Lake Martin Topics: It is hard to "hear" emphasis

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	Name:	Talullahhound -
	Subject:	It is hard to "hear" emphasis
	Date:	1/4/2009 3:15:07 PM

This is one of those times when I can truly appreciate both sides of the argument. We are newcomers -- we bought our property and it's original cabin in 2001. The old cabin was not structually sound (and then a pine tree fell on it during a storm), so it would have to go and we debated long and hard whether we should live full time elsewhere and rebuild a modernized cabin or build a full time house. At this stage in our lives, we opted for a full time house. We didn't buy in a gated community -- not that I have anything against gated communities and the amenities that come with it.

Because I live here full time, I would love to see some upscale retail in the area. I love Catherine's market. And I believe that building upscale houses and upscale retail will go hand-in-hand. And some of the beauty and tranquility of the lake may be lost. There will be environmental issues with the development. And a lot of people that have been here a long time may feel pushed away. A nubmer of people here have told me how irked they were by the prices at which they were offered to buy their lots some years ago, but in the end they made out when the property values soared.

I personally hate to see the way people that own property around the lake and not around the lake clear cut their property for logging and don't replant. This causes a lack of habitat for birds and other creatures.
But, change is inevitable. Nothing stays like it was. I went through this in Virgina as well. And I met a lot of old timers there who were just as irked as some of the people here about development. But, it increases the tax bases, allowing for improvements in schools and also for public services such as day care and elder care, just to name two. And the people with lesser incomes benefit as much from this as those with huge incomes. And retail creates jobs for the community. It also brings in tourism dollars.

And I gather that some people don't want to see RL in charge of that development. But, from what I have seen, better comes out of planned development than unplanned development. In planned communities, property values are protected and you don't have someone dragging a rusty old trailer next to your newly renovated cabin or your new home. But, it is possible to change plans, using either community resources or legal resources. I know this, because our homeowners community did it twice in VA. And VA is notorious for ruling in favor of land owners when it comes to land use. So while you may not be able to stop it, people banded together can influence what happens.