You are wrong,
No restriction should be considered below 30%,scenic ridge-ways could be protected ,clearing limits should go away.Government should not decide which trees I can cut on my land.
Notification is a must.Contrary to your thinking most people are not politically active,unless you poke them with a stick,which this has done.Believe me, you don't want them engaged and involved,because they probably would completely disagree with everything your vocal minority advocates.
All properties affected by this would go down in value.How could restriction raise value?
These devalued properties should receive a reduced assessment and if by some very very very remote chance this thing gets passed,there are pros who do nothing but get assessments reduced and this would be an easy case to make.
I am a 3rd generation east Tennessee native and we have a wonderful and beautiful area but its grown because of the people who were here and not because of over reaching government,property rights of owners are at stake here.Leave people alone and get your hands off their land.
Any way I guess we'll find out tomorrow who s right,good luck.

Kevin Murphy wrote, "I concede that the value of some parcels may be impacted, but I assert that many parcels will gain value."

Stop right there. What right does MPC have to devalue one persons property even if their neighbors property may increase in value? That isn't the role of MPC.

Your post smacks of elitism. You write, "there has been ample notification to the community through publicly announced Task Force meetings, specially scheduled presentations by the Task Force to the public, MPC notices, articles in the newspaper, stories on the local news and numerous entries on local blogs."

That simply is not true. When I spoke with my County Commissioner he said he had received more email about this single issue than any other issue and that those emails came to him on Friday after the email blast from the Knoxville Realtors and Home Builders. So when people found out about this they took action because they were adamantly against it. The point is most people knew nothing about this until this week. There is little support for this over reaching plan. The response to Commissioners shows that.

If for no other reason this should be voted down because of the refusal to notify property owners. MPC spent over $350,000 on this plan and then they say they cannot afford the $17,000 it would take to notify property owners? That is an outrage.

Both Mayors need to audit the MPC and find out what has gone wrong with this out of control unaccountable agency. This was a waste of three years and $350,000. MPC recently doubled the fees for rezoning. Was that to pay for the $350,000 this plan cost?

The Realtors and the Home Builders would have accepted a plan that starts at 30% and required notification. But MPC said no to compromise. It is the fault of MPC that all this time and money was wasted.

rikki, you asked for specifics.
The "present plan" that you and MPC Commissioner rachel refer does not exist. Presently, there is no plan. There are guidelines that the MPC erroneously attempts to enforce as regulations. The proposed plan allows a maximum density of 2 units per acre on land in excess of 15% slope and a maximum of 50% of the land can be cleared. These restrictions do not presently exist. Do the math. The proposed plan virtually eliminates affordable housing or apartments. The proposed plan is much more restrictive on business and commercial developments. I find it interesting those who own little if any property desire, in conjunction with the government, to educate builders and developers how to increase their property values. The property owners and developers that spoke at the Commission workshop were polite and courteous. The co-chair of the task force, Tony Norman said "this is now hand to hand combat." Now, which side is using heated rhetoric? Under Mark Donaldson’s direction, MPC has spent nearly $400,000 of tax payer’s money on this plan. How many people work at the MPC? I agree, the MPC does need to be audited.

Thanks, Rachel for your explanation of the 15-25% regulations in the slope plan.

I'll admit its been a few years since I've designed or done the grading plan for a subdivision but I've done dozens back in the day. And I know you can do a perfectly reasonable subdivision of 4 units/acre more or less on 15 - 25% slope. More when you are close to 15%, less as you approach 25%. Daylight basements help a lot and it is crucial that you pay attention to driveway approaches etc. But it can be done and done gracefully if the designer knows what they are doing.

Now look at the footprints - 5000 sf for 2 acres??? People, that is a footprint 1/2 of 1% of the land.

I'm upset because this plan has some very good features but it is garnering much justified oppositon because of these restrictions. As someone said above - it is cutting out the habitat of the middle class. Or driving them out to surrounding counties. Isn't anyone on this board pro - choice when it comes to housing???

Let's step back and allow density higher than 2/acre on the 15 - 25% slopes. Yes, under a review process with restrictions for site disturbance. But please, why did we allow the zealots to create an unworkable plan when we could have had a great plan that most everyone could support?

