Author Archive | Warren Ross and J. Brian Philips

Zoning proponents have presented zoning as the solution to many of the “problems” confronting Houston. At a time when the nation, and indeed much of the world, is rejecting government programs as the solution, zoning advocates endorse a massive government program as the solution to problems both real and imagined. For nearly 75 years, zoning [...]

In contrast to the advocates of zoning, who hold that society may force its values upon individuals, we repudiate the initiation of force in human affairs. We assert that each individual is a sovereign entity, that each individual has a moral right to pursue his values without interference from others. Furthermore, we believe that government [...]

In the months since the November 1993 zoning referendum, zoning advocates have launched a number of accusations against their opponents. Zoning opponents, pro-zoners said, were dishonest and unprincipled. They resorted to lies, misrepresentations and scare tactics to win the election. They bought votes with advertising. First, it should be noted that zoning opponents are not [...]

The purpose of zoning, and its sole reason for existing, is to give government control over the use of all land within the community. While the rightful owner remains responsible for that property, the government will determine how that property is used. Under zoning, individuals may use their property only for the purpose dictated by [...]

In 1980 City Council passed an ordinance which, among other things, limited the size and location of outdoor signs and billboards. Advocates of the ordinance referred to Houston’s abundant sign population as “visual pollution” 1 and “a plague” 2 , thereby implying that the existence of these signs is a threat to one’s health. Such [...]

Over the past fifteen years, Houstonians have witnessed nearly constant attempts to place controls on the use of private property. These efforts have taken many forms — restrictions on billboards, prohibitions on indoor smoking, the landscaping ordinance, and zoning, to name a few — and have been led by many different people. Each of these [...]