WE NEED A GREEN DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE COUNTY

We need to rethink the current development plans, policies and the capabilities in the context of the opportunity of changing objectives for the largely idle construction industry. With an oversupply of very expensive, not very green homes and commercial buildings we need to rethink and retool the entire construction industry from top to bottom. Part of than change is in the direction is in offering affordable maintenance and green retrofitting for home owners and the owners of commercial and industrial property. Maintenance and the improvement of existing structures would be the new emphasis.

One obvious area is to sponsor and require superinsulation of currently heated and cooled structures. The need is enormous, the
opportunity is there and nothing will benefit both those owning and utilizing these properties more than an R-45 level of insulation. Of course obstacles to insulating should be removed. Insulation should not become an unaffordable bonanza for developers, just an honest job for thousands of construction workers who are willing to learn some new tricks. Nor should we underestimate the slashing of utility bills for the owners and tenants of these buildings. These are the kinds of change we
can finance and implement if we decide to go green and make it the policy of the state, the county and the cities in that county.

This is a great challenge yet it is something that needs to be done. All the hot shot construction folks who made bundles of money doing superficially efficient things will be missed by those who benefited. If those jobs are gone it is for reasons beyond the governmental policies that always facilitated this kind of superficially efficient economic growth and building development.

Another obvious reform is to severely limit any further suburban sprawl. Areas that are built up are already quite extensive and we should direct development toward these zones that are already developed. In short, most of the county that is currently not built up should remain for other, non residential, non-urban uses.

So maybe the County or State of Kansas can direct that certain zones be areas of restricted development prohibiting urban or suburban development in these areas. I am thinking, for example, about the recently annexed portions of Overland Park. Of course Overland Park could also make such green decisions. I don't know which level of state government has sovereignty over this, possibly all three, eh?