OK, I was doing calculations on a cell phone. But still 5% is an awfully small footprint. Throw in another 5 - 15% for driveways and roads and you don't have much disturbance. Trees have a great way of filling in the canopy after they have light.

And yeah, I should have said zealot. The rest of the folks seem reasonable people.

The Knoxville Chamber of Commerce has a full page ad in today's News Sentinel. It depicts a graph of the slopes affected by the Plan which is incorrect. The lines on the graph are flatter than the slope percentages they actually depict. The graph makes it appear as though lots with less steep slopes would be affected by the plan when they are not, or that lots with less steep slopes would be subjected to more restrictions in the plan than they actually are. While it's possible that this was not intentional, the ad was clearly professionally designed with a lot of attention to detail. It's fine to have a difference of opinion, but people and organizations should represent their positions honestly and fairly.

Take a sheet of graph paper. place a dot in at one intersection. go over 10 grids and up 1 1/2 grid. That is a 15% slope. It really isn't that steep.

If you have a 28' deep house with 8' elevation difference between the front and back, you are looking at taking up a 28% slope right there.

Part of my problem with this plan is no differential between a 15% and 25% slope. One is quite easy to grade while the other is beginning to push the limits.

Is what would be impacted. Which is the housing choice of a majority of home buyers.

The zealot wants to force higher density to encourage transit use. But that whole scheme could backfire and the roads get clogged by residents coming in from surrounding counties.

It's funny how just two months ago on Midway, Donaldson was a tool of the Chamber.

But the great thing about believing in endless, overlapping, contradictory conspiracies is that nothing ever has to make sense or add up. All that's important is maintaining a consistent sense of outrage and victimhood.

Looking at the MPC Hillside Adopted version of the Plan on the MPC website, Page 33, Table 3 gives the density allocations and the percentage of clearing permitted for each slope zone. As an MPC Commissioner, Rachel should know that "guidelines" in the sector plans are suggested guidelines for density and are not enforceable. There is nothing mentioned in the sector plans regarding permitted clearing limits. So to suggest that the proposed plan is no different than what we use presently is an inaccurate and false statement. The ultimate intent of the Plan is to use the Plan's density and clearing restrictions as regulatory tools to control and limit development. A County Commissioner was overheard saying that he has received more e-mails against the Plan than any other issue covering several years. Wonder why Tony and MPC did not want to notify people? Tony and MPC knew that if people were notified, they would rally against the Plan. Wow, an informed public fighting against the government in favor of property rights. All over East Tennessee you will find statues of John Sevier and William Blount (oh by the way, Blount’s home place was built on a severe slope). These guys were land speculators and greedy, awful capitalistic entrepreneurs. I think we need to rename Knoxville Normanville in recognition of the “combat” veteran who championed this fight.

LVG in the Halls Shopper...

Gary Norvell on the radio 100.3 FM for the next hour on why he resigned from the Hilltop Ridge task force.

Mr Norvell would not respond to the question of defining the plan as a "taking ". Law Director Jarrett made it clear that the plan is not a taking.Norvell seemed confused by the question and oddly inarticulate on his decision to resign.

LVG ,says "It did little good for Law Director Joe Jarret to explain that, in the first place, “taking” could not apply to a plan, which is, after all, only a set of guidelines and not statutes."

He also did not respond to the notion that property rights are not absolute in our society.
Once again LVG,"And what, allegedly, was being taken? The aginners wail that the insidious plan takes away their right to use their property as they please without restriction. Save for the lucky few who own and inhabit a private island in the tropics, that “right” has been dubious from the moment people began forming communities."

These are legitimate(published) questions that Norvell seemed unable or unwilling to understand.

The current storm and the results could provide some good real time evidence justifying a good hillside/ridge top plan.

Mother Nature seems to be trying to justify it for CC.

Vernon,

Like I said before, until you identify the co-chair and the candidates he said it to, and they are willing to verify your statement, it's just gossip.

And not call people who disagree liars.

About an hour ago in County Commission Knox County Commissioner Tony Norman said there would be NO compromise. And in a surprise move a few (three) Commissioners tried to delay the vote for 60 days. But the Vice Chair said it was not proper to hold a vote at 3:00 PM when the meeting was publicly noticed at 6:00 PM. The tactic failed.

This would be done now if only the zealots would have agreed to 25% and notification. But they don't understand the meaning of the word compromise.

