Question from Curious

What challenges do we face to overcome the potentially negative impacts of growth? How will you address these challenges?

Michael Bryant answered:

The last twenty years in Richmond has seen a tremendous amount of growth. I believe the next twenty years will see more growth and a number of challenges associated with that growth. As I see it, one of the biggest negative impacts of growth is loss of green space. The trees, forests, fields, and farms in Richmond are all an essential part of our heritage. This area was settled as a frontier farm community. This started when Daniel Boone walked the hills and valleys in Madison County. The towns fortunes were founded on tobacco and farming. We need to examine the impact of developments in the future with an eye to preserving and enhancing the green space we have. Developers need to incorporate as much green space as possible into designs.

We also need to also consider the impact that growth has on our infrastructure, and emergency services such as police and fire. It is necessary for utilities to keep up with and outpace future growth. It is imperative the emergency services also expand to meet future growth. Too many buildings and too few police and firefighters results in higher insurance costs, and has the potential to impact everyone in the city. At times the city may have to make the hard choice of saying no or delaying a development