Another sneaky tactic by our State Assembly is on the floor. They want to eliminate our right to appeal zoning changes that affect our property values and lifestyle! Below is a letter a neighbor has written that is worth sending on: Please vote AGAINST Senate Bill 734 and any proposed legislation that strips a basic right from all North Carolina residents. The House’s current version of S.734 (Section 3.5) would repeal the VSPP process for any group of residents who live within 100 feet of a proposed re-zoning site. The VSPP process requires 20% of such affected individuals to come together to request that a Petition be certified. Once certified by a municipality as a VSPP, it changes the vote required for that municipalitys governing body to pass the re-zoning request from a simple majority to three-quarters. VSPPs, the law in North Carolina for 91 years, represent the ONLY means by which an adjacent property owner potentially affected by a zoning change can request more attention than is provided by a simple majority of a local municipal board or council, typically between 3 and 6 votes. In Raleigh over the last 15 years (2000 - 6/27/2014), there have been 797 rezoning requests; only 135 (17%) had a certified VSPP. Of the 662 requests without a VSPP, 67% were approved Combined, there were 513 approvals (64%). Therefore, a VSPP only reduces the likelihood of an approval by 3%. Charlotte approved 1,453 rezoning requests (out of a total of 1,763) over the same time period. Charlotte doesn’t publish whether there is a VSPP, but assuming one was certified for every one of those requests, the City still approved rezoning requests 85% of the time and denied them 3.2% of the time - with the remaining requests withdrawn or still pending. Requiring an additional municipality council member to vote for a rezoning request is the core of a representative democracy and it allows the little guy to ensure that their voice is heard when fighting large commercial interests. The data does not show that the VSPP process hampers development in any appreciable manner. Rather, it allows affected citizens to voice their concerns appropriately with measured and reasonable consideration in the form of a slightly increased bar. I AM the little guy. When you go home at the end of Session, youre the little guy, too. Im a Raleigh resident, but could just as easily be YOUR neighbor. Ive got a rezoning issue in my neighborhood - and yes, we have a VSPP. The Bill in front of you, as written, not only kills future VSPPs (subsections (a) and (b)) but also prevents municipalities from acting on currently-certified VSPPs (subsection (d)). Please vote AGAINST S.734 or remove Section 3.5 before passing the remainder of the Bill.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 23:23:39 +0000
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