The Foxconn project

Money will always be changing hands, but not all economic activity is necessarily economic development.

In a competitive world, economies of scale is an important consideration. There’s also scale in politics, conservation and land-use issues. Which is why state statutes define the latitudes that local governments can take with regard to land use planning and zoning, annexations and eminent domain, including blight.

In my corner of the state in Arcadia, local elections have yielded results in the last few years. Land-use decisions now reflect the majority will of the citizens —who are any community’s initial investors. Annexations were thwarted. Eminent domain for private gain was reversed. Water and property values are protected. Elections, including a successful recall, made this happen. Involvement in these issues made the March 7 Department of Natural Resources hearing compelling enough to drive four hours.

With economic development being the supposed intent of the Legislature’s Foxconn votes, I discovered a productive landscape of thriving communities amid fields of fertile soil and healthy wetlands. How 2,900 acres of Mount Pleasant land can be deemed ‘blighted’ is a disgrace to the intent of the law and the local residents (“Village declares Foxconn area as blighted, may use eminent domain to take properties,” June 5).

Jon Schultz Arcadia