As seen in The Commercial Appeal August 28, 2003:

Dear Editor:

I was pleased to read about the mayors' interest in overhauling zoning and development rules in Shelby County.

When I introduced the Truth in Land Use initiative in 1997 when I was chairman of the County Commission, there wasn't such support from the administration. The Grays Creek Plan, although advisory, was a beginning, but it met heavy opposition and took years to pass.

A more accurate (although often ignored) fiscal impact analysis was also adopted. We required stricter enforcement of floodplain regulation, and passed a residential corridor protection ordinance. The posted signs you now see that notify the public that development is proposed resulted from this initiative. We could have accomplished more with greater support, but too few had yet felt the pinch of the recent property taxes increases some of us fought to avoid.

My efforts to balance protection of citizen pocketbooks with preservation of property rights continue in the state Senate. I sponsored legislation to require Shelby County to adopt written guidelines that govern the issuance of more debt, and wrote two laws to facilitate proper growth.

One encourages development where services to support it exist in exchange for open space owned by those who are willing to sell their rights to develop it. The other law requires political appointees to planning commissions to get annual continuing education in law and land use planning.

It is up to local officials to adopt ordinances that take advantage of these laws and the opportunities they afford. The challenge is to effect change without overreacting and denying property rights, due process and freedom of choice.

Mark Norris

Tennessee Senate

District 32

Collierville