Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1922-07-07
ZONING

civic and industrial development is
matter of chance; and failure to give
thought to the future proves in the long
run to be both costly and inconvenient.
Trees are planted promiscuously. Streets
are laid out in haphazard fashion. Sew
ers are laid down with no consideration
az to how they will fit with extensions
of the sewerage system. Public build
ings are erected in widely separated
parts of the municipality and indus
tries are located by accident. This con-
fusion comes from the fact that munich
pal corporations have not applied the
same scientific methods to the solution
of their problems as have been employed
by the great business corporations.
Perhaps the greatest waste in town
building has resulted from the overlap
ping of manufacturing district and shop
ping section and residential areas. In
more than one Vermont village the archi-
ruined for all time because "A garage was
constructed by its side. Not infre-
quently the quiet dignity of q public
library is lessencd by the proximity of
II noisy blacksmith shop. In not few
cases n choice residential street ha,
been rendered undesirable by the en- j..
croachment of stores or junk yards
Surely there are good reasons, both eco
monte and desthetic, why the manufac
| turing, commercial, civic, and residen.
! tial interests of town should be
grouped tremendously and not located
according to whm or caprice. Such
grouping may be secured by coming.
What is coming? 1T may be defined
! az the public regulation of the use of
private real estate in municipality. 1t
not only affects the location, height and
character of buildings, but the use of
vacant land as we'll. Today &C munich
palities in the United States have coming
| in progress. Some are operating under
the principle of eminent domain-the
right of the state to take private prop
crty for a public use. Others are more
satisfactorily operating under the prin-
ciple of the police power-the right of
|
health, safety and morality.
That coming is legal there can be no
question. Enough favorable decisions
have been handed down by the courts
to indicate that they view regulation of
the uses of land and structures thereon
as reasonable exercise of the police
forms. In no instance has n court failed
to uphold coming when it was done sensi-
bly,, although it is now well established
that ordinances are not retroactive.
Slowly but surely the courts have come
to realize that social values are greater
than property rights.
Suitable legislation is necessary to
make coming truly efficient and in twenty
states it is authorized by legislative act
In the municipal planning law, passed by
the last session of the Vermont legisla
turc. some recognition was made of the
coming principle, but this provision is
hardly more than an entering wedge
which will open the way to real zon
ing law. Vermont's beginning has beer
} right, however, as coming is part o.
the general planning problem and thu
first step should be the passage of M
enabling act giving cities, towns, an'
villages the right to create planning
commissions.
Pending necessary legislation, a grea
, deal can be accomplished by arousinl
civic interest. Chambers of commerce
can do much by preparing industrial
, surveys showing the sites which ar
suitable and available for various uses
s, thus guiding growth along proper lines
The all important thing is to arouse tn
| Imagination of the people and make i
possible for them to visualize the bene
| fits which will result from a little sac
D rifice on the part of each. Maps show
] ing the proposed restrictions, should b
I furnished everyone who is interested
, and conferences held between groups o
n every class of property owners affected
n Experience shows that when this is don
there will be little protest to reason
able coming system, even though lackin
the authority of law.
Ia q H. sl