Patterson Irrigator

you don't really get the way a market is driven....why are Bay Area residents moving to Patterson? Because they have been forced out of the Bay Area due to the high costs of living. It to is a snowball effect.....everything gets pushed east. Arizona and Las Vegas are growing substantially due to the over flow of Californians that can no longer afford to live in their home state. We can't make Patterson Fort Knox and keep people out, and I don't want to. Of course I don't see Patterson growing into tracy...but I do see 40,000+ residents eventually(downt the road). You'll find that Turlock went through this same issue years back....Turlock is now a great little city that has grown into its own.

What would be your solution?

" you don't really get the way a market is driven....why are Bay Area residents moving to Patterson? Because they have been forced out of the Bay Area due to the high costs of living. It to is a snowball effect.....everything gets pushed east. Arizona and Las Vegas are growing substantially due to the over flow of Californians that can no longer afford to live in their home state."

Slodesert, I know exactly how this market is driven. Again, the local housing market is being driven primarily by Bay Area residents. That is a fact and is undisputable. As you stated above,why Bay Area people are moving here is irrelevant to me nor am I being critical of them.

"We can't make Patterson Fort Knox and keep people out, and I don't want to. Of course I don't see Patterson growing into tracy...but I do see 40,000+ residents eventually(downt the road). "

Who is saying Patterson should become Fort Knox? I think you are describing an extreme position that is supported by a small minority of people. Most people I know only what a much slower growth rate. A town of 40,000 people? Right now Patterson is in the process of planning for a town of 150,000 people and are on the verge of adding approximatley 4,000 acres of land for housing in its new general plan. It is supposed to be over 40 years but if you know how planning works, it is currently hard to plan out 10 years let only 40 years. John Ramos, a developer, is on the general plan committee and is submitting maps for where the city should grow. This is the same person who has attempted to purchase options outside of the city's current boundaries and stands to benefit financially from the city's housing growth. Something is wrong with this picture. Over the past several years, Patterson has been the fastest growing city in the County. Patterson has built more than its fair share of the region's housing. Former Mayor Dodds was correct when he said Patterson should not be the solution to the Bay Area's housing shortage.

If you want to know where I stand, I believe the city should strictly limit growth to 2% to 2.5% per year. Also, the city should direct growth away from prime farmland. Further, on large projects, the City should require farmland mitigation.

" You'll find that Turlock went through this same issue years back....Turlock is now a great little city that has grown into its own. "

I really like Turlock. Turlock limits the amount of growth each year and directs growth away from prime farmland. Patterson does neither.

Robert...do you ever tire of slamming John Ramos? Blog to Blog to Blog you can't get over it. What have you ever done for this community?

" do you ever tire of slamming John Ramos? Blog to Blog to Blog you can't get over it. What have you ever done for this community? "

Who are you? So if having a person who is now involved in residential development and who has attempted to purchase land outside of the city's sphere sit on a committee that is deciding where and how much the city should grow not a conflict of interest, please tell me what is one?

Can't blame him. One really has to question the judgement of the people who made the appointment. Gee, while they are at it, they should have appointed the presidents of Jonathon Homes and Kaufman & Broad to the committee. Maybe also Dominic Speno and Michael Maroyan.

Yeah, John Ramos' Advisory Committee was a joke and a complete and utter disgrace to our town's founders whose "original" vision for this area included "agriculture" from Del Puerto Creek to the north to Marshall rd. to the south. Not for row after row of cookie cutter homes that are great for developers' wallets but bad for the actual community members that live here. Instead what it will do and has been doing, is making it easier and easier for those looking to flee their own living situation, be it from the Bay, Mexico, Canada, Antarctica, or Alpha Centauri... to relocate here before trying to stand up for what is right in their OWN communities first.

