Friends & Neighbors Rethinking Development in Martin County

Words matter. Over time, certain words take on meanings far beyond their dictionary definitions. One of those words is development.

These days, “development” is often used as if it’s automatically a bad thing. The word “developer” carries much of the same baggage. Somewhere along the way, we stopped treating those words as descriptions and started treating them as labels.

But is that fair?

The dictionary defines develop as to create, build, improve or bring into being. It’s a neutral word. Whether the result is good or bad depends on what is being created, where it’s proposed and how responsibly it’s planned.

Take a look around Martin County. Our homes, schools, medical offices, grocery stores, restaurants, parks, ballfields, playgrounds, boat ramps, boardwalks, libraries and community centers all started as ideas. They became plans, went through review and eventually became part of the fabric of our community.

None of those places appeared on their own. They were brought to life by local people, including architects, engineers, surveyors, environmental scientists, electricians, plumbers, roofers, landscapers, truck drivers, equipment operators, suppliers, inspectors, tradespeople and small businesses. Many of them are our neighbors. They raise families here, volunteer here, coach here and care about Martin County just as much as anyone else.

That doesn’t mean every proposal deserves approval. Far from it. Some projects belong where they’re proposed. Others don’t. Some should be redesigned. Some should be denied.

That’s exactly why we have planning departments, engineering reviews, environmental regulations, public hearings and elected officials. Their job is to weigh the facts, apply the law fairly and decide whether a proposal serves the long-term interests of Martin County.

Somewhere along the way, growth management became confused with growth rejection. They aren’t the same thing.

Protecting Martin County doesn’t mean opposing everything that’s proposed. It means having the wisdom to know the difference between projects that belong and those that don’t.

The question isn’t whether we’re for or against development. The question is whether a proposal respects our environment, fits the surrounding community, follows the rules and strengthens Martin County for the future.

Communities don’t thrive by saying yes to everything. But they don’t thrive by saying no to everything, either. They thrive by making thoughtful decisions, preserving what should be preserved, improving what should be improved and building what should be built.

That’s how Martin County became the place we love today. And that’s how we’ll ensure future generations have the opportunity to love it just as much.

To learn more about One Martin, visit onemartin.org or follow us on Facebook @OneMartinCounty.

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