I have a difficult time understanding this. The houses in the proposed area were all built after the slug line was established. The owners purchased their houses understanding that this inconvenience was part and parcel, so to speak, of buying the property.
Be that as it may, the fault for this action lies with the Board of Supervisors, who chose to value the mild inconvenience of 25 residents who accepted this circumstance when they purchased their property over a much greater number of county residents who rely on this area for their commute. Rolling Valley is not a suitable alternative for at least two reasons: first, the diversity of destinations is inconsistent with the Sydenstricker commuting population, and second, Rolling Valley is an additional five minutes only under the best circumstances. The school zone and stop lights add significant time in the morning. These factors make Rolling Valley unattractive, particularly for those who are already driving 5-10 minutes to get to Sydenstricker.
I will say the residents on 7001 have a stronger argument than the residents who live on Hooes Road. At least the residents on 7001, the "offshoot" road, are challenged by an unusually narrow street in front of their homes, making it challenging for residents with large vehicles to back out because the parking is on the opposite side of the street from the driveways, where the ten-foot offset from driveways does not apply. The Hooes Road residents have neither of those issues.
If the board had granted the proposal as to 7001 and denied it as to Hooes Road their action would have been easily defensible. Approving the proposal wholesale is not.
I had confidence the Board of Supervisors would take a utilitarian view
of this proposal and would choose what is right by judging what does the
most good for the greatest number of residents. The fact that they
granted the petition of a small group of whiny owners who had a poor
argument based on the circumstances existing when they purchased their
property causes me to question judgment of these elected officials.
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