Friday, October 14, 2005

Put an end to mega McMansions

Guest opinion by Steve Hogan


Steve Hogan, of Hailey, has worked in the real estate business in the Wood River Valley, and is also involved in a restaurant business in Hailey.

After attending this year's informative and well-produced sustainability conference in Ketchum, I left with many new ideas and thoughts to ponder about. First, though, I want to say thanks to all the organizers and participants. I must say it was disappointing not seeing many elected officials or candidates at the workshops. Especially, the great presentation given by Hunter Lovins. Right here, in our own town, we had a nationally recognized and accomplished expert talking about how to maintain a sustainable community. From her experience in Aspen, Colo., she addressed, with clarity, the exact problems we are facing in our valley today. While several of the city officials (not elected) from Hailey were in attendance, I'm fairly certain not one of the candidates running for mayor of Ketchum was there. Perhaps it explains why we are in the dilemmas we face today.

The reason for this column, however, is about tackling what I would hope should be a fairly easy issue in achieving at least one area of consensus regarding growth and development. It pertains to the increasing number of large-scale homes being built in the valley. If you've driven north lately, one home in particular can be identified quite easily by the massive hole that was dug this summer and is now in the building process on its way to becoming a housing compound of over 30,000 square feet! After spending three days listening to experts about sustainable communities and buildings, it makes absolutely no sense that we even consider allowing these types of non-sustainable homes in our high-desert valley. This was further enhanced by the many side conversations I had with builders, architects and contractors who seemed to always suggest (off the record, of course) they don't agree with the idea, but they have to listen to what their customers want.

At this point, you may be thinking we are a free society and property rights prevail. If someone wants to build a mega mansion that's his or her business. In looking at the big picture, however, that's not exactly true. Here are just a few points to consider.

· Not only does it deplete an incredible amount of natural resources to build such a massive home, it also requires a significant amount of non-renewable resources to maintain it on an hourly basis. Consider, for example, that most people have a one-inch gas line coming into their home. Imagine the size of the gas line (or lines) going into a home that's 10, 15 or 20 times bigger than yours. Since we all tap into the same gas source and there is only so much supply, the more that is sucked out, the law of supply and demand prevails. In the end we all end up paying more, especially as natural gas prices continue to climb to new highs. As for electricity, the same rule applies. The more demand that is pulled from the shared grid, the power company needs to either burn more fuel or look for other energy sources like building nuclear and coal plants or more dams. All options impact the environment and our health. To add insult to injury, it also means passing the added costs onto all of the customers being served, both big and small.

· Building a home of that size often requires combining several lots together to create the needed landmass. When lots are combined, land inventory is reduced, causing real estate prices to rise even higher. Once again, supply and demand kicks in.

· As for the environment and the air we also all share, consider the average home produces three time more pollution than the average car. Now multiply that times a home that's 15 or 20 times larger than the average one.

So, what's the answer? It's easy, just like Bellevue is in the process of restricting the size of commercial buildings; the cities and county can place similar restrictions in their respective building ordinances for residential structures. Has this been done elsewhere? Yep, and of all places, one of them is Aspen. They've even taken it a step further by requiring homes over a certain square footage to provide funds for affordable housing as well as provide for their own source of renewable energy.

As a side note, in Boulder Colo., you can't even build a residential structure of any size without first meeting their established Green Points program. Has this had a negative impact on property values? Nope. In fact, the opposite is true. The reality is, people are willing to pay a premium for cleaner air and a healthier environment as well as the added comfort of living in a community that supports responsible development. Does it pay off? Absolutely, in more ways than many people can imagine.

Will limiting house sizes or at least putting large constraints on them solve all of our growth problems? No, it won't. However, it's at least a start in the right direction. How do we make this happen? The will of the people. It takes you and me to tell our political leaders enough is enough. If someone doesn't have the capacity to realize the consequences of their unlimited budget and selfish actions, it's up to the community and the government to set things straight. Is it too late? No, not if we take this kind of action immediately.

With the elections coming around the corner, we need to make sure our political leaders actually see into the future and lead rather than react to circumstances as they come along. With today's energy crises upon us, imagine the foresight Boulder's leaders had to set up the Green Points program. When did this come about? Over 15 years ago. This is the type of leadership we need here today. It's not about talk that sounds good in order to get elected; we need to see actual leadership and actual action.




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