In the early 1990’s, my city sent out an announcement that a developer filed for a permit to build a Home Depot and a Mobil gas station at the corner of two major streets, at less than half a mile from our house. On the evening set for public debate, the auditorium of the city hall was packed, everybody from the neighborhood came to express their displeasure and disapproval about the Home Depot and Mobil gas station project. The arguments were that this project would increase traffic, create noise and dust pollution, and would bring property values of the neighborhood down.
After the developer made his presentation, many homeowners have raised to speak in opposition of the project, unanimously condemning its purported merits and demanding withholding approval from the city.
The city was in favor of this project, mostly because of the expected increase in tax revenues, and, ignoring the unanimous pleas of homeowners, prompted the developer to present the ways they would mitigate the objections brought by the people. The developer presented plans to increase the setback from the minimum required to 60 feet, and then proposed to debate what kind of trees would the people prefer to cut down noise and pollution. With this move the developer changed the focus of the discussion from build or not to build a Home Depot and a Mobil gas station to whether to plant jacarandas with their lovely purple-blue fragrant flowers, or crape myrtle with purple, pink or red flowers (the people could chose the color of the flowers) or evergreen pears.
To my surprise, the people took the bait and started a vigorous debate between the merits of purple-blue or red flowers. This was the moment I could not bear it any longer. I stood up, went to the podium and reminded the people that the purpose of this hearing was not to decide the color of flowers in front of Home Depot, but to defeat the very construction of Home Depot in our neighborhood.
I have received a standing ovation and chants of “We want no Home Depot, we want no gas station” have filled the air. The hearing was quickly adjourned, and in the next year on the lot in question they broke ground for the construction of single-family residences instead of a Home Depot and a gas station.
0 Comments