Growth isn’t always good

In a recent article about the local housing market, a Realtor said “Warren County is an urban community. It’s not a rural community anymore and we need to treat it that way.”

Perhaps this individual needs to drive about 10 minutes out of Bowling Green to realize the error of his statement.

There are plenty of us who still live in rural communities and prefer it that way. We like our wildlife, our livestock, our farms and croplands. We enjoy quiet evenings, dark nights and our privacy. High-density housing makes money for developers and builders, but it also destroys everything I just mentioned.

Why does Warren County need to be urbanized?

Is there some requirement that it must be bulldozed, paved over, built over and then filled with people? Why not have both rural and urban living so there are choices?

With responsible planning and zoning Warren County can retain what has been its hallmark: a place where the quality of life is good for everyone; rural and urban. Urbanizing the county also affects the city. Bowling Green is rapidly reaching the point where the city will begin to fragment into self-sufficient sectors. Lovers Lane, Scottsville Road and Nashville Road will soon have enough population, retailing, services and entertainment to provide for their relevant areas. Downtown, despite all its renewal and refocusing, will become irrelevant.

The rapid growth of Warren County-Bowling Green that is so often touted in the media will eventually mean more crime; more traffic congestion; bigger, more restrictive government; and higher taxes.

In my opinion, I think it is time to question those who tell us that “growth is good.”

I sincerely hope that those who participate in the current re-assessment of the planning and zoning master plan will try to preserve the rural-urban balance so many of us now enjoy.

Douglas Fugate

Bowling Green