tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post4953397079928664371..comments2024-03-28T07:54:47.319-04:00Comments on The Gossips of Rivertown: The Nuts and Bolts of ZoningCarole Osterinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16010623982526286408noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-7591190425804643102014-02-24T13:23:15.931-05:002014-02-24T13:23:15.931-05:00In the matter of setbacks, history offers some int...In the matter of setbacks, history offers some interesting food for thought. At the first meeting of the city's proprietors on May 14, 1784, it was agreed that "fixing the buildings uniformly" was a community value worth regulating, and that "no person should extend his steps more than four feet from his door or seller ways."<br /><br />Back to the 21st century, federal policy provides the context where lot coverage is concerned. <br /><br />Lot coverage directly impacts runoff, and developing a responsible policy concerning runoff is the job of our EPA-required Long Term Control Plan (LTCP). <br /><br />In an LTCP, zoning strategies are among the "nonstructural" approaches which become "control alternatives" in the plan.<br /><br />But had any of these aldermen and assembled experts even heard of this document before? Apparently not, even though Hudson has an LTCP which nobody can find. <br /><br />That an LTCP is the proper context for any discussion concerning runoff was apparently unknown to the Legal Committee, which instead wasted time grappling with simplistic concepts of "permeable surfaces."<br /><br />Though the committee asked for occasional input from the small audience, the Committee Chair, in the exercise of its awesome power, did not recognize raised hands.<br /><br />I was prepared to read the following, which I'm happy to share here for free (rather than at the meeting which was brought to you by your own taxes).<br /><br />From the Natural Resources Defense Council:<br /><br />"Human-made impervious cover comes in three varieties: rooftop imperviousness from buildings and other structures; transport imperviousness from roadways, parking lots, and other transportation-related facilities; and impaired pervious surfaces, also known as urban soils, which are natural surfaces that become compacted or otherwise altered and less pervious through human action. Examples of the hard soils include the base paths on a baseball diamond or a typical suburban lawn."<br /><br />http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/chap2.asp#table2-1unheimlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00204285837938988668noreply@blogger.com