Several days ago, PenbayPilot.com published a letter from a Rockland resident concerning the City Council’s lack of interest in using the Visualization Tool to show how neighborhoods would look under its multitude of loosened zoning regulations.

The same day an article appeared in the Courier Gazette in which a resident expressed similar concerns. Another article in the Courier noted a resident’s concern about the negative impact of the changes on valuations. I do not know any of those residents, but am glad they are bringing attention to how the affordable housing advocates are potentially ruining our city.

When purchasing a home the average buyer, regardless of income level, thinks about a lot of things. In general, how does the neighborhood look? Are there families with young children? Do the homes look cared for—not only the structures but the yards? How big are the front and back yards? How close are the adjoining properties? Where do the neighbors park their cars—in garages, on driveways or on the street? Are their families or mostly seniors?

Most important is what could be built next to their future home. For example, those wanting neighborhoods of single-family homes rely on zoning laws to prevent apartment buildings and other multiple housing units being constructed in their neighborhood.

In Rockland, that protection is gone. A single-family home can now be replaced with an apartment building for four families. Alternatively, multiple housing units could be built on an adjacent lot. That is four households replacing one and probably eight cars replacing two. All stuffed onto a lot that originally had one home.

Making it worse, Council has reduced front, side and rear setbacks allowing for larger buildings. Will there be room for any grass in the front yard? Probably not, because that will be blacktopped to accommodate eight cars. What about the impact of water drainage? Will water drain to the street or to your lot? These are common sense questions that no councilor wants to answer.

These factors in total are what zoning parlance calls “characteristics of a neighborhood”, which used to be an overriding principle in Rockland’s zoning ordinances. It is no longer relevant. Housing advocates respond to this line of thinking with insulting labels and slurs typical in today’s social culture wars. For example, the Governor’s senior advisor on housing had this ugly slur for one town’s residents voting to halt an affordable housing project: “I suspect that so long as we continue to operate in a system where the comfortably housed get to decide where and when others are comfortably housed, we can’t be surprised by results we saw on election night.” (Bangor Daily News, March 27, 2024)

The leaders of the “loosen zoning” strategy want all neighborhoods to look alike. Streets with homes having nice-sized lots with greenery will disappear, replaced by buildings. It won’t be very scenic. A Visualization Tool will show that, which is why Rockland’s Council does not want residents to see it. They ignore the almost certain devaluation of single-family neighborhood properties with scenic yards.

Who benefits from all of this? Certainly not current residents. Only political activists who can pound their chests saying they brought affordable housing to Rockland. Rockland’s City Council has no land use/zoning experts. Instead, they have social activists attempting to impose their housing ideologies on residents. Both councilors elected in November received votes from 12% of total registered voters.

Rockland residents had better wake up or it will be too late to undo the damage.

Jim Ebbert lives in Rockland