Chico, Sustainable

So, I did attend the Chico 2030 General Plan Workshop on Tuesday night, along with about 70 other folks, according to the ER. Some buddies of mine were pleased that I was going: “Represent!” they said.

With a population of about 85,000 in Chico, I guess each attendee represented over 1000 citizens.

The topic of the evening was “Local Economy and Land Use.” The presenters kept the workshop moving pretty well, with a 45 minute presentation following by about an hour of wandering around and participating in various stations that tried to garner opinions about job growth, were to build (and where not to build) new housing, and related topics.

But I had a couple of questions that were not answered.

The Powers That Be are projecting, based on current trends, that Chico will have 51,000 more people by 2030.

What I want to know is, who will these people be? What kind of community will they be looking for? What kind of homes will they be looking for?

Again, based on current national trends, a large number of these folks will be retirees. Based on California trends, a large number of them will also be from the Bay Area.

But who says we have to casually accept the figure that 51,000 people will move to Chico in the next 22 years? Do we have any control over this number? Are we obligated to accommodate the housing desires of each person?

What would happen if, instead, we build the type of homes and create the type of neighborhoods that we, the present residents of Chico, want to see? What I want to see are neighborhoods that are built to be pedestrian and bike friendly, with lots of trees and pocket parks, and that de-emphasize the car by being easily accessible to shopping and amenities via sidewalk, bike path, or public transportation. I want to see attractive, energy-efficient, sustainably built housing options that are affordable by Chico standards, and not by Berkeley standards.

If people like what they see, they should move here. But if they are looking for something different, well, then maybe not all of those 51,000 people won’t be moving here.

I am sure there are folks better versed in community economics and the home construction industry than I that can point out numerous flaws in my reasoning. But I believe our environment is having enough trouble handling the development and growth of the last 20 years (Chico has among the worst air quality in the state); we simply cannot afford more of the same. And on that note, the next General Plan workshop is on April 8, and the topic will be “Environment and Sustainability.” I hope more people show up—I don’t know if I can handle representing the opinions of 1000 people again.

By the way--Dan, if you’re reading this, the snacks were delicious.