Bluffside Crossing

Situated high above the flowing river below, Bluffside Crossing began its existence as a small town, but quickly grew, spreading away from the river, along the interstate spur, and then spreading across the river to the opposing bluffs. An innovative city, with high hopes, Bluffside Crossing exemplifies the wisdom of the age, and the marvels of engineering that were only beginning to be used commonly at the time.

## History

The township where Bluffside Crossing is located was originally platted as Lakefield. An initial survey preceded the founding of the city. At the time of incorporation, however, the settlement was named Bluffside Crossing. Reporting on a later celebration of Founding Day, the local newspaper, the Bluffside Bugle reported the first mayor as saying that Lakefield was "a terrible name."

From the beginning, Bluffside Crossing was a transportation-focused community, connecting the river with the city, and beyond. With a grant secured from the state and federal governments, the first roads, sewage and water plants were established prior to the ribbon-cutting for the beginning of construction on this planned community on 14 August, 2020. Planning for the roadways had spent years in committee, with factions pushing for larger or smaller roads.  Inspired and encouraged by cities like Eagle Mountain, Utah, and other master-planned communities created whole-cloth in an otherwise sparsely populated area, progress continued, platting neighborhoods and zoning residential and commercial zones to get Bluffside Crossing off to a strong start.

Sadly, this was not to be the case, as a mere week after the city was inaugurated, it was discovered there had been drastic misappropriation of funds to infrastructure projects that would not by funded by taxpayers in the foreseeable future. In a closed-door session the next week, the mayor and council met and approved a very ill-advised attempt to spur growth by approving residential zoning around the city waterworks, saying that this zoning would be changed down the road when there was a tax-base to support it. Full approval for development was granted on 2 September 2020, and developers pounced at the chance. By 9 September 2020, purpose-built housing was fully completed along what was referred to as Water Street by locals. First among those residences was The Belmont Residence. In an article in the Bluffside Bugle, workers commented on the amazing views, despite the noise and smells of the waterworks. On 23 September 2020, the mayor and council announced that water street would be known as Pierce Street, after James Pierce, the Superintendent of the waterworks. They also unveiled the location of the new industrial district, hoping the hype over Mr. Pierce's recognition would hide their other changes. A mere week later, on 30 September 2020, facing pressure from state and federal officials, the mayor and council made the controversial decision to re-zone a significant portion of Pierce Street and the artery to the highway, Sophie Street, for industrial development. This was poorly received by residents who had only moved in at the start of the month.

In the Halloween Edition of the Bluffside Bugle, it was noted that as a treat to residents, Bluffside Crossing had grown from an idea to a certified Little Hamlet.  What would become the Old Town portion of Bluffside Crossing was growing quickly, enough that the second of the planned wind turbines was activated on 8 November 2020, and a third on 12 December 2020. Finishing out the year, as if a Christmas present, Bluffside Crossing was categorized as a Worthy Village on 24 December 2020.

## References

1. ↑ First Episode - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=1
2. ↑ Ep 1 - Renaming Lakefield to Bluffside Crossing - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=140
3. ↑ Ep 1 - Phil disparages the generic name - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=133
4. ↑ Ep 1 - Connecting the Highway, down the bluff to the river - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=170
5. ↑ Ep 1 - Deciding on sizes for the first roads - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=360
6. ↑ Ep 1 - Phil falls prey to a classic blunder, overbuilding roads and infrastructure - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=600
7. ↑ Ep 1 - Crisis Zoning - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=650
8. ↑ Ep 1 - Zoning for growth - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=690
9. ↑ Ep 1 - Water Street populated - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=777
10. ↑ Ep 1 - Industry begins - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=809
11. ↑ Ep 1 - Rezoning for Industry - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=822
12. ↑ Ep 1 - Little Hamlet status - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=890
13. ↑ Ep 1 - Increasing power production - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=960
14. ↑ Ep 1 - More Power! - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=1054
15. ↑ Ep 1 - Bluffside Crossing a Worthy Village - https://youtu.be/2h-Qwh-yzO4?t=1091