We have strayed so far from the legitimate role of government that some folks seem to believe it is their right, or a government entity’s right, to decide whether or not one should live near I-40. I’m not kidding. Check out this line, buried in this story about a proposed apartment complex near I-40 in Orange County. Emphasis is mine.
During a public hearing on the Chapel Hill North apartments Monday, several residents of northwestern Chapel Hill raised concerns about the project.
Some were worried about the negative health effects for potential apartment-dwellers living near I-40. Others wanted to make sure The Residences would come with public amenities such as a bus shelter on the opposite side of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Most worried about what Cross Creek Drive resident Phyllis Pomerantz called the “unintended consequences” of a change in its zoning rules that would allow the apartment complex.
No one is forcing anyone to live near a major road, although to some people, that’s considered a benefit. But why is it anybody else’s business anyway?