San Joaquin County’s population is exploding, due in part to a growing influx of people who can no longer afford to live in the Bay Area. We owe it to ourselves and to future residents of this county to participate in the decisions that will determine the quality of life in coming years.
We’ve seen what has happened in other areas when residential sprawl has gone unchecked for decades. In Orange County, vast areas of orange groves were paved over in the sixties and seventies, consumed by the Pac Man sprawl of the Los Angeles Basin. Closer to home, the orchards of Santa Clara County have given way to sprawling subdivisions, to house the families of Silicon Valley.
It can happen here. It will happen here unless the right decisions are made today...because today’s decisions control what this county will look like in twenty to thirty years.
Smart Growth, guided by enlightened planning principles, enacted and regulated by open-minded decision-makers, and implemented by knowledgeable developers, will have a major impact on the continuing appeal of San Joaquin County as a place to call home.
We believe it is vital that the community learns about Smart Growth and makes its voices heard. We also believe that conflicting interests can be brought together, that workable solutions can be reached through collaborative management, seeking Common Ground.
It has been done in other places.
We can do it here.
It will be a challenge, but we have to try.
Consider the alternatives.