Nobody live blogged this meeting?? Can't believe it. Ya'll missed some interesting stuff.

You need to see someone about that anger thing you got going on! I have commented here for a while. I don't know you, but I can imagine you must not be over 4'10" b/c you never really have anything to add, but always have something nasty to say to other commenters.

What's up with that?

BTW, "slapshot" was not in attendance. Instead he was posting something about new urbanism over on the Blab around 7:30.

Something else then!

KNS reports on vote to delay, puts somewhat positive spin on the plan, but does so anonymously. Wouldn't want to nip at the hand that feeds you, and all that.

Having casually observed with mild interest this little dustup in your otherwise rather inconsequential burg, I am compelled to respond, if for no other reason than to relieve pressure on my malfunctioning valve and other parts better left unmentioned.

Good God people! Detractors of this so-called "hilside and ridgetop protection" plan have it exactly right. They are the only good citizens paying enough attention to recognize the creeping socialism the plan represents, unlike the misguided cheerleading miscreants who no doubt suffer under the hypnotic influence of their Messiah in Chief, not to mention certain subversive, elitist, bicycle-riding local community organizer elements who, despite their incessant yapping and ankle-biting, are mostly powerless and generally ignoramuses of the first order.

But lest I digress, this so-called plan doesn't protect anyone from anything, and in fact threatens to destroy the movers and shakers and smart money people in the know who get things done around there and subject them to the the jackbooted oppression and thuggery of the socialist "MPC" and their local government land grabber goon squads.

I am not at all unfamiliar with their tactics. Having been a victim of their goon squads I know a thing or two about it, let me tell you. Like the time a malodorous hobo and his vicious pitbull attempted to extort a hot dog from my thriving enterprise. I noticed a nearby constable scarfing down beignets and politely inquired if he would kindly do something about these degenerate thieves impeding commerce in the public square. They're scaring away paying customers, I told him. To my astonishment and dismay, he asked if I had a permit! A permit for what? I asked. Being a free person in a public place breathing public air? Exercising my God Given Right to pursue the American Dream through hard work and perseverance? I am the victim here. Do I need a permit for that? He bopped me on the head with his nightstick and demanded tribute of two hot dogs before forcing me to move along.

This is how they operate. This is what the smart people at this venue are warning you about, over and over again. Let their clarion of truth ring loud and their light of justice shine on your oppressors. The "liberals" and so-called progressives are out to impede progress in the name of progress. Wake up and pay attention before it's too late. Take heed lest the hobos and pitbulls take over the square with their their turf protected by the goon squads of the puffy shirt elite.

I must now take my leave to make a nice cheese dip. Good day.

It was interesting what Dr. Briggs had to say toward the end of the meeting.

As I understand his comments, he was saying that the MPC had given the Commission bad advice related to Midway Road industrial Park, South Knoxville development and east county sewer projects. This was after, I do not remember the exact words, but the MPC stated that it was a wise use of land and should be done.

It did not seem to me that the Commission, or at least Dr. Briggs, has a very high regard for the MPC. Basically he said that the Commission had to make a "polictical decision" b/c the MPC did not do a good job in learning what the public actually thought before telling the Commission that everything was OK.

Those projects were local to a specific geographic area of the county. He spoke about density swaps for the South Knox project. South Knox raised Hell. This "Plan" is county wide. Do ya think that maybe he sees that the Commission is getting ready to run right into a buzz saw when the word really gets out to the ~62,000 property owners?

Fool me once and all that.

Why is there such a push-back against notification by the MPC?

If the Commission thought it was bad at Midway, they have not seen anything yet.

To minimize those that may be impact by stating that maybe some of the 62,000 would not be impacted would not be too comforting to me if I were in his shoes!

Have to do with the Midway Project? What he said, and I did not follow the Midway Project at all, was that the MPC said that it was a wise and good use of the land that the county had purchased. Then, the citizens at the Midway Project area, really came out and spoke about the project and it was shot down.

The South Knox project involved a developer buying multiple properties and consolidating the density on the primary development area. The MPC thought, and as is custom as I understand it, that it would be OK for that to happen and recommeded approval. Then the South Knox citizens came out in force being opposed to the developers plan. The developer's plan was shot down by Commission.

