Managing Growth Without Losing Small-Town Soul in Hurricane

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Want the real story behind “managing growth” in a fast-changing town? We sit down with Hurricane’s mayoral candidates for a candid, side-by-side look at how zoning, infrastructure, and budgets determine whether a city keeps its soul while adding homes, roads, and services. We dig into the general plan’s role in preventing costly pivots, why density—more than raw population—is the key lever leaders can pull, and how water, power, sewer, and access act as hard gates on what gets built and when.

Water takes center stage. You’ll hear where will-serve letters help—and where they fall short—plus the nuts and bolts of reuse: Type 1 irrigation, trunk lines, and the Confluence Park buildout that shifts pristine spring water back into homes. We talk real costs, from treatment plants that inflated from $24M to $38M, to the reality that water will keep getting pricier. Power isn’t far behind: coal retirements, stalled nuclear prospects, and storage-limited renewables complicate the resource mix, even as Hurricane maintains backup generation and shares in regional plants.

If you’ve ever wondered why “affordable housing” rarely shows up next door, this conversation goes beyond slogans. We break down lot sizes, and why smaller, deed-restricted pockets spread through neighborhoods can support young families without creating high-rise blocks. We also get honest about impact fees—they’re cost allocation, not a growth throttle—and how zero-based budgeting, under-forecasted revenues, and cash-funding capital projects keep the city resilient. Finally, we challenge the idea that “small-town feel” means freezing time. It’s built by open doors at city hall, events like Peach Days, and a culture that welcomes newcomers while honoring property rights and a shared plan.

Please make sure you like and subscribe, share it with other voters throughout Washington County to help them make informed decisions in the upcoming election. Visit VoteSTG.com for more candidate interviews.

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[00:00:00] Intro and welcome
[00:04:06] Stick to the General Plan or Pay Later
[00:10:18] Water Reality: Will-Serve Letters and Risk
[00:16:48] Power Supply Constraints and Regulation
[00:20:12] Sewer Capacity, Treatment Plants, and Cost Inflation
[00:31:12] Resorts, Short-Term Rentals, and Balance
[00:38:10] Incentives, Impact Fees Timing, and Market Frictions
[00:46:20] Impact Fees: Costs, Myths, and Drainage Gaps
[00:51:10] Budgeting Philosophy: Zero-Based and Cash-Funded Projects
[00:56:00] Campaign Climate, Civility, and Voter Guidance