County must play zone defense Despite what the developer’s PR push has said, the Highland Flats proposal controversy is not about affordable housing. It IS about zoning. The land is currently zoned rural residential, and the density requirements allow the developers to build three units/homes. They were aware of this zoning when they purchased it. They now want the zoning changed to allow them to build 410 units! There are currently 264 homes/lots in the Highland Estates neighborhood with a minimum size of 2/3 of an acre. The developer wants to add 410 (almost double) to what is currently there on less than 40 acres! A lot of thought, time and energy went into zoning all across the county, determining what each community should look like, and how the land should be used. They considered things like sustainability, safety, growth, traffic, available utilities, etc. If every developer that says “affordable housing” is allowed to re-zone any area they want, what is the point of zoning at all?