but many residents are expressing a growing frustration with “community input” that serves more as datapoints than actionable results.
Opposition to Overdevelopment
IS ANYONE REALLY LISTENING?When large segments of the population are voicing opposition to overdevelopment, high-density urbanization, diminished natural resources, and the lack of infrastructure and services to support growth initiatives, the question is “How are you serving the people that you represent?”
People do not feel listened to.
The County wants community input. We the People want action. As residents, our desire is for a comprehensive plan that is more than a vision for the future; it needs to be a strategy backed by deliberate action to protect our communities. A plan with provisions for growth, yet one that is not damaging to the land and culture that is our hallmark. Land planning needs to be more than servitude to developers.
Actions to Drive Responsible Development
As a community we need a unified voice. We need to be active in our input of constructive ideas that help reform land use plans, zoning laws, and policies that offer growth initiatives, and at the same time work with open space and natural resource conservation.
We the People should consider a ballot initiative to sponsor an amendment that may limit housing and land use development in their scope.
We need to hold our County accountable for following through with their re-zoning efforts, design protocols, and amendments, so they are not excluded during development planning processes.
Promise of Affordable Housing
BUT AFFORDABLE FOR WHO?
Everywhere you look in the northwest portion of the County are land for development signs with the promise of the next buildout investment opportunity. High-density housing projects are lining up one after the other with “the claim of affordable homes” stacked against rural residences.
But affordable for who…not the current property owners that will suffer the tax burdens to pay for infrastructure and services not fiscally planned for that will increase at an unsustainable rate.
What road systems will support thousands of vehicles without severe traffic congestion when many county roads are dirt or only two-lanes? Where are the water sources to align with the usage high-density housing brings? Especially when existing aquifers like the Denver Basin are being used at a rate that they cannot adequately replenish themselves with how they are being drained? Or where is the electrical grid that will support high growth service when it is already at capacity? Is this effective planning?