Impact of Development on our Infrastructure
The rapid, uncontrolled growth of Anderson County in recent years has taken a toll in many areas of our county. For starters, traffic has increased and that has led to dramatically longer commute times for even short distances. As frustrating as that is, it’s hardly the biggest concern of residents. A bigger concern is the stress that additional uncontrolled and rapid development places on our infrastructure, which is already strained. When developers hear “infrastructure,” they think roads, but it much bigger. Infrastructure is defined as the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons.
Impact on…
- • Roads – more cars place additional wear and tear on roads and each one affects the overall condition. We must assure we can keep up with the need to resurface and widen as needed PRIOR to additional development.
- • Schools – enrollment, teacher effectiveness, teacher recruitment and shortages, teacher/student ratio, sustaining excellent, high quality public schools our county is known for and many move here seeking, Building/campus capacity, safety, being able to build schools fast enough, Student services availability, athletic and fine arts capacity, extracurricular opportunities, etc.
- • Public safety/health providers -Law Enforcement, Fire Service, Being able to add facilities fast enough, Medical, Hospitals, Doctors, being able to get an timely appointment, etc.
- • Public services -garbage services, road maintenance, mail delivery, post office, DMV, library, etc.
- • Recreational facilities, youth recreational programs, adult and senior recreational programs – court/field availability, team availability, class availability , etc.
Simply put, more people will place more burden on an already strained infrastructure. Once an area is overdeveloped, you can not go back. We are called to be good stewards of our land and we each play a part in making sure it is preserved, protected, and developed responsibly.
