Mayfield says that since 1970, there has been a 40 percent increase in population in this country and a 160 percent increase in vehicular miles traveled. There are more cars because we are required to drive everywhere for everything. Housing must be built more compactly, not spread out on acre or even half-acre lots. There ought to be room for larger lots, of course, but zoning should encourage the construction of homes close to each other, townhouses, apartments. The town should consider alleys behind these homes.
Alleys keep ugly utilities in the back.
It keeps garbage cans off the streets and in the rear for pickup. Zoning must be good for the town and good for the landower and developer. With good planning, the value of land will increase. The town council needs to go through an educational process, learning how it can elevate land values through good planning. There are regional trusts in which farmers can place their land, protecting it from development.