What Should the Law Be on...

We all have images of people sitting at a typewriter, a computer or a fax machine. I’m just afraid you’re going to get sweatshops and auto body shops. I’m concerned about regressive, business-type uses insinuating themselves into residential communities. What do you do about somebody who’s doing auto repair? People with employees who come and go? Traffic on the street? There’s a lot of vague talk about enforcement, but there’s nothing specific in the ordinance that points to any true [system of] compliance.

The city doesn’t enforce very much now. You’ve got people doing this already who are not licensed. Where is the incentive for them to become licensed? Blowing the whistle would fall on adjacent residents and, in today’s climate, that could be rather dangerous for them.

I’ve talked with various groups across the city representing residential communities. They’re all terribly concerned. If there’s no enforcement, then all you’ve done is lower the whole standard of residential communities. You blur the line between what is commercial and what is residential. I’m all for business, but I’m also for people having calm neighborhoods if they want them.