Monday's Daily Times featured a letter to the editor from a Darlene Hammond of Salisbury. I don't know Ms. Hammond, nor do I totally endorse her argument. What I do endorse, and so should you, is the idea behind.
It appears that a group in Wicomico County, led by Councilman Bill McCain and those good folks from WET - the Wicomico Environmental Trust - want to steal land from county farmers. No, they aren't as blatant as some groups; they aren't planning on taking it outright. Instead, these folks want to "down-zone" agricultural land and make it near impossible for farmers to sell their land for anything other than agricultural use.
I've never been considered a friend of developers. However, I don't want the government telling me who I can sell my house to. Is it fair for Bill McCain, Mike Pretl, John Grout and a few others to tell farmers who they can sell their property to?
It's one thing for the government to refuse to subsidize development by demanding that developers pony up for the infrastructure needs that are caused by their development. In fact, they should. It's something altogether different for a bunch of NIMBY's to claim that the government has to "preserve the agricultural character of Wicomico County". It's real easy when it's not their land!
When Bill McCain starts buying up big tracts of farm land, THEN he can put it all in a conservation easement. Until then he needs to remember that he ran as a Democrat, not a Communist.
This yuppie version of land reform is no more valid here than the more proletarian versions in Cuba, Nicaragua, or Venezuela.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
19 comments:
I watched PAC 14 during McCain and P&Z's big show during the last council meeting and it was amazing to see them trying to promote the idea that downzoning won't affect the land values negatively and in fact they would have you believe it would increase the value. They might or might not believe their own words but this is one land owner who knows their display was nothing more than B.S.
G.A. - You are so right! It is absolutely a crime to de-value farmland through this asinine
proposal. Not much different than saying I can't sell my house to someone with more than 5 kids because it puts an excessive burden on the infastructure and ecosystem. Or possibly de-valueing my business's worth because it "isn't in the right location". Farmers are responsible for your survival if you eat and they don't deserve such a slap in the face and economic loss. When will they tell us what brand and kind of car we can buy based upon gas mileage?
G.A. I saw the "dog & pony" show on Pac 14. McCain and Jack Lenox presenting a falsified report to convince the landowners it won't affect them. Just more of the same old same old. Wicomico County at it's worst.
Wanna bet Mr. Pretl is behind this scam too?
Here's McCains inane argument. He says that down zoning will actually increase the value of land for farmers on a global scale. comparing pricing to other counties in Maryland. But what he doesn't realize is even if he is right (which he isn't) it still affects the individual farmer. If a farmer has 100 acres and can sell his property to a developer who can put 33 homes on it, McCain is saying the new zoning will only permit 10 homes on it and it will now be worth more? I don't think so.
Also to disprove his argument, using his logic, I asked Bill how much farm land in Sussex Ctny is selling for and he said about $6-7,000 per acre and how much is land in Wicomico selling for and he said $4-5,000....so if his argument was true, Wicomico land should sell for more than Sussex land. But Sussex's density is 2 house to the acre vs. currently, in Wicomico 1 house per 3 acres....
So if downzoning increase property value, how come Sussex County farm land sells for more than Wicomico County farmland.
So Mr. Appraiser, which is it? Land values don't lie....
Mr. McCain's own data shows that the average price of farmland in Wicomico County has more than doubled in the past 10 years. Does he think that is because farmers make twice as much now as they did then?
Obviously, increase in the value for development has resulted in that rise in the land value, which McCain and John Cannon (and probably Mr. MacLeod and Ms. Hughes) are about to steal by downzoning out land.
No Farms = No Food. Whatever happened to smart growth around existing infrastructure? I guess as long as someone is getting rich it doesnt matter right? We can just buy our way out of our problems. There is nothing wrong with preserving farmland, the very thing that made America an economic powerhouse and largest supplier of grains to the rest of the world. One day, that grain will be worth more than oil. Boo Hoo if we cant develop every square inch of our Delmarvalous land. Cry me a river! This is just more classic spin from your boy G.A.
11:07 - It's obvious you are not a farmer, nor own farmland, so how do you know so much about it? How can you know the farmer's problems and values? If you had a big chunk of "farmland" and needed money for your retirement or other pressing bills, would you like to be able to have an alternative to going broke by selling some land to buy a little security? Which I assure you a farmer would do only after careful thought and much regret. Go ahead and lie and say "no".
