My arguments against Measure X

By Steve Allen

Measure X takes away existing limits on moderate income housing - creating a potential for unlimited construction of apartments and condominiums. It also has the potential to kill our downtown.

Median- and moderate-income housing, which is typically attached housing and apartments, currently has to fit within our 150 home limit. Under this initiative it would be exempt. Yes, we need more workforce housing in Windsor. But the number built in future years needs to be counted along with other types of housing.

I believe this initiative will hurt our downtown. The Town has invested millions of Redevelopment Agency dollars into our downtown, and we are just beginning to see it pay off. We currently have a builder that is constructing beautiful turn-of-the-century type buildings downtown, including replicas of buildings that were destroyed by fire in the early 1900's. These new buildings will provide places for sit-down dining, bookstores and other highly desirable retail stores, across the street from our Town Green. It will also provide housing above the stores - which conflicts with the initiative.

Growth control ordinances are extremely difficult to write, and the Town Council struggled to craft our existing ordinance. There are State mandates to provide a minimum amount of housing, requirements to allow second dwelling units, and distinctions between housing allowed (allocations) and housing constructed (permits). From the language of the initiative and questioning the drafters, it is very clear that these areas were not considered nor understood.

There has been a spike of new homes built recently. A majority of these were approved prior to the Town Council's 1997 Growth Control Ordinance. These "pipeline" projects are mostly built now, and the construction rate has slowed. Last year the Town issued 129 permits, 21 less than our cap. We have just reached a point where our Growth Control Ordinance will have an affect.

The Press Democrat called the initiative a solution looking for a problem. I would respectfully ask that you give the existing Growth Control Ordinance a chance by voting against the poorly written and conceived Measure X.