Getting Smarter About Growth Auburn, AL

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Getting Smarter About Growth Auburn, AL

• Connie B. Cooper, FAICP
• Cooper Consulting Company, Inc.
• Warm acknowledgement to Eric Damian Kelly, Ph.D.,
  FAICP for key portions of this presentation

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Think about this

• If we don't create anything anyone cares about
  ...soon we will have a nation that no one wants
  to defend...
• Kundtsler...Geography to Nowhere

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Just what is Smart Growth?

• a.  Growth that isn't dumb?
• b.  When some one else does it?
• c.  The GQ of development practices?
• d.   Efficient and environmentally sensitive use
  of land and natural resources?
• (d Right Answer)

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Objective

• To understand smart growth and growth management
• To evaluate their applicability to Auburn

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Historical Perspective

• Early growth management efforts driven by
  environmentalists, citizens fed up with growth
• Modern growth management programs driven by
  communities tired of throwing good money after
  bad to support dumb growth

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Why a national buzz?

• American families are often spending more on
  transportation than on food or health
• 1970 - 1990 US population increased 22
  vehicle miles driven increased 100
• Cost of utilities to serve suburban development
  two to three times that of urban services

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Why a national buzz? (2)

• 1.5 million acres of productive farmland lost
  each year primarily due to urban sprawl
• 40 of our rivers and lakes remain unsuitable for
  fishing or swimming
• 20 of US population lives in cities that do NOT
  meet Clear Air Quality standards

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Tale of Two Cities

• J   Portland 12 years - 40 population
  growth 3 increase in developed land
• L   Seattle 20 years - 38 pop. growth 87
  increase in developed land
• Note Portland Regional Projections 1994 -
  2017 40 pop. growth 0 increase in land

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Developers seeking forgiveness?

• "As a developer, I'm ashamed because I've been a
  part of the sprawl in cities like Houston, Los
  Angeles and Atlanta. My goals now is to make
  radical changes in the way we develop."
• CEO of Post Properties, John Williams, business
  worth 2.5 billion (since 1990 most development
  costly infill)

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IS THIS WHAT YOU MEAN?

• Smart Growth is a solution BUT it will not work
  if it is only intended to preserve the GOOD LIFE
  for those who already have it! (Washington Post)

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Two views on Growth

• Los Angeles County, CA
• "No development too big or too small we take it
  all!" LA County
• People don't want to live in skyscrapers that's
  why they fled NY .. County Supervisor
• Just approved Newhall Ranch - largest housing
  development ever approved in LA - 21,600 units 

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Two views on Growth (2)

• Ventura County, CA
• "Don't EVEN think about moving here!" Ventura
  County - most agricultural county in Southern CA
• Stringent anti-growth measures
• Requires voter approval of rezoning of
  agricultural land or expansion of city boundaries

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Whats this "brawl over sprawl?"

• Jurisdictions competing with one another for jobs
  and housing
• Loss of farmland, wetlands, cultural, historical
  and other natural resources
• Loss of "sense of place"
• Infrastructure can't keep pace with growth

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Decision Smart Growth Auburn

• Smart growth plans
• Smart growth invests
• Smart growth sets standards

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The Auburn Smart Growth Plan

• Emphasis on where to spend public money
• Secondary emphasis on related private land-use

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The Auburn Smart Growth Plan (2)

• Must be COMPREHENSIVE
• Whole physical jurisdiction
• All physical elements
• Relatively long-range

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Smart Growth in Auburnland Investments

• Targeted / sizing infrastructure investments
• Limits on infrastructure expansion elsewhere
• Acquisition of open space
• Land assembly in redevelopment areas
• Revitalization of older housing stock

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Smart Growth in Auburnland Related Regulations

• Concurrency/APF standards
• Variable development fees
• Minimum density regulations
• Revitalization of existing areas

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Adequate Public Facilities Controls

• Requires findings of adequacy of
• water
• sewer
• access
• before development approval

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Adequate Public Facilities Controls (2)

• Basic growth management technique
• Well within police power
• Common-sense

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Adequate Public Facilities Controls (3)

• Encourage compact/contiguous development
• Minimize infrastructure costs

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Charges for New Development

• Sprawl is a result of subsidies
• Exactions and impact fees can reduce subsidies
• Properly designed, exactions and impact fees can
  encourage compact, contiguous development
• Particularly if exactions do NOT apply in infill
  and other targeted areas

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Minimum Density Regulations

• Just what they sounds like
• Easily incorporated in zoning
• Makes zoning more useful planning/predicting tool
• Ensures optimal (or at least predictable) use of
  land

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Revitalization of Older Neighborhoods

• Important for development built through the 50s
• Infrastructure (including schools) already THERE
• Will take public-private partnership

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Smart Growth in AUBURN- Summary -

• WELCOME reasonable densities
• INVEST in downtowns and existing neighborhoods
• the opposite of sprawl
• INVEST in appropriate infrastructure in targeted
  growth areas
• ANNEX targeted growth areas

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Whats does Smart Growth Cost Auburn?

• 0.00
• The smart smart growth programs spend EXISTING
  RESOURCES more wisely, to limit long-term costs
• But it is not business as usual

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Final message?

• Plan.it represents the future by choice, not by
  chance