I’ve heard of carbon credits before–someone using less carbon-based energy than average can sell “credits” to someone who uses more than average so that between them they are average.
Here’s a new twist on that–Square Foot Credits so someone with a smaller house can sell “credits” to someone who wants to build a larger house.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1643151,00.html?cnn=yes
The Boulder County (CO) land use manager, said the commissioners “want to allow property owners who either have or want smaller-scale homes to be able to sell a portion of their ‘unused’ square footage.” Homeowners willing to sign away their option to someday add additions to their houses would receive a one-time payment as well as lower yearly tax assessments on their homes. The forfeited enlargement rights would then be available for purchase through a specially established market. Residents planning to build or expand homes larger than the recommended thresholds — 7,000 square feet on the plains, 5,000 square feet in the mountains — would be required to purchase additional development rights at prices determined by the market, which might be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per property. Krezek adds: “This will allow for an ongoing diversity of housing stock and allow for people of varied means to own homes in Boulder County.”
Ever hear of such a thing before? Like it? Hate it?
Replies
Kinda makes sense for that area. They want to avoid overbuilding with McMansions (if you consider 5-7K sq ft to not already be one) but still not keep people from building larger if they really want to. Gives people the "freedom" to build what they want without having to grease palms of the planning board for a variance, but still limits overall "footprint" to assure sufficient green space, prevent runoff, etc. Also makes it more affordable to build smaller homes.
The alternative is the whole planning/variance thing, where some committee tries to micro-manage stuff.
Sounds like another government program that doesn't need to be. Why no let homeowners determine the size of the house they want to build? Why does this need to be regulated?
Why does this need to be regulated?Money for the government.SamT
I needs to be regulated so that you don't have block after block of 9K sf homes on 10K sf lots.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
<<< I needs to be regulated so that you don't have block after block of 9K sf homes on 10K sf lots. >>>
We have something new and revolutionary in my town - a zoning ordinance. What's wrong with having a maximum lot coverage ratio?
I guess the real purpose of the proposed law is not to disallow the larger homes, but to redistribute income from those who can afford them to those who can not. One more step on the way to socialism.
With a lot coverage ratio someone will always be asking for a variance, and who you know decides who gets one. This way at least it's all above-board and anyone with the moola can "purchase" a variance. Seems fairer and more "capitalistic" than the who-you-know approach.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
<<<With a lot coverage ratio someone will always be asking for a variance, and who you know decides who gets one. This way at least it's all above-board and anyone with the moola can "purchase" a variance. Seems fairer and more "capitalistic" than the who-you-know approach.>>>I see, so if you have "moola" you don't have to follow the rules that everyone else does. Doesn't seem fair to me. Kind of like the big hypocrite environmentalist Al Gore claiming he can waste as much energy has he wants because he can afford to purchase carbon credits.
Is there a system you WOULD like? I'm guessing if you're the one who wants to build it will be "Why is the government keeping me from doing what I want with my own property?", while if instead someone's building a super McMansion next to you it's "Why doesn't the government do something about these monstrosities?"
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
>>Sounds like another government program that doesn't need to be. Why no let homeowners determine the size of the house they want to build? Why does this need to be regulated?The proposal would still let homeowners determine the size of the home.Such a plan would encourage conservation and use the "free market" to do so.Resources are not infinite, and futures generations have some degree of interest in having them still around.And current folks have some interest in keeping costs down.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
- Psalms 109:30-31
Having lived in Boulder for almost 50 years and, I guess, having survived the hippie takeover in the 60's, nothing is a surprise anymore.
It is hard to find printable words for these goofy idiots. The County and the City governments are both are so devoid of common sense that one wonders how these nuts find their way back home every day.
Sadly, now that it is retirement time, we are going to look for the next sucker with more money than sense, and head out of town and hopefully the county as well. There is a slow but steady exodus of long time Boulder city residents moving out of town but the vacuum gets filled quickly by another goofball. I just hope the supply lasts till our turn comes.
i can build a 7000sf shack and sell my left over sq footage to bill gates! they are nuts ,a7000 ft small house i bet most of the people on this board over 40 grew up in a house under 1600 sf,mine was 864 sq ft. are we americans not spoiled shetless or what?i got to ramble to the other side of my house for a coke,it's 300' to the fridge,see ya later. lol larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Don't you have one of those Segway scooters to get around your house? Wife hates it when I run it into the furniture after too many beers! (Just kidding--my house is about 1000 sq. ft.. My whole house (two story) could fit inside some McMansions' living rooms!)
i found with those segways that i couldn't carry the beer and drive it too. drove it off into the indoor waterfall pool one night,we all laugh our azz off. thinking about having a ski lift installed so we can ride around the house and save the wear on our granite floors. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Now, why didn't I think of that! Of course, the real answer is just to have the beer on tap with spigots located throughout the house!
