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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

November 12, 2002

City's growth hot issue

Subheading

By Kevin Clerici/Reporter Staff

"Vacaville has a choice on how it wants to grow," said Natalie DuMont, a Vacaville native and field representative for Greenbelt Alliance. "It doesn't have to follow the decisions of the past. It can break the trend."

DuMont co-authored a new land-use report, released on Monday, that calls for "smart growth" and infill development rather than sprawling suburbs, emphasizing the costs of sprawl development to the community.

The 34-page report, titled "Vacaville at a Crossroads: The path to smart growth or a highway to sprawl?," arrives on the cusp of crucial visioning decisions facing the newly elected City Council at the beginning of next year.

At issue is the city's draft development plans, which proposes the annexation and development of more than 4,000 acres outside current city limits, including what the report's authors describe as "high quality farmlands and scenic valleys that make Vacaville unique." That proposal is in addition to the planned development of 2,500 acres within the city limits.

According to the report, Vacaville can meet the current and future needs of its residents within existing boundaries.

The report suggests more affordable and high-density housing, increasing transportation options, as well as locating homes, stores, offices, and community amenities within proximity of one another.

By increasing the "walkability" of town and adding a greater mix of uses in central areas, DuMont said the community's health and safety could prosper.

Meanwhile, opponents lauded infill concepts and alternative transportation, but said restricting all growth to the limited plots available within the city is impractical and a hard sell to existing neighborhoods.

A recent apartment complex project - an example of smart growth - ran up against significant community opposition. Residents didn't want more people in the area.

"People want a single family home with a place for their kids to play and their dog to run," said Tom Phillippi, president of Vacaville-based Phillippi Engineering. "Nobody says they want a wife, a family and a condo."

The complete report, a joint project by the Greenbelt Alliance and Solano Orderly Growth Committee, can be found at the agency's Web site at http://www.greenbelt.org.regions/solanonapa/index.shtml.

Vision 2025
In February, after conducting numerous neighborhood meetings, the city's Planning Commission approved "Vision Statement: Vacaville 2025."

The draft plan articulates the city's desired character and size for years to come and is intended to be a prelude to a general plan update, said Ron Rowland, director of community development.

Commissioners stressed that the thousands of acres of open space areas included in the draft vision have not been predetermined for development, but should be part of the growth equation.

According to the report, lands that could face development include:
* Upper Lagoon and Vaca Valleys (collectively known as Pleasants Valley);
* Lower Lagoon Valley;
* Lands east of Leisure Town Road;
* And, lands northeast of Vacaville.

Growth or no growth
What becomes of the land is unclear. However, for years, the council has earmarked these pristine areas for development to include a golf course and executive style housing, currently unavailable within city limits.

Mayor Len Augustine on Tuesday said one of the contributing problems with development planning is a mandate by the Association of Bay Area Government (ABAG) on area counties to accept a portion of the Bay Area's surging housing needs.

"The reality is that the city is going to have to develop through some annexation," Augustine said. "The council doesn't have complete control of the city's growth rate." Augustine said apartments have taken up the bulk of recent development.

But that's not enough for open space advocates.

"The city should enact policies that promote smart growth in Vacaville's central areas, on vacant or redevelopable sites," said Ernest Kimme, a former councilman who now chairs the Solano Orderly Growth Committee.

The report was based on research at the national, regional, and local levels, DuMont said.

Currently, city staff will conduct environmental impact studies and provide professional advice for any development project, but the council makes the ultimate decision.

"I don't know how successful we'll be, but they will know our position," DuMont said. "It's important for our allies to have a document to articulate our information."

Kevin Clerici can be reached at vacaville@thereporter.com.

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