Op-Ed: Bad Zoning Creates Poverty by Holly Geddes

Zoning is not an attractive topic. But it is very important to economic growth. Poorly done, it can create poverty. I will try to explain without boring you.

Originally, towns did not have zoning. They grew in a way that worked for each property owner. Generally, shops and businesses clustered together. You would find a ladies hat shop a few doors from a tavern with a blacksmith across the street. Often, a business owner would live over his work place. Or, if a bit more prosperous, he would build a home next to his shop. That is the pattern you see on High Street at the end of the 300 block.

In the 20th century, it became more popular to build a home away from the business district. Eventually, this became the law and zoning was invented. By the end of the 1900s, it was becoming clear that suburbs are a cultural deserts that do not work well. Now, the trend is to create villages and towns in suburbia so that people can interact the way they did in small towns. Kentlands in Gaithersburg has become the standard for this zoning and design. The center is designated as “mixed use”. Other towns like Takoma Park and Annapolis have mixed use zones.

Zoning came to Chestertown at the end of the 1900’s. By that time, we also became a town with National Historic District designation and buildings designated as national historic sites.

Part of this designation said that the rules of preservation needed to be applied. One of the first of these rules reads as follows: “A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics…”

This means that if a building looks like a house, it should be used as one. If it looks like a shop, then it should be a shop.

Now we get to the point of all this. I said that poorly done zoning can cause poverty. In Chestertown, we have houses zoned as shops or offices and at least one shop zoned as residential. This has caused great financial hardship on the property owners. One has tried to sell the house only to find that no one will buy unless the zoning is changed. They can get full price if that happens. Instead, they can not rent the space consistently nor for enough to do maintenance. Someone removed an interior wall that was load-bearing and now the foundation is weak. When it falls in on itself, that will be “demolition by neglect” which is against town law. These owners are stuck. What are they to do?

An old victorian house at the corner of Maple and Queen Streets was divided into apartments that are very lovely. The people who move in are professionals with good jobs who add to the neighborhood. There is another building that would make a great apartment. It is the large victorian across from the Post Office owned by Mr. Hogans that I call the “green monster”. It not currently in use and has been for sale since before I moved here.

The same preservation designer who fixed the Queen Street house wanted to buy and fix the building but found two zoning problems. Not only could she not put two or three apartments on the ground floor, but also she was required to provide two parking places for each apartment. I have lived in town and city apartments and never saw one with an automatic parking place. They cost extra. This current zoning regulation is for suburbs not towns.

The current head of Planning and Zoning, Chris Cerino, heard all this explained in a formal hearing. I testified. When my explanation was finished, he said, “I can’t believe that anyone would want to live across from a park.” All I could do was laugh and remind him that the most expensive housing was next to or near Central Park, NY, Boston Commons and any other town park.

This attitude shows a lack of understanding of the purpose or development of towns. We need to change this way of thinking if Chestertown is to move forward and flourish.