Connie Yoshimura's Compass piece says the proposed new land use rules do nothing but increase costs. The truth is, the new rules cut some costs and increase others and overall it's a wash. This has been extensively documented.

The current PZC makeup is primarily developers, so it's no surprise that their broad changes to the rules (already approved by our elected Anchorage Assembly) remove provisions that increase their costs but retain provisions that reduce their costs.

Anchorage's increasing population density demands vigorous planning and zoning rules for the future. This will ensure that all residents retain an equitable right to full use and enjoyment of their property in an increasingly crowded metropolis. Failure to do so will assert the rights of large property owners over all other property owners. As an Anchorage homeowner and property taxpayer, I want my property rights protected now and in the future.

The land use rules "provisionally adopted" by the Anchorage Assembly are an acceptable compromise crafted over almost a decade. The time to adopt them is now.

-- Dave Metheny

Anchorage