It’s Not Just Us…

Ah change. Whether you love it or hate it, it is happening. More people, more cars, more homes and it never seems to slow down. That is because it isn’t. It is currently a nation of haves and have nots. Communities are either gaining population, or losing it in spades. We are fortunate to be in the haves category, but it is not without issues and challenges, and it is not just Warren County. A recent Bloomberg article found here, outlines many of the areas experiencing major changes and some of the challenges that go with it. “Rural America is booming, but the population growth that’s boosting local economies is also putting a strain on everything from schools to housing and roads. The number of people living in non-metro areas outgrew the urban population for the first time in three decades. Newcomers are also bringing economic benefits for rural America. Still, the arrival of new residents presents a dilemma for local officials, who prize the economic benefits they bring but also have to contend with poor infrastructure to sustain the growth. Locals complain about poor traffic infrastructure, noise, overloaded schools and even homelessness.” Sound familiar? The article goes on to describe rising home and land prices, competition of land uses, and competing politics and philosophies on how to handle it all. Locally we are trying to maintain a healthy balance of all the needs, but it isn’t easy. Housing, transportation and infrastructure improvements are major demands that will only continue to increase in the coming months and years. Locally, the county just completed an initial visioning exercise for the future. The city is finishing updating a housing needs assessment which will be released in October. In the coming months the local utility companies and economic development and planning agencies will undertake various studies and plans to tackle some of the infrastructure questions. With that information in hand, the community will be better informed on present and future challenges and create a strategy to strike the best balance for managing growth.