Bringing You Information
The character of Mount Vernon and Lisbon, that small town character so many of us cherish, is threatened. It is at risk of being eroded by current and future residential development which will damage our open spaces and dramatically increase the size and change the feel of these towns we love.
At the time of this writing, for example, the largest development currently under construction in Mount Vernon is slated to cover about a third as much land area as the whole of older Mount Vernon. It will add about 300 new homes. That could easily mean 1,000 new residents added to a town with a current population of about 4,000. MV will thus experience no less than a 25% jump in population (and traffic, and…) as a result of this development alone!
Enter the Small Town Project, launched as an effort to help Lisbon and Mount Vernon retain their small town character and open spaces, in large part by helping them simply to remain small towns. Its approach is to bring to the citizens of our towns key information on development and growth issues. The emphasis is on information the “growth machine” does not want you to have. We have all heard variations of the mantra, “We have to grow to thrive!” It is the ubiquitous motto of the growth industry across the country. It’s the central assertion on which their propaganda hinges. But it is just that — propaganda. And it’s wrong. Here you will have access to information which shows why it’s wrong and offers alternatives which can indeed help our communities thrive.
The primary focus of the Small Town Project, at least at the outset, will be on the problems of residential growth, including the environmental damage it does, and the benefits of sustainable economic development. No doubt discussion will sometimes touch on design issues, but residential growth itself will remain the emphasis. I agree that some design approaches (e.g., New Urbanism) are far superior to conventional suburban development. I am dismayed as well at the cavalier dismissal of the Mount Vernon Comprehensive Plan on the part of many developers and some members of MV Planning and Zoning. But no design approach will allow our towns to grow indefinitely yet remain small towns with their current characters. Moreover, any form of development is environmentally destructive at a time when the earth is far too stressed by human activity. So while design issues are certainly not off-limits, I’ll generally work to keep the focus of this site on the fundamental question of residential growth.
No Wish to Offend
In bringing this site to the public, there is of course a risk that some of our residents who profit from residential development, or possibly some who own homes in the newer developments, will be upset by its content. Yet offending anyone is not what this site is about. Most of these folks are fine people and, with the exception of any who knowingly spread falsehoods about the effects of residential growth, they have my respect. I believe, in fact, that some of them are fair enough to be able to consider the information here with open minds, enabling all of us to work together on these issues more effectively. For more see the page, This Site and Community Relations.
An Empowered Citizenry
With an informed public, we will not have to sit back and allow the growth machine to turn our small towns, towns many of us love in large part because they are small, into two more examples of typical suburban sprawl. We will be able to challenge the growth industry with knowledge. When enough of our citizens stand up and say, “Stop the expansion. It will ruin our communities! Let’s make development here mean improvement rather than expansion,” we will have taken back our towns.
How this Site Works, and How to Get the Most Out of it
The Small Town Project is several things:
1) It’s an information repository. In time it will be one of the more comprehensive Internet sources of information on why and how small towns and larger communities alike can reject the “endless growth” approach to community development.
2) It’s a “blog” and discussion forum for sharing ideas about these issues as they pertain to Mount Vernon and Lisbon as well as other towns and areas. Like other blogs it features the posting of articles which are always followed by the opportunity to participate in discussion of the article topic. (See the link immediately following the text of any article.)
There is also an option for readers to submit guest articles, subject to approval.
3) I hope it will serve as a source of inspiration for those who have previously felt powerless to do anything about the way our towns develop.
So use the information here, explore the links, and please join in the discussion. Together we’ll explore ways to help our towns!
Note: As I live in MV, and don’t hear as much about development in Lisbon, I’d especially appreciate any information Lisbon residents can send my way on development issues there.