Anon 11:43 and the liked-minded lot of you,
Everyone has problems. You want to know what my problem is? Over development in Wicomico County is ruining my quality of life. As someone born and raised here I can barely afford a decent house to raise my family in thanks to greedy developers paying way too much for land that wont even perc and farmers thinking that their piece of dirt is worth millions because the market was "up" for a little while. So developers get crappy land better suited for farming, realize they have to put hundreds of thousands if not millions in improvements and infrastructure into it, raising lot costs near $100,000 for 1/2 acre lots before a house even gets built and all the people from NY, NJ, and PA still think it is a steal and they just love the "small town rural feel" of the place so they inflate housing prices and land values. Yes, the land is over valued. And all the while the thing that is driving the development (i.e. the tranquility of rural life) slips further away and the ones who have grown up here and wish to remain and raise a family here cant afford to do so. Not everyone can afford a brand new Ruark, Messick, or Martin home, especially people used to the median standard of living and income here on the Eastern Shore. If a handful of farmers can not become millionaires over night, I couldn't care less. If their farms are struggling, chances are it has a lot more to do with the price of oil, lack of gov't subsidies, drought and dry conditions, lack of labor, and taxes on their over-valued land, but don’t try to blame that on how many houses per acre are allowed by the County P&Z. I call BS on that. Besides let’s look at the tenor of the original post. Here are some key excerpts: “It appears” and “near impossible” and “government telling me who[m] I can sell my house to”. These are just scare tactics and in no way state anything explicit. You can sell you house to anyone. Will Ruark buy your farm and put up another Sleepy Hollow if YOU have placed your land in the WET? Doubtful. That doesn’t mean the WET isn’t right though. What is more important: A few people getting rich or sustainable development in Wico Co? I say the latter.
Previous Poster 11:07
Cry me a river?
No, because I'm not the son of a thief who is advocating stealing from these people. This is not a development issue. This is a property rights issue.
When you, Bill McCain, Mike Pretl and anyone else who wants to down-zone (and therefore DE-VALUE) land that doesn't belong to them goes out and buys up all of the farm land at fair market prices, then you can go give it to the Nature Conservancy.
Until then, you are simply using government to steal for you.
Last I checked, no one is forcing you to place your land in the WET so get over yourself bro.
Land values will ALWAYS rise. Always have, always will.
I've been in the real estate business for almost 30 years, so I know something about land and it's values. G A is right about what he says, and McCain is not right about his theory on the value of farmland going up because of this program. I can't believe he doesn't know better.
I couldn't agree more with G.A. I have always believed that the will of the people supercedes that of the few - until it infringes on the basic rights of the individual. Zoning laws always seem to teeter on the line of violation of individual property rights - and some cross over.
An example: Police officers must have a warrant (with certain exceptions)to enter upon the property of another to collect evidence to use against you in court. A police officer represents the govt.
A code enforcement officer isnt required to get a warrant to collect evidence to use against you even though he is also a representative of the govt.
The point is that an individuals property rights should not be trampled on. It sometimes seems as though some of these environmental groups are extremists who would see 1000 ppl go homeless and hungry to save one owl. They couldn't care less about an individuals rights - until it affeects them personally.
affects
1:40 - I was born here and grew up here too, but I'm not whining about it. And I still like it here. You're barking up a barren tree. We're not talking about your or my inconviences due to perhaps overdevelopment in some areas. We're talking about what is right and wrong. We cannot, and should not, go back to the "good old days" when things were quieter and more wonderful, because they probably weren't. Live with it and stop whining that someone else may be better off than you. And a whole bunch are worse off than you, and I. That's life.
GA
There is some question as to down zoning being an exercise of eminent domain, and if so, there is a question as to "just compensation" and "market value" of that eminent domain acquisition.
The issue is down zoning, with the loss in value associated with that. There are folks out there who are experts in land value, to me, with a tad of experience in such matters, it seems that a court case would be successful in favor of the people who were down zoned. Under the 5th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and the Code of Federal Regulations.
It is my understandimg that The Farm Preservation Act in the State of Maryland helps a little, and keeps the farming practices and gives the owner money and some development rights, while keeping the majority of the land in farming.
McCain is an appraiser by profession, I wonder what he was thinking.?
Isn't this how Gillis made all his money, sitting on board and knowing about the bypass before the farmers did?
Oh, I'm sorry for expressing my opinion. I thought this was a blog and therefore a public forum. I didnt know I had to own a farm before I could "whine" here. My bad. But thank you for correcting me.
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