Another point of view
it's really not so strange, if you think about it, that some may not want development. Such increasingly elusive qualities as solitude, peace and quiet, and an undisturbed environment - especially a beautiful one - may be more appealing to a community than the economic benefits you cite.
I'm not against telescope construction - far from it - but there is another point of view that I can appreciate.
Unfortunately, economic arguments are too often persuasive, and result in the situation - as Joni Mitchell put it - where we "Pave paradise, and put up a parking lot."
Or a telescope.
S