 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
Home Resource Center Page Title |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
Greenbelt Newswire
In this edition Volunteer of the Month: Nora Zappas Our February volunteer of the month is Nora Zappas. A recent graduate of San Francisco State University where she majored in geography, Nora is passionate about public transit and affordable housing. These interests led her to Greenbelt Alliance, where she began volunteering with the Livable Communities Outreach Team last September. Her volunteer position quickly evolved into her becoming the first-ever Livable Communities Outreach Intern. Nora played an integral role in making the November Urban Outing in Redwood City successful. She has helped define her internship, and has also made a significant contribution to the whole Livable Communities Outreach program as it partners with the Great Communities Collaborative. Thank you, Nora!
Update: Victory for Gilroy Farmland Victory in Gilroy! After months of gearing up to build a mega-mall on 660 acres of prime farmland east of Highway 101 in Gilroy, Westfield Corporation suddenly decided last week to withdraw all plans for development outside of the city limits, after strong opposition by Greenbelt Alliance, SOS Gilroy, and other advocates. Westfield’s sudden change of plans prompted Gilroy officials to cancel the East Gilroy Specific Plan task force that they were about to convene. Instead of paving over working farms and floodplains, Westfield will look to the old Wal-Mart site and other land within city limits to build a retail center.
Update: 10,000 Signatures for Vacaville Growth Boundary On February 11, Greenbelt Alliance and its allies in the City of Vacaville submitted more than 10,000 signatures in support of an initiative establishing a growth boundary around Vacaville, almost three times the amount of signatures required to qualify for the ballot. This line would define where new development should and should not occur over the next 20 years and would protect the scenic hills and working farms around the city. Any change to the boundary would require a vote of the people of Vacaville. Fairfield and Benicia passed similar boundaries in 2003. Once the signatures are verified by the city clerk, the Vacaville City Council will review the initiative in early March.
Action Alert: Speak up for Santa Rosa Parks On March 5, Santa Rosa residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on the future of parks in the city. The Planning Commission and the Board of Community Services are holding a joint meeting to discuss the City’s Parks and Recreation Strategic Action Plan. Although the general plan calls for parks within walking or biking distance of all residents, there are no guarantees that these parks will be created. Come and tell the City that small parks close to where residents live are better than a few big parks on the outskirts, accessible only by car. Show your support for parks throughout the entire City, especially in developing and underserved areas.
Event: Envision the Future of the On March 29, see for yourself how and where the development of the Concord Naval Weapons Station will occur—and find out how you can make sure this development is done well! At roughly 5,000 acres, the Concord Naval Weapons Station is the largest undeveloped and unprotected area of land in Contra Costa County. Greenbelt Alliance and the Community Coalition for a Sustainable Concord are pushing to preserve 80% of the base as open space, and create a compact and vibrant new community around the BART station. At the March 29 event, we’ll hear from experts on parks and open space, native plants, wildlife, and smart growth about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we have to shape the base’s future. Then we’ll go out on a tour to get a firsthand look at where development would occur and which environmentally sensitive areas are critical to protect. Join us to learn about the site, the process to develop it, key dates and events, and how to make your voice heard.
Update: Homeowners Protection Act Qualifies for Ballot Thanks to the hard work of a broad coalition of homeowners, affordable housing advocates, and environmental groups, and Greenbelt Alliance, the Homeowners Protection Act has officially qualified for the June ballot. This initiative would prohibit the government from using eminent domain to transfer a home to a private developer. The Homeowners Protection Act provides a community-friendly alternative to the so-called California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act or “Hidden Agendas Scheme,” also on the June ballot. Under the guise of eminent domain reform, the Hidden Agendas Scheme would effectively strip communities of the power to pass or enforce basic environmental protection laws. You can help Greenbelt Alliance spread the word about the potentially disastrous effects of the Hidden Agendas Scheme, and inform voters about the differences between the two ballot measures. For more information, visit www.eminentdomainreform.com. Greenbelt Alliance in the News “This is a reminder that we need to be skeptical about the claims developers make. It's clear that the people of Contra Costa County and their elected officials need to keep a close eye on developers like Albert Seeno, who has a track record of destroying the environment." State fines developer Seeno $3 million: Seeno Construction penalized for environmental violation in Antioch, its fourth in Bay Area since 1996 – Contra Costa Times, Jan. 15 A sign for a line: Petitioners want urban growth limit – Vacaville Reporter, Jan. 15 Urban Outing: Richmond Shoreline Parks – San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 31
Sat Feb 23: Skyline Wilderness Wander, Napa Sun Feb 24: San Francisco to Sausalito Saunter, San Francisco & Marin Sun Mar 2: Muir Beach Birdwalk, Marin Sun June 22: Bluegrass for the Greenbelt, East Bay Wed Sept 10: Greenbelt Alliance 50th Anniversary Party, San Francisco
Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support Greenbelt Alliance's work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make its cities
better places to live. Join or renew now, or join the Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club.
Thank you for reading! To subscribe to the Greenbelt Alliance Newswire email list, enter your name and email address at www.greenbelt.org. To unsubscribe, simply send an unsubscribe request to unsubscribe@greenbelt.org. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
