The latest article on OC register provides a good example of why some decisions should be made at the government level:
Mission Viejo council members shot down plans for a new Department of Motor Vehicles location at the Kaleidoscope shopping center due to traffic and safety concerns.
The DMV — which would be the city’s first — was initially approved by the city’s planning commission for a vacant lot at the Kaleidoscope shopping center off Crown Valley Parkway.
But on Tuesday, June 11, the City Council scrapped the plans after a flurry of objectionable messages from residents and fears from council members.
The city government cited traffic concerns.
I am very disappointed with this decision, as it means that I will have to drive a long distance if I need to renew my driver’s license. Last time I had to drive to a very busy DMV in Santa Ana, where there was a very long line. This means that the decision will actually increase the amount of traffic congestion in Orange County, even if it reduces traffic in Mission Viejo.
This problem is prevalent in those parts of California near the coast. Very similar story of OC register had another example of NIMBYism in action:
Toll Brothers’ proposal to build a two- to five-story building with 306 units and a six-story attached parking structure in Doheney Village will come before the Dana Point City Council on Tuesday, June 18.
The City Planning Commission’s approval of this project earlier this year is being appealed by the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, or SAFER, a California-based public interest company that opposes environmental studies conducted as part of the necessary considerations for development that did not meet health and environmental needs. requirements.
Even if this development is finally allowed, development barriers created by “environmental groups” stop many projects, and actually end up harming the environment. People who can’t afford to live in this overcrowded 306 unit building may end up somewhere else, probably a worse place considering the surrounding area. They may be forced to move to the cheaper “Inland Empire”, where people use more AC to cool their homes and drive longer distances. Or they could move to Florida, Texas or Arizona, which also has a worse environmental record than coastal California.
Local governments in California that restrict development often end up damaging the environment and/or making traffic worse. Only the national government can “internalize” these decisions. This is why most NIMBY policies have been enacted by local governments, and most of the recent opposition to NIMBYism has come from state governments.
PS. The term “Inland Empire” refers to Riverside and San Bernardino counties, located east of Los Angeles. Now they have about 4.7 million people.
PPS: Here is a picture of Dana Point:
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