The voters of Tompkins County have no say in the running of the county. Zoning Codes and decisions were based on the “visions” and “reimaginings” of Comprehensive Plans; themselves created without meaningful public participation or oversight.
This closed door decision making has been granted the respectability of legislation with Form Based Codes.
The defining characteristic of Form Based Codes is the power it gives government authorities to decide what people are allowed to do — and what they MUST do.
People can fight zoning decisions; but they can’t fight Form Based Codes. Fait accompli.