Hot off the presses in Harrisburg NC, where we've been struggling with the issues that surround smart growth!

Our town turned down a zoning request from Lowe's Home Improvement in the fall, and the town was promptly sued by Lowe's.  Lovely, right?

Last night, the town received word from the judge that the town's decision to deny rezoning was upheld.  If we don't want Lowe's there, we don't have to have Lowe's there.

Of course as most of you know, my biggest goal for the town is to keep out Wal-Mart and its ilk.  This kind of decision should give heart to the folks who support smart growth.  Which means sometimes saying yes, and sometimes saying no.

My only disappointment in not having Lowe's on that site, is that they were going to provide a 10 acre site for our new Harrisburg YMCA.  So the YMCA, which I support strongly, should get started looking for land of their own, and starting a building campaign separately.  No need to wait for the next company to offer a site as a bribe to the town.