Kate McVey is a concerned citizen, 30-year resident of Bethlehem, professional organizer, dog owner, mother of two children, been around, kosher cook . . . explorer.
Gadfly:
I have been thinking a lot about citizens’ comments about development, both southside and northside. They want developers to honor history, to have a conscience, and to think about what and whom they hurt when they destroy existing communities. They want developers to have a heart, and so would I, however that is not the world we live in today. I am a realist, and I realize that that is not the role of a developer. The role of a developer is to make money. Harsh but true. They don’t care about anything except the goal of making money. That is their business. I have to admit I don’t care if what they develop is ugly, cookie-cutter, and goes against all new thinking and trends about development. The market will eventually catch up to them . . . create something ugly, over-priced, cheaply constructed, and something that will not hold up . . . their creations will ultimately fail. What I do care about, and I believe they should be held accountable for, is the environment. What needs to be addressed because of the amount of land they want to pave is the flooding of the Monocacy (I doubt that they will pay for permeable pavement), not to mention the eroding/pollution of a valuable trout stream. Sierra Club is all about the pedestrian bridge, but what are their thoughts and concerns about all this development/pavement?
Kate
When they were 1st proposing the CRIZ, I said that absolutely no government funds should be given to any developer unless the developed projects that were responsible from environmental, health, and social points of view.
Today, that would mean *zero-carbon/climate neutral* fo any new construction or major renovations. Anything less is the developer planting a bomb to destroy our children/granchildren.