Fighting Zoning in Houston

This post is the third in a series.

In early January 1990 (I think it was January 1) the local newspaper carried a story that a Houston City Councilman was going to introduce a zoning ordinance. A friend called me that day and suggested that we fight the ordinance. I immediately agreed.

Over the next month my friend and I wrote a pamphlet that was later distributed to realtors, civic organizations, and anyone else who might be interested. In the subsequent three years, I spoke to civic organizations and city council on many occasions. I wrote OpEd articles and letters to the editor, many of which were published. I was called by the newspaper many times for quotes.

To be clear, there were many other people involved in the fight against zoning. But this story is about me, and so, I am focusing on what I did.

This was my first serious foray into the realm of politics, and it was interesting. It is one thing to write about a political issue from the safety of one’s study. It is another thing entirely to go out into the world and meet people who vehemently disagree with me. It wasn’t always pleasant, but it definitely helped me grow as a defender of property rights.

One of the most memorable experiences was at a city event to discuss zoning. A pro-zoning advocate approached me (he recognized me, as most of the zoning advocates seemed to do) and asked me why I opposed zoning. I said something to the effect that zoning forces property owners to use their land contrary to their own desires and judgment. He said that it was a good thing.

That was an epiphany for me. Here was someone admitting that he wanted to use coercion against those who were doing something he didn’t like. I had read about such people, but now I was standing face to face with one of them. I had previously tried to understand what property rights look like in real terms. Now, I was seeing what the desires to violate property rights looed like in real terms. Needless to say, we didn’t have a productive conversation. (Today, I might be able to have a productive conversation with him, but I wasn’t capable of that back then.)

Another interesting experience occurred at a city-sponsored event to promote zoning. I purchased a booth at the event and spent the day talking to fellow Houstonians and distributing literature. One prominent zoning advocate came by our booth and grabbed one of our fliers. He walked away reading it. He didn’t get far before he turned around and stormed back to our booth. “You people are spreading lies,” he shouted. “You say that a zoning board will make land-use decisions, but it will be a zoning commission.” He crumpled up the flier and tossed it onto our table. He couldn’t refute our argument, so he focused on an irrelevant detail. This was typical of zoning advocates—they couldn’t think in principles.

I don’t recall when it began, but a petition drive was launched to put zoning before voters in the form of a referendum. In November 1993, Houstonians rejected zoning for the third time. It is difficult for me to say what impact I had on the debate, but I think that it is safe to say that I contributed to keeping zoning out of Houston.