Solano County Measure T
Good news! The Orderly Growth Initiative has been included in the updated General Plan. This means that all land that is designated as agriculture or open space will be protected from urban development (almost 1/2 million acres!).
Though Greenbelt Alliance still has concerns with the poorly drafted Environmental Impact Report, if voters pass Measure T, the Orderly Growth Extension, this November, we feel that the Orderly Growth Initiative will compensate for the growth-inducing impacts of the plan.
It’s very important that we pass Measure T in November to extend the Orderly Growth Iniative and protect working farms and natural areas for the next 20 years!
What's At Stake
The General Plan offers an opportunity for developers to reduce
land protections and pave over farmland with traffic-producing subdivisions.
Suisun Valley, Green Valley, and other prime agricultural areas are at
risk.
To counter the efforts of sprawl developers, we need Solano residents to come
to the meetings on the General Plan and voice their desire to protect Solano's
hills and farmland.
Timetable
March 2007 to February 2008 : A draft of the Solano General Plan was developed
April 2008: The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was released.
May to July 2008: Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors hold hearings on the DEIR and Draft General Plan Update
August 2008 : The Board of Supervisors Certified the Final EIR, finalized the General Plan and put the land-use changes and a renewal of the Orderly Growth Initiative on the ballot.
November 2008 : Voters will (hopefully) lock in the land-use changes and a 20-year renewal of the Orderly Growth Initiative.
What You Can Do
1) Join the coalition of concerned citizens! Contact Nicole Byrd for
more information by calling (707) 427-2308 or by sending an email.
2) Voice your support for Measure T by writing letters to the editors of local
newspapers:
Vacaville Reporter (300 words or fewer)
letters@thereporter.com
P.O. Box 1509,
Vacaville, CA 95696
Fairfield Daily Republic (350 words or less)
bjames@dailyrepublic.net
P.O. Box 47,
Fairfield, CA 94533
Vallejo Times Herald
opinion@timesheraldonline.com
P.O. Box 3188,
Vallejo, CA 94590
Fax: (707) 643-0128
Contra Costa Times (200 words or less)
ccnletters@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Include your first and last name, address and daytime telephone number.
Dixon Tribune
Phone: (707) 678-5594
editor@dixontribune.com
Benicia Herald
Phone: 707-745-0733
beniciaherald@gmail.com
subject line: letter to the editor
Campaign
Update
June 2008
The attorneys Greenbelt Alliance hired outlined many deficiencies in the draft environmental impact report and plan to submit a second, more technical letter in July. Because the Orderly Growth Initiative will expire in 2010, Solano County could see a dramatic increase in development in the unincorporated area as a result of the proposed new General Plan policies. The Orderly Growth Initiative requires voters to approve any land use changes, and the General Plan update, which proposes new land-use designations, will have to be put on the November ballot. The Orderly Growth Committee and Greenbelt Alliance may fight these changes to delay the finalization of the plan.
May 2008
Comments on the draft environmental impact report were due June 2. Attorneys Shute Mihaly and Weinberger submitted comments on behalf of Greenbelt Alliance and our allies. We also organized many citizens, organizations and agencies to submit their concerns to the County. The Planning Commission is scheduled to recommend that the Board of Supervisors certify the draft report on June 12. With such a short timeframe, it is unlikely that they will adequately respond to our concerns. The Board will hold hearings in July on the draft environmental impact report and draft General Plan.
March 2008
The Citizen’s Advisory Committee (Byrd was a member) has finished its work on the Solano General Plan. This group, with a majority of pro-development members, changed thousands of acres of agricultural land to land that will be designated for rural residential, industrial and commercial uses. Additionally, the group approved allowing package sewer treatment plants, which will open up areas for development that were currently protected because they could not pass a septic tank test. The Supervisors are pushing ahead quickly to get the plan finalized and get the policies that are subject to the Orderly Growth Initiative on the November ballot. The draft General Plan and draft evironmental impact report will be released at the end of March. Public meetings will be held through April and May.
September 2007
The Citizens' Advisory Committee has been moving quickly through
the Land Use section of the General Plan this summer. The process seems
to be designed for limited discussion and public input. The Board of
Supervisors is pushing hard to finish the process in time to put the
Land Use section of the plan on the ballot in November 2008. The committee
has made many recommendations that will increase development in the unincorporated
areas of the county.
August 2007
The Citizens' Advisory Committee has already made recommendations
to the General Plan that will spur growth in unincorporated areas of
the County. The group voted to allow packaged sewer treatment plants,
and water and sewer service to developments in unincorporated areas.
This means that many regions of the County which were not previously
developable under the current General Plan will be opened up for development
if these changes are made. Furthermore, at the recent Vacaville/Elmira/Maine
Prairie Land Use meeting, many acres of agricultural land were changed
to rural residential land. The Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors
still
have to approve these changes. But with the current make-up of both groups,
the changes are likely to be approved.
June 2007
At the recommendation of Supervisors John Silva and Jim Spering, the
Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Solano General Plan
was reorganized in early 2007. The two supervisors formed an ad-hoc committee,
which was not open to the public, to review applications and recommend
new CAC members. The new CAC started meeting in April and has covered
the topics of health and safety, conservation, public utilities, economy,
air quality and noise. Future topics include land use (July-August),
transportation (September) and agriculture (October).
The CAC has also
formed four subcommittees to focus on the following issues: Suisun Valley,
Cordelia, Green Valley, and the issue of agriculture. While the new CAC
is more favorable to development and business interests, there are still
some environmental representatives. Greenbelt Alliance is working with
the Orderly Growth Committee and other local advocacy groups to keep
people informed about the plan’s progress and advocate for strong
smart growth and open space/agricultural protection policies in the General
Plan.
2/4/07 Fix
set for land-use panel Vacaville Reporter
1/15/07 Citizen input critical (editorial), Vacaville Reporter
March 2007
The original Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Solano
General Plan has been disbanded. Newly elected Supervisor Jim Spering
and Supervisor John Silva met in private to discuss the future of the
CAC, then recommended to the Board of Supervisors that the current CAC
be disbanded and a new one be put in its place. Although the supervisors
expressed concerns about the efficiency of the group as the reason for
the reorganization, the group was on schedule and was a balanced cross-section
of the community. Supervisors Spering and Silva took all applications
for the new CAC and made recommendations to the Board who should be on
the new CAC, resulting in a more development-friendly committee with
fewer environmentalists.
January 2007
The Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Solano General Plan may
be completely changed. The board of supervisors recommended that Supervisors
John Silva and Jim Spering form an ad hoc committee, which is not open
to the public, to discuss the future of the CAC. They will be presenting
suggestions to the Board of Supervisors as early as January 23. On
January 22, the CAC will discuss the Health and Safety Element of the
General Plan. Members of the public are encouraged to come to
these meetings and provide their input.
November 2006
The Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Solano General Plan is
currently in the learning stages of the committee process. During
previous meetings, the committee heard from planners from Fairfield,
Vacaville, Dixon, Rio Vista and Suisun City. This month, the group will
hear from the cities of Benicia and Vallejo. Additionally, Daryl
Halls, Executive Director of the Solano Transportation Authority will
talk to the group about transportation plans and priorities for the County.
October 2006
The Citizens' Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Solano General Plan will
hear from Rio Vista and Dixon in this month’s meeting. Last month,
Vacaville, Suisun City and Fairfield planners all presented the highlights
of their city’s General Plan. Each planner, when asked how the CAC
could support their efforts, stressed the importance of the city-centered
growth model that the Orderly Growth Initiative provides.
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