The City of Pittsburg is looking pretty out of place these days. At a time when cities across the country are still reeling from bad financial decisions about edge growth, Pittsburg is betting its future on two big sprawlThe process in which the spread of development across the landscape far outpaces population growth. The landscape sprawl creates has four characteristics: a population that is widely dispersed in low-density development; rigid separation of uses, so that homes, commerce and workplaces are segregated from one another; a network of roads laid out to separate land into huge blocks and offering poor access; and a lack of well-defined, thriving activity centers, such as downtowns and town centers. Most of the other features usually associated with sprawl – a lack of transportation choices, relative uniformity of housing options, and difficulty walking from place to place – result from these conditions.-related projects to serve the legally-troubled Seeno family. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Visual Library) Continue reading →

Climate Ride is less than two days away—Team Greenbelt Alliance is primed and ready to start pedaling! From May 18 through May 23, follow our progress on Climate Ride daily right here on our blog, via our Twitter, and on Facebook. Continue reading →

That’s a wrap, folks! The last of the Plan Bay Area public meetings happened on Wednesday, May 1 and the formal public comment period closes today, May 16. We’ll update you with what’s next, but first, here are a few highlights from the comment period. Continue reading →

May 2013′s Volunteer of the Month is the one and only Beth Martin! Continue reading →

After a six-year battle, developers have withdrawn their proposal for rural Tassajara Valley, dubbed “New Farm”—a 187-unit, 771-acrea unit of area used in land measurement and equal to 43,560 square feet. This is approximately equivalent to 4,840 square yards, 160 square rods, 0.405 hectares, and 4,047 square meters. suburban sprawlThe process in which the spread of development across the landscape far outpaces population growth. The landscape sprawl creates has four characteristics: a population that is widely dispersed in low-density development; rigid separation of uses, so that homes, commerce and workplaces are segregated from one another; a network of roads laid out to separate land into huge blocks and offering poor access; and a lack of well-defined, thriving activity centers, such as downtowns and town centers. Most of the other features usually associated with sprawl – a lack of transportation choices, relative uniformity of housing options, and difficulty walking from place to place – result from these conditions. development. This is a victory for anybody who loves the Bay Area and wants to see its farms, forests, and watersheds protected. Continue reading →

This May, Bay Area counties are celebrating Affordable HousingHousing that can be purchased or rented by a household with moderate, low, or very low income, based on a household's ability to make monthly payments necessary to obtain housing. Housing is considered affordable when a household pays less than 30 percent of its gross monthly income (GMI) for housing, including utilities. Week with tours of new developments, first-time homebuyer workshops, and panel discussions on funding solutions for the dearth of affordable homes in the region. Continue reading →

On Thursday, April 25, Greenbelt Alliance, Downtown Walnut Creek, and John Muir Health co-hosted Better Cities, Better Future—a fantastic evening with guest speaker Don Weden at the Walnut Creek Library. Since his retirement in 2003, Don—the former Principal Planner for Santa Clara … Continue reading →

Greenbelt Alliance had the biggest team and was the top fundraiser of Climate Ride California 2012. So what did we do in 2013? We went all-out for team recruitment and fundraising and had a lot of fun while we were at it! Continue reading →

This past Tuesday, the Marin County Board of SupervisorsA county's legislative body. Board members are elected by popular vote and are responsible for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes, making appropriations, and establishing county policy. The board adopts the general planA statement of policies, including text and diagrams setting forth objectives, principles, standards and plan proposals, for the long-term future physical development of the city or county. The general plan is a legal document required of each local jurisdiction by the State of California Government Code section 653o1 and adopted by the city council or board of supervi¬sors. In California, the general plan has seven mandatory elements (circulation, conservation, housing, land use, noise, open space, safety and seismic safety) and may include any number of optional elements (such as air quality, economic development, hazardous waste, and parks and recreation). The general plan may also be called a city plan, compre¬hensive plan, or master plan., zoningThe division of a city or county by legislative regulations into areas, or zones, which specify allowable uses for real property and size restrictions for buildings within these areas; a program that implements policies of the general plan., and subdivisionThe division of a tract of land into defined lots, either improved or unimproved, which can be separately sold or leased, and which can be altered or developed. regulations. voted to rename the Tennessee Valley Pathway after the late Charles McGlashan, who was a County Supervisor as well as a Greenbelt Alliance board member. Continue reading →

On April 9, the San Mateo County Board of SupervisorsA county's legislative body. Board members are elected by popular vote and are responsible for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes, making appropriations, and establishing county policy. The board adopts the general planA statement of policies, including text and diagrams setting forth objectives, principles, standards and plan proposals, for the long-term future physical development of the city or county. The general plan is a legal document required of each local jurisdiction by the State of California Government Code section 653o1 and adopted by the city council or board of supervi¬sors. In California, the general plan has seven mandatory elements (circulation, conservation, housing, land use, noise, open space, safety and seismic safety) and may include any number of optional elements (such as air quality, economic development, hazardous waste, and parks and recreation). The general plan may also be called a city plan, compre¬hensive plan, or master plan., zoningThe division of a city or county by legislative regulations into areas, or zones, which specify allowable uses for real property and size restrictions for buildings within these areas; a program that implements policies of the general plan., and subdivisionThe division of a tract of land into defined lots, either improved or unimproved, which can be separately sold or leased, and which can be altered or developed. regulations. voted unanimously to allocate 100% of the unrestricted County General Funds—received as part of the one-time distribution of liquidated housing funds—to building affordable homes; the funds total $13.4 million. Continue reading →