What’s your plan?

“We cannot do everything at once, but we can begin with a definite goal.” _{– Calvin Coolidge}

We don’t have a clear goal when it comes to growth.

Last week I met with a group of grumpy old people concerned seniors, and several members of the group expressed frustration with my reluctance to articulate a clear plan with specific details outlining, step-by-step, my approach to slowing Fairhope’s explosive growth.

We need to have a common goal before we can debate a plan. I sense a real lack of leadership on this issue. Many people here seem to be unhappy with Fairhope’s growth. Others are resigned to it as inevitable. Still others think it is a positive good to be encouraged. I count myself in the first group. My hope is that enough like minded people will get out and vote, and that by doing so they will create a mandate for slowing down. With such a consensus, we can start to push back.

There are plenty of ways to protect our character and charm provided we have the will. We could –

• enact a strong tree protection ordinance such as Gulf Shores’, which prohibits the cutting of live oaks greater than 6″ in diameter, even on private property
• reenact an ordinance on setbacks for new construction, to stop the building of huge homes on small lots
• stop providing water to, and annexing large developments
• pressure the County to protect farmland and green space
• establish a historic overlay district to preserve Fairhope’s historic neighborhoods, requiring new construction to align with the city’s architectural and cultural character, as seen in Birmingham and Eufaula
• enact an ordinance similar to the Philippines’ Presidential Decree No. 1153, which required every citizen over the age of 10 to “plant one tree every month for five years, with penalties for non-compliance.” (of course, I’m kidding… …but maybe…)

Without leadership and consensus-building, none of these things are likely. Instead, we will continue to allow unbridled growth, and cause a lot of Fairhopers to have anxiety about the future.

The big developers have a very clear goal. They want to build as many houses as they can, as quickly and as cheaply as possible. They don’t wrestle with their mission statement. No one raises her hand in a conference room in Dallas and says, “I think we should build fewer houses next year, give some of these little towns a chance to catch up.”

We need to be as focused and determined about what we want Fairhope to be.

I hope I’ve made it clear where I stand on the issue of growth. Perhaps I’ve misjudged the electorate and there are more people out there who like the way things are going. We’ll find out soon enough.