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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

June 3, 2006

Saving Sonoma County's open space

Today, there are 401,500 acres throughout the Bay Area at risk of sprawl development within the next 30 years. One out of every 10 acres in the entire region is at risk. Developing this much land would double our urbanized area and have grave consequences for air and water, roads, housing prices and quality of life. Imagining this future is unpleasant; some people would rather assume that it would never happen.

But it could happen. Current growth patterns are putting lands at risk, and current policies are not strong enough to prevent development.

We can address the coming population growth in ways that will protect our quality of life, preserve farmland and natural areas, provide affordable homes, and offer more transportation options. Perhaps this sounds too good to be true? It's not. But it will take residents and elected officials working together to change how we grow.

We've already shown that it's possible. Sonoma County's cities have led the region in adopting urban growth boundaries. Eight out of the county's nine cities have these lines. Now Cloverdale's citizens are moving toward drawing their own boundary in the city's general plan update. But Sonoma County still has 88,300 acres of land at risk of sprawl development. We have the second-largest area of land at risk in the entire region (Solano County is first ). In Sonoma County, only 13,400 acres are at high risk, likely to be developed in the next 10 years. The bulk of the land at risk, 74,900 acres, is at medium risk, likely to be developed in the next 30 years.

Several factors threaten the county's landscapes. One has to do with the urban growth boundaries we are all proud of. Today, open space inside these boundaries is at high risk of sprawl. Yes, these areas are appropriate for development, but the development that is approved must use these remaining lands wisely.

Cities' urban growth boundaries will come up for renewal starting in 2016. If cities don't do a better job at using land efficiently and focusing growth in city centers, there might be pressure on these lines to creep outward. This would be a poor decision. In order to avoid this pressure, cities must continue to strengthen recent moves toward accommodating growth in a compact, transit-oriented manner. And residents must support these types of developments in order to protect natural lands and farms around cities.

Another risk factor is the weakness of county policies. Cities may be unable to develop land outside their borders, but if the county can still approve development there, the land is not protected. We have seen proposal after proposal recently - hospitals, housing developments, event facilities - to develop lands outside urban growth boundaries. The threat is real.

Fortunately, we can fix this problem now. Sonoma County is currently updating its general plan. This is the blueprint for the county's growth over the next 20 years. On July 18, the county Planning Commission will hear public comment on open space and natural resources. This is an opportunity to expand the county's "community separator" designation to protect lands that surround our cities, reinforcing urban growth boundaries.

I urge fellow residents to join me at the July 18 meeting, to speak up for strengthening protections for our natural areas and working farms. As residents, do we want more farmlands, meadows, hillsides and forests lost to tract housing and large resorts? If not, we must actively support better development within our cities, and better protections for our rural lands. Greenbelt Alliance's report is a call to action for the residents of the Bay Area. I am confident that Sonoma County residents will rise to the occasion.

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