After 10 years, it appears Ventura County's Save Open-space & Agricultural Resources (SOAR) effort -- a unique urban growth boundaries initiative -- is working. Why haven't they been duplicated elsewhere?
"For a variety of reasons, the use of SOAR-like initiatives to contain growth has not caught on across the state. Although a few Bay Area cities have passed similar measures, Ventura County is alone in adopting restrictions for virtually every city as well as its unincorporated land."
In addition, this type of 'ballot box planning' has inadvertently led to smart growth, or so it seems.
"Although spacious single-family homes are still being built, some of the newest projects incorporate 'smart-growth' guidelines that squeeze more homes onto smaller lots and include a mix of condos, apartments and retail space."qq
Thanks to Irvin Dawid
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