County planning commissioners allowed emotions to trump common
sense in making a unanimous decision rejecting the idea for a
commercial center in the Ridgemark development.
County planning commissioners allowed emotions to trump common sense in making a unanimous decision rejecting the idea for a commercial center in the Ridgemark development.
The planning commission denied the proposal from Ridgemark owners John and Alex Kehriotis at a special meeting Aug. 3. After neighbors spoke in favor and against the idea during the public comment period, commissioners asked the developers whether they were open to moving the 19,500-square-foot commercial structure farther away from the road and adjacent to the golf course. The planning panel had been reacting to some neighbors’ concerns about having a new building impede their views and cause traffic problems.
Although John Kehriotis apparently drew a hard line in the sand by insisting the project remain at the 151 Ridgemark Drive site as planned – at the location of the former tennis courts outside the gated portion of the community – the commissioners should have bypassed any temptation for an ego battle and limited their decision-making perspectives to compliance issues. The fact remains, the property there is zoned appropriately for commercial use. If such officials rely on every last dissenting view to form their own opinions as to what most benefits the community, then there would be little or no progress, just about nothing would get built, and the local economy would continue to limp along as it has for the past decade.
Since taking over Ridgemark in 2009, the owners have made much-needed, significant investments to upgrade the property’s infrastructure, increase customer demand and raise values. They have been a tremendous asset to this county. With the commercial center, they are attempting to continue that trend. They are following the increasingly popular model that successful planned communities have employed – to provide conveniences close to home so that residents won’t have to take those sometimes sluggish trips to places like Target or anywhere else more than a few blocks away. It not only makes good economic sense and stands to potentially increase property values in the area, but the idea also lends itself to providing a more environmentally friendly option by cutting back on driving trips.
Alex Kehriotis told the Free Lance that the developers are “50-50” on whether to appeal the decision to the board of supervisors. We hope they do just that, and encourage supervisors and other officials to do whatever they can to convince the owners it is worth the extra effort.
These difficult times are, after all, much too important. The county cannot afford to throw away another opportunity for economic advancement.
