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| Residents discuss county blueprint plan |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge | Patterson Irrigator | |
| Wednesday, 25 June 2008 | |
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At a glance
WHAT: San Joaquin Valley Blueprint workshopsLocal Spanish workshop: 7 to 9 p.m. today, Patterson City Council chambers, 1 Plaza Other workshops (all from 7 to 9 p.m. unless indicated.): Thursday, The Alliance Free Enterprise Center, 1020 10th St., in Modesto; Monday, Riverbank Community Center, 3600 Santa Fe St., in Riverbank; Tuesday, Hughson City Council chambers, 7018 Pine St., in Hughson, 6 to 8 p.m.; July 10, Louis J. Newman Memorial Building, 649 Orestimba Road, in Newman; July 12, Doubletree Hotel, Maxi’s Room, 1150 Ninth St., in Modesto, 10 a.m. to noon; July 15, Gene Bianchi Community Center, 110 S. Second Ave., in Oakdale; July 16, Ceres City Council chambers, 2210 Magnolia St., in Ceres. INFO: 525-4600 or www.stancog.org Education and the environment were the top priorities among attendees at the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint workshop at Patterson City Hall on Monday. Twenty-seven people showed up to share their views on what the San Joaquin Valley should look like in 2050, even as some of them expressed cynicism about the blueprint process itself. “I’m concerned that communities are going to be swallowed up by a big government master plan,” said Patterson resident and land-use planner Ron West. The blueprint, a joint document created by the state, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and regional planning agencies, will outline regional goals for the entire valley from San Joaquin County to Kern County. Stanislaus Council of Governments plans to use information from a series of meetings to create an advisory document of its own based on residents’ desires, for city councils and boards of supervisors. Attendees at Monday’s meeting used blue stickers to vote for their top values for future planning before giving their input on various growth scenarios for the valley. Most attendees opted for “moderate change” in future land-use planning — a scenario in which 50,100 acres in Stanislaus County would be used for residential purposes and in which 27 percent of homes would be multifamily dwellings, such as apartments or condominiums. A full 794,000 acres would be available for agriculture under this scenario. By contrast, if the county kept with historical growth trends, 65,300 acres would be developed for housing and only 9 percent of homes would be multifamily dwellings in 2050. Sixteen of 27 attendees included education and the environment among their top priorities, while the economy received 15 votes and land use received 14 votes. In regards to land use, a few people voiced criticism of county and StanCOG leaders for their endorsement of a 4,800-acre industrial center proposed for the Crows Landing Air Facility and the surrounding area. “We don’t want to be an inland port or a dumping ground for shipping containers,” local resident Sandy McDowell said. Government was the lowest priority on everyone’s list, receiving only six votes. West said government “can be our biggest helper or our worst nightmare.” Other values considered were community and transportation, which received 12 votes apiece, and public safety, which got nine votes. Local resident Claude Delphia said he thought health care also should have been among the listed values, pointing out a need for more health care access on the West Side. Delphia also said he thought not enough information was given on the different growth scenarios to form a significant opinion. Other attendees had questions about the process in general. Patterson City Councilwoman Dejeune Shelton asked whether the blueprint would have certain mandates for cities, while councilmen Sam Cuellar and Dominic Farinha expressed fears that the blueprint would become more than an advisory document. “This process is being done for a reason,” Cuellar said. “It’s not only being done to find out what we think.” Kristen Pickus, director of planning services for consultant MIG, Inc., which is coordinating the workshops, said the blueprint has no teeth thus far. MIG representative Anthony Zepeda said a much-discussed state Senate bill regarding the blueprint would only offer incentives for participating cities, such as putting them in a more competitive position for transportation funding. Some people wondered if the desires of larger cities in Stanislaus County would trump those of West Side residents. “This is just a formality,” farmer and developer Kenny Buehner said. “The county will react in the same way as to Crows Landing.” When Pickus pointed out that Stanislaus Council of Governments works with city and county representatives alike, Delphia noted that the StanCOG policy board also supported developer PCCP West Park’s proposal for the Crows Landing airbase. Last year, the board voted to seek state bond money for the project. Despite skepticism from some attendees, Patterson has had the best turnout of any blueprint meeting thus far with its 27 attendees. Only 21 people went to a blueprint meeting in Turlock last week, and 25 people showed up to a workshop at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center in Modesto. Local resident Ramona Casado, who also attended last year’s Patterson blueprint workshop, said she thought both were fun. Pickus said after the meeting that discussions about the Crows Landing Air Facility and frustrations with county leaders were unique to the Patterson meeting. However, she said the emphasis that attendees place on a sense of community has been the same at every meeting. StanCOG will host 13 workshops over two months. Results from the workshops will be incorporated into a county plan, which will be melded into the regional eight-county San Joaquin Valley plan. The entire process could be complete as soon as March 2009, following a valley-wide summit in Fresno sometime after Jan. 1. To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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