We need housing, but not on prime food-producing land
A follow-up to Gary Bracke’s column regarding the incessant desire by Greeley city fathers to grow bigger and better(?).
I believe that there is an inherent callousness, shortsightedness and disrespect for all that farmers provide (open space, wildlife habitat and food).
According to the American Farmland Trust we lose nearly 2,000 acres daily to development in this country. Is this sustainable? Of course not! If we are vulnerable to other countries for oil, etc., let’s see what happens when we become vulnerable for food.
We’re told that private property rights allow farmland owners to sell and coanvert their land at their discretion, that it’s their retirement plan. I suggest that private property rights are shredded daily by zoning and HOA rules supposedly for the public good. Why can farmland be magically rezoned for development overnight with little to no consideration of public good. I agree every landowner/farmer has a right to sell his land — but as farmland, not houses.
This incessant desire to “grow” is fed by the greed of the development industry with promises of wealth and taxes, all for things we never needed before: more police, fire, government employees and buildings, roads, congestion and, of course, increased traffic with an abundance of stoplights.
It’s always the mantra: “Grow or die.” But the parameters of growth are always on bigger numbers and rarely about quality of life. Who moved to Colorado, besides developers, envisioning Southern California? The truth can be seen up and down I-25 every day.
Do we need housing? Of course, but not on prime food-producing land. Every town and city has areas of blight and old worn-out properties that should be replaced, updated or re-developed.
Bob Folbrecht, Windsor
Autism in birds?
I read an article in the Denver Post with the subhead “Trump administration plans new strategy to fight bird flu.” The article indicates that this strategy stresses using vaccinations. I was wondering what Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reaction to this might be since these vaccinations could lead to autism in the birds.
Rich Enenstein, Greeley
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