The Boone County Fiscal Court plans to develop the county according to its own designs, not those of the citizens. Those who live in rural Boone County enjoy scenic fields, wildlife, livestock and tranquility while living just a few minutes away from businesses.
Our leaders, however, want to see Boone County grow at the expense of those assets. Rather than maintaining zoning laws as they stood for years, the court has voted to reduce acreage requirements.
Those of us who live next door to the proposed development between Ballyshannon and Hathaway Road feel helpless as our beautiful scenic views (including a 1913 farmhouse on the National Register) turn into modern, unoriginal, crowded subdivision housing.
We also worry how much slower the traffic will flow. Our children do not attend Cooper High School, but I have seen the drop-off and pick-up situation there. Adding approximately 500 new homes to that school district will not help the already long waits.
Because Hathaway Road has a rural character near city life, its real estate holds prime value. Why, then, do our leaders settle for this type of housing when the area deserves better?
Spread the homes out, keep most of the existing trees, don’t change the landscape so quickly. Why the need to rush the growth of Boone County, Fiscal Court?
The citizens don’t agree. We need to vote for court members who want to maintain the natural beauty of Boone County.
Betsy Kunkel
Boone County