The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-06-29
Zoning Enforcement

Under the pressure Of our wartime population, the city
Of Iascagoula has tried to do as good a job as possible both
for he war and for its own w%el-being. But under the pre-
snre of events we have had to leave undone a number of
thir IS which ought to have been done; and now that the
pop lation peak has passed and the residential crisis is
somewhat eased, 1t is to the advantage of all that we go back
and take up some Of the most pressing matters which face us
81 { community. Among the foremost of these is the need
fer ONE general sentiment in behalf Of reasonable coming
md building regulations, and more rigid enforcement OF al
ready existing city ordinances.
During the war 1t has been as much as a competent
a. ministration could do to keep the major functions of
government operating. and for that reason the secondary
re yulations were sometimes overlooked. Among these
was the coming ordinance OF 1888 setting forth that mo
b ilding or structure or part thereof shall be erected. re-
ronatructed. altered. ENLARGED r. moved without a per-
nit" The pressing need of the times was not the letter
perfect enforcement of ordinances so much as getting
1000 shipYard workers and their families housed. But
now that this has been done. we must again look to the
eommunitYs future and permanent welfare.
This coming regulation has been widely disregarded
Win the result that hundreds OF tfnsy stores shaeks, tents,
loak Joints and trailer camps have mushroomed up IN many
pa IS Of town. and especially IN the mower belts Of residential
So eefs leading from Market, South Paseagoula, Lincoln and
- Pont. Many OF these establishments were bulIt without a
permit, and most of the r%emodelng, additions, and alterations
Z 4 have made IN ugly patchwork OF some Of these neigh
& moods have been put up IN violation OF the regulations
re time has come for Us to stop this, for many good reasons.
E r one thing the city itself loses a legitimate source of rev.
cue when the necessary permit is not obtained. The cost for
s1h a permit is 81 for the first S250 Of construction, or one
hal of one percent between $3.50 and $1,000, with the rate
diminishing above this figure.
Even more important than tho loss of revenue is the
fact that these HimsY isrrY-buiit settlements set the tone
Of a neighborhood and discourage moro solid and perma-
fe1f buAtutnd. ms II nc way Sums - made. Inc
amount that has zone on cannot be undone. although it
Il to be hoped that after the war At least q part of it can
b torn down and cleaned IN. But we must stop the
process 50 that additional problem spots will not be Gre
ated.
Many service and merchandise businesses have made
considerable money during the war and 1t is TO the COM
fnunlty's advantage to require these concerns to spend money
Tor decent construction when their business warrants ex-
pansIon. During the war business has been SO good that
many Of these companies have only had to buy an old ware
house or toolshed or erect some other flimsy construction to
carry on. When the war IS over, some of these businesses
viii fold their tents Ike the Arabs and silently steal away
aid P%aseagou1a will be left with public eyesore in the form
Of d|ilapidated business blocks.
There IS no more need for such temporary and short
sighted construction work here. If building is needed, we
must require It 20 be undertaken on a permanent basis.
The ordinance Of 1899 provides that there shall be an
Enforcement officer Who shall examine the plans for all pro-
posed building work before a permit is issued. We strongly
advise the city administration to enforce this part of the
ordinance and give the responsibility of enforcement to one
Of the city officers.
We must begin to fight this danger Of slums in Pascagoula
while there IS still chance To do SO. IN post war years, a
eountry's economy eools ard hardens. as molten metal eools,
and etemporarxa wartime conditions Too often become per-
manent parts Of the landscape.