Wednesday, October 31, 2007

What I learned from “Losing Ground”

The article in the Express News, “Losing Ground”, basically talked about the vested rights law or another word for it is grandfather clause. This is a law made where big time real estate developers go around the city and other people or organizations. One of these organizations would be AGUA. This organization protects the Edwards Aquifer. It protects the aquifers recharge zones which is one of the most important parts of the aquifer, this is where water is put back into the aquifer. This was a ordinance made in 1995, that they can also find a way to get around with this vested rights issue. One important aspect I picked up from this article is that most people in the San Antonio area are against this vested rights law, but the real-estate developers sure enjoy it. Because it makes their job a whole lot easier than going to a city council meeting and having them vote yes or no on the development. Another fact that I have learned by reading this article is that a lot of land has been torn to shreds or the pastures have been bulldozed to about nothing in the Hill Country, this I don’t agree with why rip and tear up all that land for just a little country development. If people want to live in the country let them experience what the country is really like, with dirt roads and miles and miles of trees around.
I believe it help the readers better understand what developments are going up and also how much land it is ripping up also. But in my opinion it is mostly talking about this vested rights clause, and how it helps real estate developers get around these city ordinances we have, for example the tree ordinance, and also some organizations for example AGUA. This article is basically explaining the clause, it doesn’t really go in to detail on the developments and just basically explains what this law is and how the developers are using it. I don’t really understand this vested rights issue because it is just an easier way for some big time developers to do some big time damage to our environment which is already in trouble anyway due to all the developments already built here in San Antonio. I don’t think we need any more developments, we already have enough here in San Antonio. In my opinion we could get rid of some of these developments here in San Antonio. Or we could just stop adding out and keep what we got, cause what they are doing is tearing up our country sides. I even see this out in Floresville, where the town just keeps growing, I don’t like to see my hometown being stretched out. This is what I think about the article itself, I don’t think it really gives us a great detail about the developments, but about the laws made to get around our ordinances we have for the protection of the city of San Antonio.

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