I believe what Dr. Briggs was saying is:

1. The MPC screwed the Commission by saying the Midway Project was a good thing when the citizens clearly did not want it.

2. That the density incentives that are similar to those in the "Plan" (Hillside Plan) was rejected by the South Knox citizens after the MPC said that it was a wise use of the land.

I understood him to say that the bottom line was that it turned into a polictial decision rather than a good use of the land based on facts and the consent of the people who would be impacted.

I believe that Dr. Briggs was telling the MPC that the "Plan" has the same characteristics as the examples that he gave. And in both cases, the Commission was force to make a political decision rather than a well inform land use decision which was endorsed by the MPC.

I got the distinct impression that he did not like that too much. It is a good thing that the MPC is not in the military under his command, b/c they would not have to guess where his thoughts are regarding this "Plan".

Maybe Briggs and some of the other commissioners have learned something about the way the voters in Knox County are starting to feel about the MPC.

Or maybe the Commissioners paid attention to the several hundred emails and phone calls they recieved from Knox Countians expressing their dismay with the fact that they learned about this plan from the Chamber of Commerce's ads over the weekend.

As I recall, the members of the MPC don't have to survive the next election cycle like the Knox County Commissioners do. And who is it that Mark Donaldson answers too? Oh yeah, the MPC appoints the Director.

The MPC is "Staff" as in "Staff recommends approval". This is found in all MPC recommendations unless they are against the proposal.

As staff, the Commission want "due diligence" by the staff. You may have voted against Midway, but was the public input considered when the MPC voted on "recommend approval"?

That is the point I am trying to make. Dr. Briggs may have been for the project, however, if MPC had made it clear that it was a non-starter with the public, maybe he would have reconsidered his position.

This "Plan" has the same components. That is, the public has not been fully informed. The MPC wants this "Plan" so badly that they are willing to make excuses not to inform the public that will be impacted by the "Plan". They recommend approval to the Commission.

So what happens, the MPC "Staff recommends approval", the public input comes streaming in, in the negetive, and the Commission has to make a political decision b/c the MPC has not done the due diligence to determine what the public really wants.

What is it about this "Plan" that the MPC is so invested in it? Why is it that the MPC is against letting the public know what is going on? Why was Mr. Norman against any compromise and now is so will to wait 60 days? Why is it that the "Plan" proposes density bonus when the public has shown that they do not like high density projects?

In short, "what the hell is going on at the MPC?"? If the MPC is a non-political body, it sure seems like the politics are showing through in this case.

I just read the Metro Pulse article from last week. Concise.

Nancy Pelosi's involvement notwithstanding, I hope Commission passes this plan.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned. I cannot keep up with it all.

“We don’t need to pass a health-care bill where Nancy Pelosi says we gotta pass it to find out what’s in it.”

The article

KNS: Clearing blamed for muddy mess

The group that approves or denies all land use developments in Knoxville and Knox County, MPC, has a history of making bad decisions, that lead to bad developments. Couple this history with the construction of a KUB Water Tower in South Knoxville that was built to provide Water to a single, large Apartment Complex that MPC approved, and there is a public outcry.

Because of this Outcry, the City and County governments create a Task force to study and create a plan,(themselves as in actually write it), to prevent Utility projects from being built without local approval, and to protect our main Ridgelines and Hilltops from MPC's bad decisions and the resulting bad developments.

The first thing that the Task force discovers is that Utility Projects are protected at the State level, and that Knox county can do NOTHING to stop them. After all kinds of meetings, with a whopping 200 person out of almost half a million County residents participating. The MPC Staff then grows the Plan to massive size, against the wishes of many of the Task Force members.

After a six month hiatus from meetings of the Task Force, the MPC Staff announces that the Plan has been finished and will be presented to MPC in two weeks. This announcement was made the week of Thanksgiving. Basically the plan had been highjacked by the MPC Staff, finished without the help of the Task Force, and then pushed forward, for some, so far unknown reason.

Fast forward to this last week, and you have a Task Force Co-Chair, stating that the time for Compromise is over and that any delay tactics are just that and will not be accepted, and then 5 days later, the same person states that he wants a delay.

When will Knox County have enough of this kind of Politics?

You are the one who is regurgitating the lame narrative the proponents of this "Plan" have been spouting!

