OUR VIEW: Zoning changes could spark the economy

The town of Culpeper Planning Commission is considering a change in the way local neighborhoods are zoned, an idea the town attorney and other officials think might help alleviate the housing crisis in Culpeper.

The basic idea seems to be resetting the clock on housing developments by extending the approval of residential site plans for five years. Developments where construction has stalled in the slumping economy — those such as Copper Ridge on East Chandler Street — might have seen approval to build homes expire before any actual construction.

If the change is made it would keep the window for new homes in the area open for anyone who wants to step in.

Zoning areas that would make fine residential neighborhoods, like the East Chandler Street area, for home building make sense and allows developers that may want to build in Culpeper and stimulate the local economy to do so with minimal hassle.

The adjustment would also align Culpeper with changes to state zoning code.

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With so much talk lately about where our tax money is going and how it’s being spent, it’s nice to see tangible benefits in our local community. The Southridge development on the south side of town was originally built with substandard roads about 20 years ago.

In most cases real estate taxes guarantee town residents paved roads, but because the roads didn’t originally meet state standards VDOT wouldn’t provide funding and the town wouldn’t pave. But homeowners in Southridge used the power of the people, starting with a mass visit to the Town Council in 2007.

Eventually they agreed to pay a nominal increase in their real estate taxes, enough to get their roads paved.

It was a perfect example of how politics and taxes are supposed to benefit our communities.