Go to your mayor, and city councils and let them know what is driving you out and bringing down your quality of life. Go to your planning commission (what's that?) and talk to your city planners and community development director (who's he?) and let them know what areas we should look at preserving and those that we shouldn't. Go to your parks and recreation department meeting (we have one of those?) and let them know what types of things you would like to see brought to your area for you and your kids to do. Go to a beatification committee meeting (wtf?) and let them know how to help keep and make Patterson a beautiful place to live.

Community involvement is the key, be willing and eager to change your world around you first before residing somewhere else just because the housing may be cheaper. And be respectful when relocating, while the cost of living is going down for you, your impact on the market may be driving the cost of living up for many others causing their quality of life to go down.

So be informed and get involved in your community, go to a meeting, speak out. Tell our city officials to quit thinking short term 20 and 40 year plans, and start thinking long term existence of the human race, because if we pave over all of our high quality farmland what are we going to eat! California is 5th largest producer of agricultural products in the WORLD! Other countries aren't as blessed as ours, let alone our own state. We need to eat, DUH. Patterson could be a model for other cities to look at in preservation of it's agricultural resources, instead of being scoffed at as the fastest growing city in California. Nothing against growth, all cities need it in order to remain sustainable, but it should happen in a planned orderly manner. Certain checks and balances need to be in place to ensure it is done correctly.

You see John Ramos (bless his kind Capitalist heart) and his entire slew of developers and large land owners that he constantly finds himself in bed with, has no one to 'check' him. Nothing against Ramos (thanks for Ramos Plaza! and our soon to be soccer complex... ergh!... I mean storm water detention basin), but he's already going to be developing 1/2 of the town, so let's put him at the head of the General Plan Advisory Committee! Who's bright idea was that?

Besides the aforementioned conflicts of interest from John Ramos, let alone many of the other advisory committee members, involved with the General Plan... Ramos allowed members of the 'public' (and when I say public I mean developers and large land holders, cause they were the only ones there) allowed them to speak out of order, over their allotted time, and from the audience. Shady as hell. The committee should have been renamed the "Sprawl Inducement Committee" because it seemed like every surrounding large scale land owner with ($)($) in their eyes was included (put homes here - wait don't leave me out I want homes here - ok more homes here). I just hope that our City Council and Planning Commission will take the General Plan more seriously than the "Sprawl Inducement Committee" did.

As for the road to San Jose? One exists already, and I encourage those who want it to travel the 100 miles of steep windy narrow roads, just give yourself 4 to 5 hours and make sure your car can handle it. It's a great drive and first hand experience of the Coast Range of mountains, the fastest growing (and eroding) mountain range in California. Beautiful expansive views of untouched wilderness, including herds of Calilfornia's Tule Elk (California has Elk?) can some times be seen roaming wild.

No the road isn't wide and gradual like the Altamont, and those real estate agents and home builders who sold you on the fact that a freeway is in the works should be fired and reported to the better business bureau. Instead they should be telling you facts about our wonderful community like. "Patterson residents take great pride in our community and enjoy watching the Tigers' football games. You should go see one and meet everyone there whenever you see the lights on at Patterson Community Stadium."...or "The downtown circle (we have a downtown?) was one of the first designed on the West Coast, and was modeled after those in cities like Paris and Washington D.C." ...or "The stately palm trees lining Las Palmas ave were planted by our town's founders and were recently noted as a historical resource (wait you mean to say that there is more to town than the freeway and Starbucks?)"

enough ranting by me anyways, after all I'd much rather do something and be involved than just complain.

Involvment in our community is vital to our success as one. A joint meeting of the city's Council and Planning commission is scheduled for October 4th at 6:00 pm to study the General Plan Advisory Committee's findings, that sounds like a fine opportunity for involvement.

there is one reason bay area residents are moving here.....and it really doesn't have much to do with the overall shape of their community. But rather the fact that they can't afford the $800k median home price in the bay area. The same thing is happening in So-Cal.....all LA and coastal residents are being forced inland towards Riverside County(if they plan on being a home owner)