This article articulates well my opinions about the need to take energy and GHG emission reduction seriously in adapting the city's General Plan to a new reality.
I can also add that increasing in-town density is the other side of the coin of preserving open space and greenbelts between our towns. One cannot exist without the other.
Sustainability applies to the whole system, a city is not an island. We need to think regionally, we need to think with a bigger picture in mind.
Zeno
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Downtown density is the key
By PAUL FRITZ
Published: Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 5:25 a.m.
A well-planned city is the foundation of a sustainable society. Development patterns have huge implications for energy and resource use for years to come. The model of city planning that has evolved over the past 100 years is directly responsible for much of our inefficient energy use.
We have the opportunity to reverse this trend of energy hungry cities right here at home. The Sebastopol Northeast Area Specific Plan is an example of small town sustainable urban planning.
The area is currently zoned for mixed-use development, but rather than allow development to proceed randomly, parcel by parcel, city leaders have had the vision to authorize a planning process to determine how to develop the Northeast area in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.
The Northeast Area Specific Plan has been through an extensive public planning process, taking many disparate opinions into account. It is a plan that has the ability to transform an underutilized and largely abandoned area of the city into a vibrant, sustainable extension of our downtown.
The plan encourages mixed-use medium-density development, enhanced circulation, pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and an expansion of the city's downtown retail core. A key component of the plan is to increase the number of people living downtown. More residents downtown will increase the number of people frequenting downtown businesses and would allow them to do so without depending on cars to get them there.
This is what a sustainable future looks like. This is what our long-ago less energy-intensive past looked like.
Global climate change is one of the most important issues of our time. The pattern of one- and two-story low-density suburban development, as seen across Sebastopol and most of the country, cannot continue if we are to make real progress in reducing our collective energy consumption.
There has been a great deal of discussion in regard to the allowed heights as proposed in the "smart code" that will guide development in the area. The base allowable height is two and three stories, which may be increased to three and four stories through the warrant process. Yes, four-story buildings will be taller than most buildings in Sebastopol, but if we are serious about developing the northeast area in a sustainable manner, three- and four-story buildings should be the minimum allowed.
As fearful as some people are about increasing density, it is absolutely imperative in a more sustainable world.
Higher-density development is far more efficient because it allows more people to walk more places. Successful public transportation is also dependent on higher-density development.
There is a concern that if the northeast area is developed at the proposed density and building heights Sebastopol will lose its small-town feel. There are numerous examples of small towns with three- and four-story buildings in their downtown. Most of them were developed prior to widespread car ownership, which corresponded to a decrease in density across most of the county. Healdsburg is a local example of a small town with three-story buildings downtown. Not that I think Sebastopol should be trying to mimic Healdsburg, but three- and four-story buildings can coexist quite successfully in small towns.
It is imperative that development in the northeast area occur in a sustainable manner. Continuing the pattern of one- and two-story development is not what sustainable development looks like. I am very excited about the possibilities this plan would allow for our city. I strongly encourage adoption of the Northeast Area Plan and general plan updates by the City Council.
Paul Fritz is a Sebastopol resident and an architect with Kellogg and Associates in Santa Rosa.