Land Use Forum Examines the Impact of Local Regulation
Dallas BA President Alan Hoffmann, Executive Officer Phil Crone and Director of Government Affairs David Lehde took part in a forum discussing the appropriate role of local government in zoning, land use and permitting. Hosted by the American City County Exchange, the forum included local and state officials, as well as members of the development community and policy institutes.
“There’s a difference between local control and local out-of-control,” said Crone. “More and more often, individual property owners are finding themselves in the crosshairs of local government. It is hard for them to use the protections the law provides because a lawsuit against a city is extremely expensive.”
Association leaders discussed recent effort to protect the rights of Harlan and Sue Stauffer from overreach by the City of McKinney. The city attempted to enforce building standards outside of its jurisdiction and on residents who could not vote in municipal elections. McKinney also sought to extract nearly $200,000 of land from the couple in exchange for permitting the construction of their home and barn. Thanks to media interest by NBC 5 and WFAAÂ as well as the Dallas BA’s advocacy efforts, the couple’s home is now under construction.