OZARK, MO — A simple, two-story white farmhouse with a green roof is now flanked by a new apartment complex as Ozark now boosts an ugly culture of greed.
The apartments distort the countryside in a glaring mismatch of rural vs. urban as motorists pass warily along U.S. Highway 65 between Highway 14 to the south and CC to the north.
Morning work commuters cringe thinking about the overload to already strapped roads and byways. Once occupied, those apartments will inject hundreds of new vehicles into the current overload along CC and 65 and the outer road west of the highway.
New businesses have sprung up around the area, from a coffee house to a restaurant, to new tire shop and apartments further north.
It’s “super duper” to generate new tax dollars streaming in, but in this case(greedy) developers ignore infrastructure. They get the cart before the horse.
“Dern it, them dang newbies keep it bumper ta bumper,” Aggie Culture told the CCT. “Can’t get my tractor and disc equipment down CC or anywhere near it. I’m stranded, risking tying up a jillion cars if I do. How them people gonna eat if us farmers can’t move our equipment from field to field?”
Aggie has a good point. It’s tough enough for regular car drivers, let alone big equipment, to move safely or efficiently CC west of 65 in Ozark.
Our fearless CCT Field Reporter caught up with “Cousin Eddie” Campbell, the Kentucky Hillbilly who moved to Ozark and got himself elected to Ward 3 Alderman, where all the traffic fuss is, told the CCT:
“I don’t have a problem with that landowner wanting to build what he wants to build there. What I’ve got a problem with is he’s detrimentally affecting his neighbors.”
Fearless Field Reporter: “What’s the answer to that?”
Cousin Eddie: “Better Planning and Zoning. Better Planning and Development,” he replied without hesitation. “I can quote you three incidents in the last two years where neighbors opposed similar multi-family developments… they showed up at the Planning and Zoning meetings, they showed up at the first reading at the Board of Aldermen meeting, which is where they could make public comment. (None of those three) got approved.”
He continued. “I don’t know what transpired with the 4-story apartments next to the farmhouse and the other houses that are behind it, but I’m doubting that the neighbors showed up to show the aldermen that they did not approve of it.” Catch the interview on Christian County Trumpet YouTube here. Subscribe to Christian County Trumpet on YouTube for more!
Lesson from Cousin Eddie
Voters and citizens, please pay attention to Cousin Eddie. Attend the Planning and Zoning meetings. Find out when and where. Attend Aldermen meetings. Find out who is doing what to your neighborhood. Be informed. Yes, it’s inconvenient to go to a meeting after work. But it’s not as inconvenient as seeing bumper to bumper traffic on a side road with a monster apartment crammed beside a farmhouse.
Just sayin’.
Ozark developers have their minds on their wallets, not on your quality of life. It’s up to all of us to hold them accountable.
Johnny Rooster is a community watchdog. Sometimes elected officials get bit by this newshound. Woof Woof!