At first glance you might think Durham’s Joint City/County Planning Commission has suddenly become an advocate of limited government. Yesterday they put a hold on a plan by the Appearance Committee to mandate landscaping for old parking lots, especially those of aging shopping centers and car dealerships. If you’re thinking they made this decision because they suddenly realize that the cost of this government-mandated landscaping would be borne by every car buyer or Kmart shopper, think again. According to The Herald-Sun:
The delaying action Wednesday by the Joint City/County Planning Committee came because officials feared the city and county governments, plus the Durham Public Schools, will become the main targets of the landscaping effort.
Yes, that’s right. They aren’t concerned about car dealers or department store owners or consumers, they’re concerned that the law might also apply to them. This never occurred to the Appearance Committee when it proposed this ordinance. So now city and county officials are going to see what it would cost for them to comply. When they find out, no doubt they’ll act in one of the few ways that government acts like the private sector: they’ll pass the cost along to you.
