Coastal Town Gives Developer A Major Challenge
After a $1.3 million campaign, residents of Pacifica, California rejected a developer's proposal for a new hotel, shopping center, and residential community master planned by Duany Plater-Zyberk. But the developer's not giving up yet.
An 87-acre former quarry in the coastal town of tract homes and homes about 10 miles south of San Francisco was purchased by Peebles Corp. last year as the proposed site for a 350-room hotel, 355 housing units, and a shopping center at the Quarry.
A 1983 ballot measure, though, requires a vote of the people before any housing is allowed on the property, which is zoned for commercial use. Undaunted, Peebles hired DPZ and spent millions of dollars to try and win local support for the project. Ultimately, residents rejected the proposed due to traffic and environmental concerns.
"Officials from the firm will now go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that conforms to the local zoning code: 'We'll be shaping a project to include a major hotel and a retail use, which could be an outlet store or big-box retail. We're interviewing consultants and joint-venture partners.' "
Some opponents of the original plan now say "Peebles had threatened to put a Wal-Mart in the Quarry if his plans for a hotel and residential development were defeated."
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Form-based codes
No one theory is a panacea. I think form-based coding holds a lot of promise, though I think proper growth management requires the addition of monetary grants and tax abatements, historic preservation efforts, and infrastructure controls to encourage infill, revitalization/reuse, and traffic control (among many other things). I am something of a libertarian when it comes to development, and I think cities would do well to allow more organic development within two confines: 1) affordable and sustainable infrastructure, and 2) community desires. I believe form-based coding addresses the second issue and allows for reuse much more readily, which can help keep development on existing infrastructure rather than throwing old away for new.
I hope this comment makes sense. I do think I need more coffee this morning.
- Brandon
You go Pacifica, California!!!
Boy do I love CEQA, the Bay Area, and coastal California for that matter!!!!
I don't think we'll be seeing DPZ around this neck of the woods for a very long time. Most Northern Californians can see right through the pretty pictures and prescriptive/authoritarian design codes (with the exception of perhaps Petaluma, Benicia, and Hercules).
Calthorpe absolutely despises designing projects in the Bay Area. None of his projects can ever get built. He would rather have 100,000+ acres of wasteland in Northern Utah handed over to him by Kennecott Mining Company so that he can design a brand spanking new town in the middle of nowhere.
Now Utah isn't even sure if they plan to run the TRAX light rail to his Daybreak development south of Salt Lake City. So much for transit-oriented greenfield development!
Remember, as "enlightened" as Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City is considered, Utah will always be a solid red, theocratic state. Therefore, smart growth policies and the "Envision Utah" regional plan for the Wasatch Front will run into MAJOR political roadblocks in the coming years ahead due to this fact.
You go Bay Area Home prices!!!
You may not see DPZ for a while...but you can be sure to see higher land and home prices in the Bay Area as result of restricting much needed development in the face of high demand. Who knows, maybe you'll get something far worse on the Pacifica site than dare say, "Duany". Keep it up Bay Area and maybe one day your land prices might exceed those of Tokyo! Maybe then Vtboy will be forced to move back to San Diego (totally just playing with ya)..
Anyways, I really think Petaluma looks great from what I can see on Microsoft Livesearch (Birds Eye view). Many communities in the Midwest, where I’m from, would love to see new development in their downtowns. I’ve been to Hercules, and though it was pretty standard/boring, it was far better than conventional suburban development.
Lastly, don’t be tooo cynical regarding Utah, though I was somewhat frightened by the State's oppressive feel when I drove through, I have hopes for the rise of "purple" states in the New West!
San Diego Home Prices...
are just as bad as the Bay Area's, actually worse nowadays given that the salaries in "America's Finest City" are some of the lowest on average in the nation. Bay Area housing values have topped off, and regardless of what projects Duany works on, will be continuing to fall over the course of the next five years. And housing demand it has been proven (especially in Southern California) was NOT the culprit for skyrocketing home costs over the past six years in the Golden State. Instead, the reason for the out of control home prices (San Diego, Los Angeles, and Bay Area) can be attributed to low interest mortgages, house-flipping, and speculative investing.
See this link:
http://piggington.com/bubble
In a nutshell, it says that:
* There is NO housing shortage.
* There has been NO population boom.
* Local income growth has paled in comparison to home price growth.
* While California may be a nice place to live, it was also nice 5 years ago, when homes cost half as much as they do today.
