Mark Grossi's story today on a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California focused on the perception of air quality and related health problems of people here in the Valley. Air quality has become the No. 1 concern, surpassing even crime, for those who live in the Central valley, stretching from Mt. Shasta to the Tehachapis.
But there's much more in the survey, which can be found at PPIC's Web site. One interesting tidbit was this: "Most residents believe misguided government spending (64%), too much growth in the wrong places (54%), and lack of regional planning (50%) are key sources of trouble. When asked specifically about planning for growth, two-thirds (66%) agree that new housing should be built in developed areas to preserve open space, and a strong majority (57%) say it should be built near existing jobs to reduce traffic and congestion."
That ought to be an ears up to local elected leaders who still insist on making land use and planning decisions as if their communities were surrounded by vacuum. The people get it. We're all in this bowl-shaped boat of a Valley together, and we ought to start acting like it.
If you want to build up the urban communities, then the community needs to rethink the Measure C Expenditure Plan. That plan builds new freeways to the hinterlands, where develoment will flow. And it does nothing to solve congestion in the existing urban region, which will have to become more dense if more housing is to be developed in already developed areas.
Bottom line, these land use decisions aren't the sole province of local elected officials. It's about the market forces which infrastructure investment influences. And it's the community leaders and this newspaper which are currently supporting the most sprawl-inducing proposals that our community has seen in decades.
I checked the spending allocation plan for Measure C on the Fresno COG website, and the only new freeway listed is the extension of 180 to Temperance. That area is already becoming built out.
24% of the funds would go towards public transit, and 34.6% would be for local transportation expenses --exactly the sort of things Mr. Reid is saying we need more of. So perhaps Mr. Reid is confusing the reauthorization of Measure C with the original enactment?
Well, I guess a "freeway" is technically different than a "highway", but its sprawl inducing impacts are the same.
So, here is the list of new "highways" (in the new Measure C Expenditure Plan):
New connection on a new alighnment between I-5 and Hhway 33. ($75M)
SR 180 East, widen to 4 lane expressway, Temperance to Academy ($47M).
SR 180 East, Academy to Trimmer Springs Road, new 2 lane expressway on a new 4 lane right of way) ($80M).
Adding capacity to fix existing congestion and allow denser developments in the urban area on routes 99, 41 and Herdon Ave ($0)
Where will the new development go? Follow the new expressways.
Of the above list, the only one that appears to have the potential to be "sprawl-inducing" is the 180 expressway from Temperance to Academy. And the City of Fresno is already trying to expand it's sphere of influence out that direction, so it appears we are going to get sprawl there whether Measure C is passed or not. The north is running out of room to build, so developers are going to go somewhere.
You aren't seriously arguing that they're going to be building subdivisions between Mendota and I-5, are you?
Keep track of the County of Fresno's plans for commercial and industrial development at this new proposed intersection off I-5.
I guess if we are going to have houses built near existing jobs to reduce traffic and congestion, then yes, we'll be sprawling on the west side.