A small Delta town near Sacramento is pushing a state commission to loosen barriers on development in an area set aside in the '90s to protect agricultural land, the area's migratory bird life, and water resources that provide for much of the state.
"In the first case of its kind, the unincorporated town of Clarksburg, 15 miles south of Sacramento, is urging a state commission to allow a developer to build 162 homes. The decision about whether to uphold the 14-year-old preservation statute could have broad implications for future land use in the state's immense agricultural plain, which faces increasing pressure from homebuilders."
"The delta includes some of the most fertile soil in the nation and crucial habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife. The levees that crisscross the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta not only protect farmland and small towns but also contain the drinking water for more than 23 million people in the San Francisco Bay area and Southern California."
"In an attempt to control development, state lawmakers in 1992 passed the Delta Protection Act. It set aside about 500,000 acres in an area known as the primary zone to 'be protected from the intrusion of nonagricultural uses.'"
Read the full story: Urban Sprawl Moves to the Delta
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop
New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.
Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan
The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association