So what's your point? Nothing Duany can do to "save" us downtrodden Northern Californians. His and Calthorpe's central problem in working in built-out areas is that they need to think on a smaller scale, perhaps even parcel by parcel. Especially given the liberal, well-educated, anti-growth political constituency in the Bay Area, they would be much more successful in taking a small-scaled approach to future developments (good thing Duany doesn't propose any new projects in Marin County, they're too paleo-environmental/anti-growth even for me).
Daniel Solomon's work serves as a MUCH better model to emulate with regards to infill development success in the Bay Area, as compared to Calthorpe and Duany's mega-scaled master planned developments (even though the ROI for their clients on smaller projects ends up being relatively miniscule).
I work in Petaluma, and the form-based code has done absolutely nothing to prevent the typical suburban sprawl from creeping along the eastern edge of town (east of U.S. Hwy 101). You need to look at your Microsoft Livesearch a bit more carefully. However, Petaluma does have one of the most charming, intact, vibrant historic downtowns in all of California. But this really has nothing to do with the form-based code and everyting to do with historic preservation efforts over the past 20 years. But save for one lackluster mixed use project located adjacent to the Petaluma River, the form-based coding has relatively little to show for itself.
Utah will NEVER be a purple, "new west" state. Save that comment for Nevada, Colorado, or Arizona. You do realize Utah is a theocracy, don't you? Libertarian, anti-government, smart growth bashers abound in the Salt Lake City region.
And believe it or not, I AM a left-leaning, pro-planning, smart growth advocate (I even belong to Greenbelt Alliance, SPUR, APA, and Sierra Club). I'm just highly skeptical of the over the top, one-size-fits-all rhetoric by most of the New Urbanist/Ahwahnee Principles "founders".
Good points.
As for the housing prices I was just kidding with you. lol
However, the anti growth political constituency of the Bay Area doesnt seem to me to be too well educated, given the fact the development they reject just ends of going somewhere else, in a much worse form.
As for DPZ and Calthorpe etc., I actually think they should make coding their primary emphasis, so that their guidelines can regulate small scale organic development, parcel by parcel development, as well as large scale. I think they would have far more impact on development this way. DPZ seems to be moving this way with Miami 21, Smart Code etc... I’m sure their will be many successes and failures with these projects, which will require significant readjustment in the future. But you have to experiment/live and learn in order to grow. If nothing else it’s your critiques and others like yours which improve their work in the long run.
Dan Solomon's work is REALLY good. Have you seen his plan for Coyote Valley? I think it’s the largest proposed new urbanist development to date. Not that I think large is always better. just making the point of the immense project. I also really like his architectural style.
However, I was wondering why you do not like Stefano's work considering you like Solomon's work so much? They both tend to do small scale mixed use projects or housing and of arguably equal quality.
As for Petaluma and the form based code, the downtown is looking good. From Livesearch it appears that there are multiple projects going on in the downtown near the river. However, I have also noticed the typical sprawl on the edges as well. I’ve also noticed a really strange pattern of flag lots at the edge. Future form based codes/Smart Code versions will require readjustments and will have to do better to address these concerns. All in all though I think it’s better than typical zoning of the past century...
Yes, Utah will probably almost never be a purple state...and I do realize the strong religious background. However, I will still hold out hope...and I think the actions of the Salt Lake City mayor is a sign of some changing of the color in Utah, even if the majority of Utah remains forever red. It is at least interesting to see some very progressive ideas coming from such a red states. It gives me hope about my own red state.
The one size rhetoric definitely needs to be addressed. But also realize that its simplicity does help non-planners to understand the basic concepts of urbanism. Remember the general public is still wary of the word density. I also do not view the "founders" to be as naive as you make them out to be. I think they understand that it is more than just a one size fit approach to everything. But learning takes time. However, the hope of these movements does not lie with the “founders” but with the nextgen... We can take the work they've started, work out the kinks, and make it even better. Someone like yourself would actually be very valuable to have on a team because you are not willing to simply accept things the way they are.
Good points Vt.
Ps. That’s cool that you work in Petaluma
I actually agree with you...
I believe we see eye to eye more than I thought.
Yes I have seen the Coyote Valley Specific Plan. Only problem is, Solomon is not working on the plan anymore. The City of San Jose ended up selecting Dahlin Group from Pleasanton to provide the lead design and planning services for this area.
Unfortunately, the plans that have been drafted thus far by Dahlin Group are more auto-oriented suburban sprawl crap. Take a look at the City of San Jose Planning Department website for a look see:
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/coyotevalley/