Friday, April 14, 2000
Report criticizes costs of sprawl
Public investment too high, group says
BY Sara J. Bennett
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Sprawling development not only harms the environment, it costs taxpayers in ways they may not realize.
That's the message of a Sierra Club report released Thursday. The national report details how taxpayers foot the bill for new sewer and water lines, added police service, and new schools when developers build on the fringes of communities.
The report also highlights the way federal, state, and local governments encourage sprawl by building roads and offering tax breaks to developers.
Two Cincinnati area communities are mentioned in the report: Warren County, which needs more police officers to keep up with rapid growth, and the city of Monroe, which from 1998 to 1999 saw increases in fire, police and emergency medical calls.
At a press conference announcing the report, local Sierra Club officials also pointed out the proposed “megamall” in Monroe, where an estimated $11 million of taxpayer money might go toward a new Interstate-75 interchange that critics say would primarily benefit private interests.
“When people file their taxes April 15, they should be aware that unplanned sprawl is adding to everybody's tax bill,” said Glen Brand, director of the Sierra Club's Cincinnati chapter. “We are subsidizing sprawl directly and indirectly every time a new sprawling development is built.”
Anti-sprawl crusaders suggest several solutions to sticking taxpayers with the cost of development. They include requesting taxpayer impact studies for new projects, demanding that developers pay full costs for their projects, channeling growth to areas that already have infrastructure, and developing better public transportation.
“Community leaders and citizens need to know about the costs of development before they make decisions,” said Catherine Hartman, president of the Smart Growth Coalition of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. “I don't think developers get all of the costs on the table before they make land use decisions.”
The Sierra Club report highlights sprawl costs for which taxpayers may not realize they're paying. When homes or businesses are built in areas that don't have water and sewer lines, for example, communities must install them. Taxpayers also pay for added services to those areas.
The report cites Warren Coun ty and Monroe as examples. In Warren county — Ohio's second-fastest growing county — six new police deputies are needed at a cost of $281,000 per year.
In Monroe, fire runs increased by 41 percent, emergency medical calls jumped 31 percent, and police calls went up about 11 percent between 1998 and 1999.
But development isn't all negative, counter some who live and work in high-growth areas. Growth increases tax revenue for communities, provides cultural diversity, and can challenge communities to provide better services, said Betty Davis, a councilwoman and former mayor of Mason.
“The other part of it that people do not understand is that everyone wants to go to a community where there is positive growth,” she said. “And the people who own the land in these areas also have the right to sell and develop that land.”
Monroe Mayor Elbert Tannreuther said he thought the Sierra Club's arguments against using tax money for a proposed mall interchange was “weak.”
“If you do a little research, probably every interchange in this country was put in for the sake of business,” he said.
The Sierra Club's new report has special importance for Cincinnati, Mr. Brand said, because a 1998 Sierra Club study found the Cincinnati area was the fourth most sprawl-threatened community in the United States.
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