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Wise
Land Use: It's Not So Tough
Published Saturday,
January 9, 1999
Land use is Nevada Countys
chief obsession. Ask people and it will probably be first on their list
of concerns.
Many of us came from less pleasant places, and wed hate to see this
neck of the woods turn into that neck of the woods. We have memories of
leaving our too-dense housing development to drive through traffic congestion
past plastic strip malls to some pollution-belching factory. Who wouldnt
want to leave that?
Effective land use (what is built and where its built) has a lot
to do with your quality of life. Your house, your office, your school,
your stores, and the roads you take to get to them largely define the
mechanics of your life.
Our second obsession is economic development. Living in paradise is more
fun if we have jobs. This conflicts with our first obsession, as we supposedly
cant invite economic growth to the party without urban blight coming
along.
Thats silly. Although the expression managed, well-planned
growth has become a cliché, it doesnt have to be. We can have
wise land use, economic development, and some good infrastructure to boot.
This isnt just liberal idealism, folks. All it takes is skill and
work. While I recognize that Nevada County hasnt exactly been the
poster child for effective planning and development, I think we can turn
that around.
How? Heres some advice to those who are active in developing land
use policy for the county.
Voters, elect Conklin and Martin to the Board of Supervisors. OK, you
did that. The change in the Boards makeup is a chance to implement
a new vision for the county. Some might label the new Board liberal.
Do me a favor and call it progressive for a few months.
Supervisors, put good people into government. Bruce Conklins appointment
of Sharon Boivin as planning commissioner is an outstanding example. She
is smart, committed and fair. The Union was off base on December 30, with
the headline RQC ally joins county planning board, because
it suggested that appointees march to the beat of a single group. Sharon
will do a great job. Her fairness may be tested, however, as homebuilder
Todd Juvinall develops a housing project across from her property.
Supervisors, clean out old zoning mistakes. On January 5, The Union reported
that developer Franklin Daenzer was denied an appeal over housing density,
although the development was approved in 1992. The General Plan changed
things. Supes, can we avoid this blindsiding in the future?
Supervisors, make clear regulations and enforce them uniformly. When you
give residential and commercial developers a consistent, clear set of
rules, they will (with grumbling) thank you for them.
Supervisors, use regulations and fees. We Americans love freedom, but
we have to live together. Land use regulations, zoning and building regulations
are inherently coercive, and thats the idea. Use zoning and fees
to produce the kind of development mix the county needs.
Supervisors, get a vision. The dominant theme in land use decisions has
been preventing something from happening. The people want to see and hear
what is going to happen and how its going to happen. If you dont
demonstrate vision, the front page of The Union will always report something
you voted against, and that wont be very compelling government.
Having a vision includes building bridges between different interests.
Rural Quality Coalition, get some good press. While you may have some
influence in public affairs, it doesnt serve you if you are painted
as being too extreme or strident. The newspaper reported on December 23
(in reference to Hells Half Acre) that that your representatives
huddled in a conference room behind the board chambers to hammer
the details of a compromise. Cassano is hoping his client and the RQC
can reach a settlement. Sounds like they were negotiating with Saddam
Hussein.
People, develop a land use forum. These issues will always be with us.
Someone should host a weekly show on FCAT, The Land Use Hour.
It wouldnt lack for guests, though Im not sure Id ever
see the RQC and developers dialogue meaningfully for an hour. Still, hope
springs eternal.
All of us concerned with land use want good things to happen. We often
want very different things. Lets see how much we can work together.
Barry Schoenborn is a technical writer, and a ten-year resident of
Nevada County. You can write to him at barry@wvswrite.com. The opinions
of columnists are not necessarily those of The Union.
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