Smart Growth

Our  Mission:

To build a sustainable, compact, energized community responsive to the needs of its inhabitants, while also protecting the wildlands and farm lands that surround us.

We Advocate Smart Growth

Mixed land use: Neighborhoods include housing and businesses and services that serve the people that live in the neighborhood. This reduces the necessity for traveling to get to goods and services, thereby lessening GHG emiited by cars.

Diverse types of housing: Low, medium and high income housing share the benefits of a strong tax base and the services it provides, such as good schools. Also socially beneficial in encouraging people to work across class divisions.

Walkable neighborhoods: Trees, green spaces, wide sidewalks and bike lanes and slowed traffic create a neighborhood where people enjoy walking. Instead of malls, stores come right up to sidewalks and huge asphalt parking lots are eliminated. On-street parking provides a buffer from cars; businesses get increased attention; people have greater interaction.

Community and stakeholder interaction: Developer cooperate with the people live in the community to learn what they want. Businesses and community members share an interest in the success of businesses.

Compact building: Build UP, not OUT to protect open spaces, create walkability, and save land for farms and recreation.

Sense of place: Neighborhoods can create their own character, their own identity. People like being in their neighborhood and are proud of it and want to take care of it, 

Protection of the land: When a community grows up--not out into sprawl--farm land, recreational land, and conservation land is protected. Green spaces are protected within the city and outside the city.

Transit-oriented development: Trolleys, small buses, light rail can all provide alternatives for driving cars. Bike-sharing services can also help eliminate the use of cars.

Develop existing communities: Infill creates a compact city, rather than going out to the edges of cities. Use urban growth boundaries to keep the city compact. Use abandoned warehouses and factories as places for new development.

Review zoning and other building restrictions: Encourage new, interesting, and inovative uses of land for new buildings or renovations of old building.

Adapted from Smart Growth

by Vance Kite

What We  Want:

Open Space, Plant and Creature Habitat, Clean Streams, Vernal Pools

(See What Is Smart Growth?)