Land Use Laws
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There will always be a conflict of interest between the private property owner and the people of a community. Naturally, people look out for their own best interests first, and when public policy threatens those interests, conflict is the result. There are a multitude of laws that control the use of land and affect private property rights.
One land use control enacted for public benefit is the Impact Fee. Impact fees are charges assessed to a developer in order to recover the cost sustained by a local government in having to provide the necessary infrastructure and facilities (schools, fire departments, water and sewer lines, road construction) and services that will be needed to serve the new development. This shifts the cost from the taxpayer to the private developer. This is a controversial topic. Proponents argue that impact fees are an investment in the community, triggering economic growth through the addition of new infrastructure and the development of land. However opponents feel that it infringes on their private rights to property by forcing them to pay for facilities and services which they may not necessarily use, as well as build things on their property they may not want. In Dolan v...