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Press Release

At Risk: The Bay Area Greenbelt

May 25, 2006

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New Report Finds Over 400,000 Acres of Bay Area Landscapes At Risk

Area Equal to 13 San Franciscos Threatened by Sprawl Development

The amount of threatened land has decreased by 62,600 acres since Greenbelt Alliance's last report in 2000, largely due to policies like urban growth boundaries, which draw a line beyond which growth cannot occur.

"The region is doing better than it was in 2000, but 400,000 acres is still an enormous amount of land at risk," said Tom Steinbach, Greenbelt Alliance's Executive Director. "If we want to protect the landscapes that make this region special, we need to change the way we grow. We have to stop sprawling outward, and instead direct new growth into our existing cities and towns."

The findings of the report, At Risk: The Bay Area Greenbelt, include the following:

• One out of every 10 acres in the Bay Area is at risk of sprawl development.
• One out of every 5 acres in Solano County and Contra Costa County is at risk.
• If all the lands at risk were developed:
  • The Bay Area's urbanized area would mushroom to one and a half its current size.
  • The urbanized area in Solano, Napa, and Sonoma Counties would more than double.

The land at risk is around the region's outskirts, where farms, hillsides, and wildlife habitat are being replaced by subdivisions and strip malls. On the map, the biggest splotches of red-the sprawl hot spots-are in Solano County's I-80 corridor, eastern Contra Costa County, southern Santa Clara County, and areas along Highway 101 through Sonoma County.

"Focusing growth in our cities and protecting the greenbelt will keep the Bay Area a great place to live," said Steinbach. Many jurisdictions are already taking steps to protect natural areas and encourage infill development, he added, and residents can urge their elected leaders to do more.

The full report and interactive maps are available at www.greenbelt.org.

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For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org