The Union Leader reports that "Bedford voters may be asked to let council decide zoning" (http://www.unionleader.com/article/20131107/NEWHAMPSHIRE1408/131109353)
With the exception of one sensible member, Bedford's Town Council wants to take zoning decisions away from the voters.
If the BTC and Planning Board agree to put this proposal on the March 2014 ballot, voters would be asked to authorize the Town Council to be the sole body of approval for zoning changes.
But voters wisely rejected the proposal in March of 2010 and should do so again.
Thanks to unelected bureaucrats working for EPA/HUD/DOT 'sustainability' programs Bedford could find itself stuck with workforce or low-income housing, unwanted bike paths, 'greenways' or other projects that would be awarded to commission-favored crony capitalist companies. When a Regional Planning Commission (RPC) decides to accept federal grants that fund these programs, often zoning changes are required. Voters should also be able to demand the town refuse to participate.
RPCs are supposedly 'advisory-only' but consist of well-connected appointees that promote public-private partnerships. While they operate on our tax dollars — one RPC alone takes in $1.5M — they are mostly directed by non-governmental special interest groups. They retain the PR firm of a very wealthy private 'green' foundation which runs their 'listening sessions'. They also use our tax money to lobby the state legislature for laws that could prove detrimental to our property rights and other freedoms. Is the public dollar being misused?
You may not have heard of a top-down program called 'Granite State Future'. It is similar to scores of other programs in other states promoted by regionalists. These programs seek to remove local control and institute something called 'new urbanism' where decisions are made that favor 'smart growth', 'compact cities' and shun development in open spaces, terming it 'sprawl'. NH's RPCs have gone far beyond their purview of allowing cooperating towns to share fire trucks and are now in the business of making community decisions about your healthcare, education, transportation choices, communication methods, land use, and energy choices using 'sustainability' as the hook. Many times it has resulted in more restrictions and/or higher taxes which residents often don't find out about until it's too late. (Remember Maryland's 'rain tax' on impervious surfaces?)
Bedford residents need to demand the right to approve zoning changes. Taking zoning decisions away from the voters would be a dangerous step indeed.
Please visit http://blog.granitestatefutures.org/2013/11/10/bedford-zoning-decisions-in-jeopardy/ for more information.
Hear a master planner talk about top down regional governmnent: http://youtu.be/O3rGwpyNwnY