Mr. Franklin gave a good history of the "Plan" and you have nothing to say to refute it!

This was an idealogical "Plan", pragmatism be damned!

Tony (no compromise)Norman which said at the workshop with Count Commission that delay was a tactic? Then he was slapped down by a former MPC member!

The proponents of the "Plan" are just angry because the "evil developers" keep an eye on what the MPC is up to and called them on it. Now the people, who should have been notified in the first place, are voicing an opinion and the MPC and zero growth crowd don't like it.

The MPC is a political body regardless of what you may say. The proof are shown by action and people don't like it.

The MPC is a political body regardless of what you may say. The proof are shown by action and people don't like it.

Dude, if MPC were as political as you say, it would be a lot more prone to doing what "the people" wanted, instead of making what it thinks are the best land use recommendations.

Attacking MPC when it has very little power to actually make a decision on anything is the classic case of creating a scapegoat.

Here's how this process worked. Council and Commission appointed a task force to work on this plan. They also asked MPC to provide staff help. (I can point you to the resolution if you don't believe me). Once the task force was finished with the plan, it went, like all plans, to MPC for approval. MPC staff made recommendations on it, as they always do. The only recommendations for changes were FAVORABLE to developers, and were approved by the Planning Commission.

P.S. And there's that "people" again. Do you speak for all the people of Knox County?

A case of a stranger calling your baby ugly!

Tony and the MPC created a baby (The Plan), and the baby shower is in progress. Seems the uninvited guests, (i.e. the citizens who should have been involved in the first place) are not impressed. They don't feel like leaving their property rights in tribute to the little monster knowing for sure that it will only grow into a big monster!

Mostly, individuals would like the government to just leave them alone. I don't speak for everyone, but for myself, the less government, the better.

The complete Powell public meeting.

Very subtle.

Rachel

I'm sure everyone else here is also holding breath awaiting the verdict from your Engineer (sic) to settle this whole thing.

Time for Hillside Compromise » Metro Pulse

What surprises me is the "consensus" of concerned citizens who have come out of nowhere to spew developer talking points on a progressive blog. Reminds me of when billboard restrictions were under consideration and Lamar signage went to its war chest. Amid their PR blitz, they tried to portray themselves as model citizens by underwriting public radio and they put up beautiful landscape photos on their billboards, which really just showed what kind of scenic views their signs obliterated.

I too am a landowner living on a steep hill and I favor the plan.

I am confused why developers who purchase large land parcels would claim to be worried about land becoming cheaper. Isn't the objective to buy low? Where have I heard that before? Maybe it's like the global warming scam where there's no motive, incentive, or objective behind it.

"I too am a landowner living on a steep hill and I favor the plan."

Same here. I own a little chunk of Paradise on Beaver Ridge at the Cheneworth Gap.

Anybody got a good recipe for key lime pie?

Trust me, this is the best Key Lime Pie you can make at home, and the closest we could get to the best Key Lime Pie we ever had in Key West.

Key Lime Pie

8 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup grated lime rind
2/3 cup Key lime juice
dash of salt
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
graham cracker crusts*
2 cups whipping cream**
1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
garnish: lime twists

• Combine first 5 ingredients in top of a double boiler and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook, whisking constantly until thickened. Add butter and cook, whisking constantly until butter melts and mixture thickens. Pour into graham cracker crusts.

• Bake at 300F for 20 minutes or until set. Cool, cover and chill at least 8 hours.

• Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy, gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla and spread over filling. Chill. Garnish just before serving if desired. Yield: 2 9-inch pies.

Graham Cracker Crusts

2/12 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

• Combine all ingredients, press into two 9-inch pie plates.

• Bake at 375F for 6 to 8 minutes, cool. Yield: 2 9-inch pie crusts.

Note: Recipe may be halved.

Marion Sullivan
Charleston, South Carolina
Southern Living 1997 Annual Recipes

*There is a great deal of controversy regarding regular pie crust v. graham cracker crust for Key Lime Pie. We prefer regular pie crust.

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 c. plain flour
1 c. shortening
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp. ice water
2 tbsp. vinegar

Combine the flour, shortening, and salt into coarse meal-like texture. Combine in separate bowl beaten egg, ice water, and vinegar. Mix well and store in loose covered refrigerator dish. Keep in ice box. Makes enough for three pie crusts. Will keep up to 6 weeks.

