Wake County’s Open Space Bond

BACKGROUND

The Vote: On Tuesday, October 9th, Wake County voters will be asked to vote for or against three separate and distinct bond proposals. One of those bond proposals, which would obligate the county to pay back $50 million, is for the preservation of open space.

What Does “Preservation of Open Space” Mean?: This is not a simple question. The term open space is so vague that its definition depends on who is coming up with the definition. Generally though, it is fair to say that Wake County residents are concerned that the growth and development in the county will undermine the natural settings that make the county such a desirable place to live.

THE COUNTY’S SOLUTION: A GOVERNMENT LAND GRAB

There are different ways to ensure that Wake County maintains its natural character. The County’s solution is for the public to pay higher property taxes so the government can purchase more land that allegedly will never be developed (protected land). There are numerous reasons why this land grab is unnecessary:

The Government Already has Significant Amounts of Land: According to Wake County’s Open Space Plan, the government, including all levels of government from federal to municipal, already own about 10 percent of the total land area of the county. According to the Plan, the goal is to protect, through government ownership and land use restrictions, about 30 percent of the county (about 165,000 acres). The County, according to discussions with officials, already has been able to protect about 18 percent of the property, or about 100,000 acres.

Private Solutions: Private land trusts can and do protect land. Also, to clarify, land does not have to be protected for the natural environment to be preserved. There can be plenty of open space, by almost any definition, through private ownership.

The County even agrees with this statement, arguing in the Plan, “Privately held open spaces can serve important open space functions and proper stewardship can occur on these lands without them being permanently protected through some legal mechanism.”

HIGH DENSITY LIVING

When the County grabs more land and restricts its use, there is less land that can be used for development. This is the County’s goal. Less land also means that the population has to live within a smaller land area. This high-density approach to development is one of the objectives of the “Smart Growth” movement that the County surprisingly admits is part of the Open Space Plan. In citing model communities for open space, the County strangely selects New York City and the San Francisco area. The goal is to get rid of low-density living, also negatively referred to as “sprawl.”

Concrete or Greenery?: The County and “smart growth” advocates seek a community, like New York, where people live in dense communities and must go to the “open space.” The preserved open space is separate and distinct from where individuals actually live.

If land is available for development, there is more area for communities to develop. The public lives within the “open space,” not separate from it. A house with land, including a backyard, is viewed as a good thing, not a bad thing.

Public and Private/Personal Open Space: The County through buying land hopes to promote public open space but at the expense of personal open space. When land is more readily available, Wake County residents can have both. They can enjoy public parks, for example, while still being able to own land and enjoy nature in their own private open space (e.g., backyard, private community amenities).

UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING

If there is less land for housing, there are going to be fewer homes, particularly single-family homes. When supply is artificially reduced, prices for homes will rise. This is just simple economics.

Well-known economist Thomas Sowell in a 2005 column argued regarding open space laws and their impact on home prices, “What has happened essentially is that those already inside the castle have pulled up the drawbridge, so that outsiders can’t get in. Politically, this selfishness poses as idealism.”

Crushing the American Dream: The high prices may sound good to those that already own homes. However, for individuals who want to own their own homes, a critical piece of the American dream, it will become far more difficult.

Negative Impact on Minorities: A study by Tufts University professor Matthew E. Kahn, discusses the impact attacks on low-density development (“sprawl”) have on minorities:

“Affordability is likely to decrease in the presence of more antisprawl legislation. Such rules reduce the supply of new housing, which in turn raises the price of homes. This article has documented that such policies will have distributional consequences by limiting progress in minority housing consumption.” (Internal citations omitted)

MORE PROBLEMS

There are many more problems with the government trying to preserve open space through a big land grab, including:

• Eminent Domain: Some land likely would be acquired through the use of or threat of eminent domain.
• Another Form of Incentives: There are no guarantees that the government will keep the property for open space. The County could eventually sell the property, including for economic development. Real estate would be a nice incentive for businesses in a state that recently has gone overboard with incentives.
• Less Property Tax Revenue: There will be less taxable land if the government grabs up more property.

BOTTOM LINE

A government land grab along with continued efforts to restrict land use would ensure that Wake County residents live in high-density communities. There would be views of asphalt and concrete, and not backyards with swings and patios. If that were not bad enough, home prices would increase and make the American dream further out of reach for many county residents.