Winter/Spring 2000
Valley Communities Envision Their Future
During a visit to the San Joaquin Valley last year, Chattanooga
City Council member David Crockett shared the wisdom he had accumulated
during the process of transforming his city from an economically
troubled community where people were “down” on themselves
to a nationally recognized, model community. “Crisis isn’t
the thing that cranks your tractor – it’s opportunity
that motivates change in the long run,” Crockett said.
If not a crisis, San Joaquin Valley communities are definitely
facing some challenges. According to the Great Valley Center, the
population of the entire central valley is expected to grow from
the current 5 million residents to approximately 12 million over
the next 40 years. The infrastructure cost of accommodating this
growth is estimated to be over $100 billion. And in the meantime,
the Valley is threatened with the loss of federal transportation
funds if air quality is not improved, a goal that will be impossible
to achieve without a reduction in auto emissions.
Many valley local governments, citizens, and business groups are
looking at this potential crisis as an opportunity for doing something
positive. They are taking action, developing future visions like
Chattanooga residents did, then turning those visions into reality.
Madera’s Community Pride Renaissance
Plans For Future
Headed by community leaders, a group called CPR – Community
Pride Renaissance – is working to solidifying a future vision
for Madera. A series of three community forums has been held. The
first featured business leaders who shared their recent experience
in creating a vision for the Fresno County region. Next, Carol Whiteside
of the Great Valley Center discussed how Madera is seen from the
outside.
On March 16th, more than 60 people participated in a visioning
process led by Local Government Commission staff member Julia Lave
Johnston and architect Renner Johnston. To gain consensus on what
they liked and did not like, the group rated visual images of scenes
from revitalized downtowns in cities such as Lodi, Modesto, Visalia,
and Mountain View.
The highest scoring images were those of historic buildings, attractive
housing options, landscaped streetscapes with trees, and social
outdoor areas such as outside eating areas and parks. The lowest
scores went to urban centers where there were no sidewalks or trees,
or any attempt to create aesthetic pleasure.
Because of the tremendous interest from the community in work
on creating a community vision, the CPR leaders are looking for
funding to continue the process.
For project information, call
Madera County Supervisor Gail Hanhart MacIntyre at (559) 675-7700.
Fresno’s Vision Makes Progress Toward
Implementation
In the spring of 1998, an unusual coalition of groups (called the
Fresno Growth Alternatives Alliance) unveiled a plan for the future:
The Fresno Chamber of Commerce, Building Industry Association of
the San Joaquin Valley, American Farmland Trust, Fresno County Farm
Bureau and the Fresno Business Council published the results of
a one-year consensus project titled “A Landscape of Choice.”
In a well-illustrated booklet, they not only described their desired
future, they laid out a set of policies to implement that vision.
A subsequent resolution supporting the policies in “A Landscape
of Choice” was adopted by the County Board of Supervisors,
the LAFCO, and every city council in Fresno County.
The Growth Alternatives Alliance then joined with the Local Government
Commission, the Cities of Fresno and Reedley, and the San Joaquin
Valley Air Pollution Control District to secure funding to turn
their desired policies into ordinances which might be adopted by
interested jurisdictions. The Packard Foundation offered their financial
support recently, and this month the Federal Highway Administration
announced that the group is the recipient of a TCSP grant to be
used to prepare the ordinances.
To fulfill the promise that this project will be useful to communities
throughout the Valley, the Local Government Commission is seeking
the participation of all San Joaquin Valley local governments, including
information about successful policies or ordinances that they have
adopted.
To provide input or request assistance, call the Local Government
Commission at (916) 448-1198.
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