Mrs. Richard L. Hobart, Jr. (Helen)
Favorite Recipes from Medical Auxiliary Kitchens, Knoxville Tennessee
Woman's Auxiliary to the Knoxville Academy of Medicine, 1972

**There is also controversy regarding whipped cream v. meringue topping. The Mrs. prefers meringue, I prefer whipped cream. Both are great.

Meringue

For one 9-inch pie:

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

Beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar 'till soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating 'till stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved. Spread meringue over hot filling, sealing to edge of pastry. Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes, or 'till meringue is golden. Cool.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 1976

[Note: for the Key Lime Pie recipe, bake the pie/filling for five minutes or so before adding meringue to finish.]

Other notes:

Use actual Key limes if possible. They are smaller but have a unique tangy flavor.

The "grated lime rind" is the key to the flavor of this pie. Use a zester or fine grater and try to get just the green/yellow part. Avoid getting into the white part of the rind which is bitter.

The lime juice should be freshed squeezed from the Key limes. Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice is OK but just not the same. You have to have the limes for the zest anyway, so use fresh lime juice.

You try to make it sound like all development consists of building life saving medical facilities, when you're really just in it for the money. By far most development contributes nothing to society and really just causes long term degradation, besides killing our quality of life by a thousand cuts. I'm sure you didn't want people to realize that the (dangerous) flooding we had on Monday was greatly exacerbated by, if not totally due to, huge concrete and asphalt jungles of generica that you sell.

reform,

Oh yeah, and about that Ridgetop and Hillside plan. You may want to take a look at Commissioner Norman on Gene Patterson's show. If someone that wanted more information about this Plan watched Normans performance, what do you think their take away would be?

(link...)

The Fact that he never once looked at Robin Askew, says it all to me. This plan is dead. And its dead because of one thing. Mr. Norman's refusal to compromise.

My point is that I keep hearing blame placed on newer development as being the sole culprit in flooding like we saw last week.

Depends on the definition of the word "sole." Are you arguing that development may be bad, but not as bad as it used to be? Or do you really think "it floods in the great smoky mountains every bit as much as it does in knoxville when 5 inches of rain fall in a short period of time," meaning that there is the same effect from downbursts in the Smokies as there was in Knoxville last Monday?

Ever hear of detention ponds,they hold water back to avoid flooding and retain silt.

Except when they don't. On Monday, did older neighborhoods like Sequoyah have flooding issues like Northshore Drive did next to the new, landfilled development (Bistro By the Tracks, et. al.), where there used to be a wooded subdivision? (What did we need that development for, anyway? Is it saving lives, like your beloved Parkwest project?)

Density is a big part of the problem, as is increased hillside development. Such high density, landfill projects where there's no natural drainage, and hillside developments (due to gravity) require more elaborate drainage schemes, like the ones you're bragging about as if developers voluntarily came up with those measures, as opposed to going along with them kicking and screaming. Yet even those measures are not always enough, as last week showed. And if you think runoff and and watershed overflow in the Smokies occurs the same way as flooding in such parts of Knoxville like on Northshore, then you are really showing your ignorance.

I just don't see the devastated hillsides that you do.

Maybe when you drive up and down Pellissippi Pkwy, you love the clearcuts and removed hillsides in favor of rows of ugly, cheap built shit that everybody has to see instead of the natural wooded beauty many of us used to take for granted and thought we could for the rest of our lives. Perhaps our difference is that you have a personal conflict of financial interest. But this is our home too; landowners and developers don't have an instrinsic, absolute right to our geography.

Ever hear of detention ponds,they hold water back to avoid flooding and retain silt.

BTW, we have a relatively small and (best I can tell) needed and very well run utility project going on in our neighborhood right now, where KUB is replacing the sewer line (IIRC). They have silt fences constructed and it all looks good and proper to me. They cover up each section as its completed, and plant grass and cover with straw as they go along. It looks like they employ a landscape team and I've been impressed how neat/diligent they seem to be. Last Monday, however, the freshly seeded dirt along the side of the main entrance road (and maybe elsewhere along the path) became a wall of silt and mud that breached at least two silt fences. Oops. And this project is a trivial disturbance compared to what's being discussed here.