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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

June 18, 2003

Study shows room for growth in cities

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The Greenbelt Alliance study, "Contra Costa County: Smart Growth or Sprawl?" concludes the county can stop building conventional subdivisions such as those under construction in Dougherty Valley and Antioch and still meet its housing demand, said Evelyn Stivers, the alliance's East Bay spokeswoman.

Smart-growth advocates call for compact development in existing communities where a mix of jobs, retail and homes allow residents to walk or to use public transit.

Downtown Antioch and Martinez, Concord's BART station, San Ramon and El Cerrito, among others, offer opportunities to add jobs, shops, housing and public transit, according to the analysis.

"We want to change the debate on land-use in Contra Costa," Stivers said. "Instead of talking about whether we meet our housing needs or preserve the beautiful foothills of Contra Costa, we need to talk about how we can do both."

The study drew immediate fire from Brentwood developer and farmer Bob Nunn who accused the alliance of selling fear, not facts.

His family converted 500 acres into a golf-course community for senior citizens but the land is classified as marginal, not high quality farmland, as the analysis suggests.

"Under no set of definitions could the majority of that property be considered a regional agricultural resource," Nunn said. "The fact is, people want to live in a place where they can raise their families and it's better to provide it in the Bay Area than watch the prime farmland in the Central Valley be converted for housing that people want."

The alliance unveils the report as Nunn, Contra Costa County residents and elected leaders deliberate three contentious growth referendums that could forever alter the growth landscape.

Elected officials throughout the county will later this year determine the fate of Shaping Our Future, a 20-year planning blueprint. It recommends cities and the county jointly adopt a smart-growth treaty.

County supervisors will ask voters in March to seal the urban limit line, the county's development boundary, and end some cities' maneuvers to expand it for new housing.

In addition, residents will vote next year on a measure to extend the half-cent transportation sales tax. The alliance wants the money tied to growth controls.

If the alliance's recommendations prevail, growth would occur only inside cities and consist of a far larger number of more affordable apartments, townhouse and condominiums.

The study author, UC Berkeley planning Professor Stephen Wheeler, identifies many examples of where and how to attract compact development:

* Antioch should revise its zoning to permit higher-density apartments downtown and homes on the county fairgrounds site to take advantage of a possible BART or commuter transit station.

* Brentwood should bump up its maximum two-story height limit downtown to allow three- to five-story buildings for housing, shops and jobs.

* Downtown Lafayette could house several thousand new residents and become a dynamic, pedestrian-oriented center with links to BART.

* San Ramon should create a walkable downtown at its planned civic center site with a mix of shops, housing, entertainment and public buildings.

The home-building industry agrees that in-fill proposals such as those suggested offer promise, said Guy Bjerke, Home Builders Association of Northern California president.

But it will not be enough and it will not be easy, he said.

The Bay Area has consistently underbuilt housing, which has led to excruciating commutes for commuters who flock to relatively affordable houses in Central Valley towns such as Tracy.

The commute may be a nightmare but it ends the "minute these folks get home," Bjerke said. "Many people want a single-family home and they believe government needs to fix the traffic, not tell them to move."

Meanwhile, residents in communities earmarked for infill have rebelled.

A Lafayette homeowners group, for example, vehemently opposes Shaping Our Future because they fear it could convert single-family neighborhoods into apartments or condos.

A group of Martinez homeowners hired a lawyer after a Shaping Our Future consultant used their neighborhood in an illustration of what smart growth could look like. They worry the city will condemn their homes, sell the land to a developer and force them to move.

REPORT

The Greenbelt Alliance, an environmental and land-use organization, commissioned UC Berkeley Professor Stephen Wheeler to analyze growth patterns and recommend strategies. To view the full report, "Contra Costa County: Smart Growth or Sprawl," visit www.greenbelt.org or call the alliance at 415-543-6771.

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Lisa Vorderbrueggen covers growth and transportation. Reach her at 925-945-4773 or lvorderb@cctimes.com.

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