A Brief History of Smart Growth Advocates: The Beginnings
Smart Growth Advocates began as "Friends of the Foothills." In the beginning our effort was to stop the sprawl of the Stonegate development, just east of Bruce Road. However, as we began to look at the issues of housing needs, as well as environmental impact, we realized we wanted to address larger areas of growth in Chico. We adopted the name of Smart Growth Advocates. In 2020 we wrote a proposal to the Chico City Council that emphasized four major points that continue to guide much of our work. The press release for the proposal is followed by the proposal itself.
For Immediate Release: Press Release, 2020
SMART GROWTH ADVOCATES PRESENT
HOUSING PRIORITIES TO CITY COUNCIL
Chico, CA. July 278, 2020. “Smart Growth Advocates,” a community group advocating for a healthy and livable community by avoiding suburban sprawl, has presented Chico City Council with a set of priorities for sustainable growth through the year 2030.
“Chico has a sensible General Plan for controlled growth,” says spokesperson Susan Tchudi, “yet, we continue to see eclectic developments and that spread ever farther from downtown, leading to numerous problems including public and private transportation, destruction of open space, threats to endangered species, and disregard of water supplies and quality.”
Supported by Altacal Audubon Society, Butte Environmental Council,Butte 350.org, the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, and the Yahi Group of the Sierra Club, the organization has submitted a five-point plan, which, it notes is in keeping with the city’s general plan. These include:
- creating more affordable housing, which is in contrast to many developments that cater to middle-class homeowners and the wealthy.
- catalyzing infill development, making use of Chico’s available vacant spaces within the city that can lead to healthy, walkable neighborhoods, lower vehicle miles traveled, and reducation in greenhouse gases.
- actively searching for parcels that can be pursued for infill development.
- funding for city staff to proactively search for infrastructure upgrades for infill projects, especially affordable housing.
- postponing development in special planning areas located on the fringes of Chico, particularly the foothills, to halt urban sprawl.
“Chico has a long-held reputation for being a beautiful, livable city,” Tchudi says, “but pressures to build, particularly in the wake of the Camp Fire, have led to a push for lucrative housing projects that are not consistent with that reputation nor our General Plan.” She continues, “Smart Growth Advocates recognizes the need for more housing, in particular for affordable housing, but we are asking the City Council to ensure that such development is, indeed, “smart,” taking full advantage of what is now known about the dangers of urban sprawl and the singular advantages to using existing space, infill, to satisfy the needs of all.
Proposal from Smart Growth Advocates to Chico City Council, 2020
DATE: July 13, 2020
TO: Chico City Council Members
cc: Mark Orme
FROM: Smart Growth Advocates
Creating and maintaining a sustainable community …
…incorporating sustainable principles
into the City’s everyday actions and decisions,
monitoring progress, and
adapting to changing conditions and new information.
Chico General Plan 2030
Sustainability Element, p. 2-3.
Humans face many urgent issues today, but only the climate crisis poses an irreversible threat to the habitability of the planet. Locally, residents of Chico and the surrounding area are facing unforeseen changes to how we live—droughts, floods, heat, food shortages, wildfires, epidemics, and more. With these increasing pressures, our local actions must be incredibly strategic. Business as usual is wholly inadequate considering the scope and urgency of the climate emergency. Our Chico General Plan 2030 positions Chico for the strategic responses necessary to improve our sustainability practices and address climate change head on. We and future Chicoans deserve to inherit a resilient and sustainable city
Our vision for Chico is clearly stated in the City of Chico’s General Plan 2030:
Chico in the year 2030, is a livable, healthy, and sustainable community that offers a high quality of life with a strong sense of community and place.
To bring the City into compliance with its own General Plan, we strongly urge the Chico City Council to adopt or ‘prioritize’ the following five (5) policies:
1. Our City requires more serious attention to the need for affordable housing.
Rationale and Support:
The Housing Element adopted in 2014 addresses these issues, but now more than ever, far too many are struggling to find places to live. Middle class home seekers often find something that meets their needs, but there is little or nothing for low-income individuals and families. There are still Campfire refugees seeking homes. There is also a need for affordable workforce housing. The State of California Senate Bill 35 calls for housing construction that is proportional to the needs of the community. SB35 provides incentives to encourage the needed growth of affordable housing in the state. Chico must follow that lead.
2. Our City must prioritize infill development projects (Policy LU 4), accompanied by incentives (Policy LU 2.3.1) as described in the General Plan 2030.
Rationale and Support:
Infill builds upon Chico’s desire for a compact urban form, healthy, walkable neighborhoods, lower Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), and reduction in greenhouse gasses. The requirements for Infill are already in the General Plan. Implementation must be given the highest priority.
3. Our City must conduct a much more active search to identify parcels (in addition to the Opportunity Sites and city-owned sites) and funding that can be pursued for infill development.
Rationale and Support:
The City of Chico must seek strongly opportunities for re-imagining, re-designing, repurposing portions of our City that are already part of the core transportation networks (bike paths, bus lines, etc.) For example, there are many privately-owned parcels ripe for redevelopment near Downtown, or along Park Avenue, or near North Valley Plaza. We must think in new and innovative ways about re-zoning various areas of our city to allow for green, walkable, compact, mixed-use neighborhoods. For example, the now vacant K-Mart and the very large parking lot could be up-zoned into a just right fit for Chico’s future.
4. Our City must establish budget elements and assign Staff to proactively search for infrastructure upgrades for infill projects and must actively seek funding, especially for affordable housing.
Rationale and Support:
The City Council must seek grants to provide for infrastructure upgrades and enhance transportation (walking, biking, busses, lessen Vehicle Miles Traveled) and utilities for identified infill areas.
5. Our City must postpone development in the Special Planning Areas (SPA) located on the fringes of Chico, particularly the foothills, to halt urban sprawl.
Rationale and Support:
The General Plan emphasizes compact development and protection of rural areas and sensitive environments. The General Plan does not call for urban sprawl. For example, there is a very large proposed project (Valley’s Edge) in the Doe Mill/Honey Run SPA that is inconsistent with several statements from Chico’s own General Plan 2030. Development within SPAs has the potential for the following impacts that are not in accordance with the overall goals of the General Plan:
Un-mitigatable greenhouse gas emissions , Loss of environmentally sensitive habitat, Open spaces and viewscapes forever lost for future generations, and Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and traffic greatly increased.