Nah, beer fountains. Like water fountains.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Why does everybody want to tell me how to live? If I am silly enough and wasteful enough and vain enough (and rich enough) to want to build a 9000 square foot house, why shouldn't I be able to do so? Putting a 7000 square foot house on a 7500 square foot lot might look stupid to me and means that the kids will always be indoors, not having anyplace outdoors to play, but isn't that what liberty is all about? Having the right to decide what makes sense for me without excessive interference from the government or my neighbors?
We are rapidly getting the government we deserve: of the stupid, by the stupid and for the stupid.
>>Why does everybody want to tell me how to live?Because no man is an island.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord; I will praise Him in the midst of the throng. For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
- Psalms 109:30-31
Though many are peninsulas.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Thought I was old enough to have heard it all. Well, it just never amazes me the tricks people come up with to cope with the fact that there are: too many people on the earth; too many people with not much taste or ability to contain themselves so they don't become a problem to others or foul the environment they live in; and too many over-educated idiots who think they can legislate a solution to these problems.
Just keep your setback requirements so the fellow next door can't get too close to you or the street or whatever. I'll go along with that minimal infringement on my property rights.
Then close your curtains, stop keeping up with what passes for the news, and use your ear protection because the rest of it is likely to drive you freakin' nuts.
I vote we institute "smart credits" so people with unused brain cells can get some money by selling their excess to idjits. Maybe then we'd see some real progress in this country.
And since idiocy isn't going out of style anytime soon, tell the Boulder officials to make some real progress by instituting a progressive situation, so that the smaller your house the more money you get for each reduced square foot. And take it on down to something like 1500 sq. ft. Or would that be above their minimum square footage required to build--the real source of this excess in the first place.
Edited 7/18/2007 6:17 am ET by MtnBoy
Edited 7/18/2007 6:18 am ET by MtnBoy
<<< there are: too many people on the earth >>>Not true. There are many industrialized nations that have negative population growth without immigration. Why do you think there are so many Muslim immigrants in France?In the US the population growth peaked in the 70s. At this point we are near zero population. All the demographic experts predict we are going to have a problem keeping social security and other entitlement programs going do to lack of population growth.I have 5 kids, so I get this overpopulation BS quite often. My response is that my kids are going to be paying your social security, your medicare and on and on...
Heck, go ahead and have another five!! (So long as they aren't in my school district.)
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
<<< Heck, go ahead and have another five!! (So long as they aren't in my school district. >>>Dan, another false assumption on your part my friend. My kids do not attend a public school because the standards of our local public schools are too low. So your implication that my kids are burdening others is false. This is America, you are free to be a member of the environmentalist religion if you want, but stop trying to force it on others. This is the same mentality that forces me to buy a water saving toilet that I have to flush two or three times to get the bowl clean. Enough!
> My kids do not attend a public school because the standards of our local public schools are too low. So your implication that my kids are burdening others is false.Did I say they were?
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
"So long as they aren't in my school district" Hmmm? What could that statement imply? Hmmm?
Well, first off it would imply that I was using irony.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
<Not true. [That there are too many people in the world.] There are many industrialized nations that have negative population growth without immigration. Why do you think there are so many Muslim immigrants in France?>Let's see. First of all, I for one would be thrilled with negative population growth. Especially if it were accompanied by a lack of ILLEGAL immigration (being as I'm sitting in the middle of an area that can't begin to cope with the problems associated with that phenomenon, although it is sure solving the problem of a declining population around here).I think there are so many Muslim immigrants in France because the French have never been able to keep anyone out of their borders. (If you're old enough to appreciate this joke you'll like it: How many Frenchmen does it take to defend Paris? No one knows; it's never been tried. Tell it to some WWII veterans; they'll get a hoot out of it.)
There are other reasons as well, but we're drifting from the notion that without all this overpopulation, we wouldn't be irritating the heck out of each other. And having to legislate what reasonable people should have prevented in the first place. We do not have zero population. Boy, I could go for the threat of that! We might have zero population GROWTH, but how many existing citizens do we have? Zero percent increase of too freakin' many people in the first place still leaves us with too many people. Just not any more than last year.I'd rather solve the problems created by the various govt. entitlement programs than import some more people of any ilk to help us out. We can't get along with each other now; we're all piled up on top of each other. And it's not just here. The whole world is groaning under the pressure of too many people. Not to fear, however. Nature has a way of correcting the imbalance eventually. You know what George Carlin says about that? Mother Earth is not going anywhere. We are!
So I can say I'm going to build an addition even though I don't really have any plans to ever do so then sell the phantom space to someone else? Is America a great place or what! I think I may want to add on 10,000 square feet in a year or so.