Elk Grove Coalition Advocating Proper Planning Growth Management Plan Proposal For the City of Elk Grove

 

EGCAPP Policy Position

Elk Grove Coalition Advocating Proper Planning (EGCAPP) strongly supports growth management strategies that include the following principles:

• Local control over land use planning
• Integration of land uses
• Infill development and reuse of Brownfields
• Long-term planning that takes into account future growth needs of our community
• Diversity of shopping opportunities which will reduce required travel distances for our community
• Open public hearings during local-decision making process

EGCAPP understands that growth is a concern, but we also recognize that smart growth cannot mean no growth.  The proposed Growth Management Policy is to be embraced as a planning tool, the key elements of the strategy being:

1. Create an environment that will encourage citizens of Elk Grove to stay in the community instead of moving out; better schools, better infrastructure, less crime, and better integration of land uses.  Encourage retail development at appropriate locations within the community so that citizens won’t have to drive long distances to do their regular shopping.

2. Provide incentives and adopt flexible regulations that allow development to expand.

3. Balance protection of agricultural, open spaces, scenic and cultural resources, and environmentally sensitive lands with the provision of adequate land to meet the future economic and growth needs of the community.

4. Maintain vitality of the City of Elk Grove’s traditional downtown, main streets, older suburban and inner city street areas where feasible by encouraging redevelopment and infill development, while continuing to recognize the need to provide retail to growing areas.

5. Maintain land use planning and control at the local level, with the County of Sacramento providing financial resources and generalized polices for local planning and economic development.

6. Establish long-term local comprehensive plans providing for adequate supply of land with infrastructure for residential, commercial, recreational and industrial uses to meet current and future needs of the community.

7. Make development decisions predictable, fair, timely and cost effective.

8. Plan for a diversity of shopping opportunities; locating neighborhood and regional scale centers in appropriate locations so that consumers have a wide variety of shopping alternatives while also reducing required travel distances.

9. Develop public/private partnerships to work collectively to meet the needs of the community.

10. Create economic and regional incentives to encourage infill development and the reuse of brownfields.

The most important element of a successful growth management plan is that it allows for substantial citizen participation.  Citizens of Elk Grove have been cut off from this process with urban growth coming in the form of our local government simply dictating new policies to the public.

By adopting a Growth Management Plan, the Elk Grove City Council will put considerable effort and resources toward courting the ideas and suggestions of the citizens and not just giving the appearance of public consultation.

Therefore, the city council can proceed with recommendations from the public, seeking a middle ground among conflicting recommendations.  It is then and only then will there be a true partnership between the local government of the city of Elk Grove and its citizens.

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