The current building moratorium is extended until March 1, 2008.
Please stay abreast of developments on this and how you can help.
Check the Meetings/Calendar section on this site for dates and times of town council and planning boards meetings.
"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men"
- Abraham Lincoln: 16th U.S. President, 1809-1865
“Communities are not a given in this country. They must be created, fought for, and tended like gardens.”
- Barack Obama: 44th U.S. President
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Preserve Portsmouth, and mail to
Preserve Portsmouth
P.O. Box 275
Portsmouth, RI 02871
Thank you in advance.
Preserve Portsmouth, and mail to
Preserve Portsmouth
P.O. Box 275
Portsmouth, RI 02871
Thank you in advance.
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January 17, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Werner Loell
After much exploring, inquiring and prying, I’ve come to the conclusion that attempting to cap or limit development in Portsmouth, or Aquidneck Island for that matter, would require a referendum of sorts.
I was very encouraged by the charette conducted last year. We were sort of developing a “Quality Function Diagram” (for you TQM & 6-Sigma Buffs) but was unfortunately limited on construction appeal and square footage of a project or new development. We are still at it.
While I admire all those folks working hard and offering their time to reach a consensus, I do not think these kind people are in an enviable position to arrive at a win-win decision. As a result, someof us will be unhappy and others may be calmed. After all, we have always done what we feel benefits people and the community: job promotion, economic growth, real estate development, retail consumption (made in polluted China, etc.), and energy growth which translates into economic growth and fossil fuel dependency.
So we can expect to see more subsidized housing, a declining island canopy (no one is talking about “building a forest”, is there?), and an ever-growing dependency on land trusts to save some of our precious farmland and open space at prices only Donald Trump can afford. However, since having had the joy of living here for the past seven years, there has been a profusion of home expansions and number of McMansions, yet our town is still suffering from a shortage of real property revenue.
I lived under the delusion of purchasing a small plot of land available on Wapping Road to plant evergreens — Right: It takes 1/2 million dollars for less than an acre, an expensive hobby, a million anyone? Sorry, but in my opinion Portsmouth will not be a town where the mold is broken for a new paradigm in sustainable quality of life. I’ve cited Portland, OR as a model for our community to emulate. Now there are many more such as in the UK, Germany, Scotland, etc. specializing in one area or another to help mother earth fight father greed to benefit flora, fauna and those who follow us, and in some cases are even in school today.
Until there is a significantly emotional catastrophy, society will resist change, when the status quo has been so profitable. But, let’s keep hope alive and stay engaged, and, “vote”.
Sincerely,
Werner Loell