Economic Growth
Issue Analysis
Communities across the country are using creative strategies to develop in ways that preserve towns, natural lands and critical environmental areas, protect water and air quality, and reuse already-developed land. The high quality of life in these communities makes them economically competitive, creates business opportunities, and improves the local tax base. Through smart development approaches that enhance neighborhoods and involve local residents in growth decisions, these communities are creating vibrant places to live, work, and play.
Development decisions affect many of the things that touch people’s everyday lives: their homes, their health, the schools their children attend, the taxes they pay, their daily commutes, the natural environment around them, economic growth in their community, and opportunities to achieve their dreams and goals. What, where, and when Geneseo decides to build will affect residents’ lives for generations to come.
Based on the experience of communities around the nation that have used smart development approaches to create and maintain great places to live, the Smart Growth Network suggests a set of ten guiding principles:
- Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective.
- Encourage community collaboration in development decisions.
- Mix land uses.
- Take advantage of compact building design.
- Create a range of housing opportunities and choices.
- Create walkable and “bikeable” neighborhoods.
- Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.
- Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas.
- Strengthen and direct development towards already developed areas.
- Provide a variety of transportation choices.
Admittedly, putting smart development principles into action requires changes in the way Geneseo functions. It requires local and state governments, lenders, community groups, zoning officials, investors, transit agencies, and others to agree on new ways of doing business. It requires Town and Village officials to work collaboratively towards positive community goals. Bob Wilcox, Sally Wood, and John Zmich are committed to making smart development principles a reality in Geneseo.
Geneseo needs to strengthen its emphasis on who and what we are. A strong sense of place presents enormous opportunities for us to capitalize on our quality of life and to employ it as a tool for economic development. Doing so requires us to think of quality of life as a resource. The Town of Geneseo needs to make strategic decisions that improve rather than harm livability and make our community a lucrative place for business and labor to locate. Such decisions also enhance property values.
Distinctive places that have the talent, technology, and infrastructure to sustain competitive advantages are a result of good development decisions. Talent is attracted to sociable communities—places with destinations, public and civic spaces, environmental amenities—where they can come together with friends and neighbors. Technological innovation is creating a wired society. The new economy demands physical infrastructure that reduces the cost of business. This means buildings that can be quickly reconfigured and constructed, housing of varying types and costs, development patterns that are predictable, and transportation systems which increase mobility. Geneseo needs leadership that is attuned the aforementioned subtleties of growth. The Democrats for Geneseo’s Future are community leaders ready to rise to the challenge.
The range and breadth of policies that communities can use to achieve a vibrant, healthy, and diverse economy is quite impressive. The lessons learned by communities that have successfully implemented smart growth principles can serve as a useful starting point. Geneseo needs to embrace a planning orientation that values economic growth and a commitment to quality. It is incumbent upon Town officials to ensure that any new approach to development is one that actively and equitably considers the needs of all those affected by development. This new smart growth approach must be well articulated and supported by clear short- and long-term community goals that measurably improve our community’s quality of life. Such goals should be the product of community input.
Bob Wilcox, Sally Wood, and John Zmich are the right candidates to guide the community as we define our future.
Smart Growth Case Study
Smart Growth In Action: Davidson Land Plan & Planning Ordinance, Davidson, North Carolina
To the residents of Davidson, North Carolina, located just 20 miles from Charlotte, the essence of their small town is great neighbors and great neighborhoods. This small community is setting the standard for creating healthy and vibrant neighborhoods in a historic setting. The high quality of life is attracting development, which the town accommodates partly by revitalizing its existing buildings. Its new neighborhoods incorporate a variety of lot sizes and housing types, including affordable housing, and neighborhood parks within a five-minute walk.
Principles
- Includes Mixed Land Uses
- Exhibits Compact Building Design
- Provides Range of Housing Types
- Promotes ”Walkable” Neighborhoods
- Exhibits a Distinct Sense of Place
- Preserves Open Space
- Utilizes Existing Development
- Provides Transportation Choices
- Practices Fair Decision-making
- Promotes Stakeholder Participation
To preserve and enhance Davidson’s character, the town adopted the Davidson Land Plan in 1995 and an innovative Planning Ordinance in 2001. The ordinance seeks significant public involvement, a critical component for any community that wants to plan where and how it will grow. For example, the Planning Ordinance provides charrettes for every new development project. These charrettes allow the developer and the community to understand each other’s goals. One developer says, “the [charrette]…forced me to come up with a new plan that was better than the original.”
The town requires pedestrian, bicycle, and street circulation plans for all new development. Streets are designed to discourage cars from speeding, making it easier for Davidson’s 7,800 residents to walk and bicycle around the town. To further encourage walking, the town requires narrow, tree-lined streets with on-street parking and sidewalks on both sides of the street.
Recognizing that housing prices can sometimes increase when a community creates great places to live, the town requires that 12.5 percent of all new housing be affordable to families making less than the county’s median family income. Davidson’s plan and ordinance have allowed the town to build on its strengths while accommodating new growth. For example, the old Davidson Cotton Mill complex has been revitalized and transformed into offices, condominiums, and a restaurant. The plan and ordinance also clearly articulate the town’s vision for its growth. This, in turn, makes developers active partners in implementing the community’s vision of connected, walkable neighborhoods that maintain Davidson’s legacy as a traditional small town.
The EPA rewarded Davidson’s efforts with its Overall Excellence in Smart Growth award in 2004.