= = = Highlight = = =
More than a dozen states have made or are considering massive cuts to smart growth programs to address budget shortfalls, according to a report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse and Smart Growth America. The report warned that cutting these vital programs eventually will threaten local economies, the environment and public health, and called on state legislators to defend them. The report is available at  http://www.sprawlwatch.org/budgetshortfalls.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/03/25/usat-sprawl.htm

= = = State and Local = = =
Big Box Retailers
Ohio
Maumee could be the first Toledo, Ohio-area municipality to join a growing nationwide trend to restrict or halt retail expansion by limiting building size. By this summer, sections of Maumee could be off limits to developers that want to build a mall or retail plaza and fill it with so-called big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot, or Target.
www.toledoblade.com

California
You've heard it a million times. But California Planning & Development Report columnist Morris Newman puts a new spin on this old story of heartache in telling the tale of what Lancaster, California, did to keep the fickle Costco from jilting the city for neighboring Palmdale. http://www.cp-dr.com/binn/main.taf?function=&type=detail&section_id=2412.

City Politics
California
A plan at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to take control of the Redevelopment Agency from the mayor met with mounting opposition and appears headed for defeat.  The proposal is to abolish the seven-member redevelopment Agency Commission, which is appointed by the mayor, and replace it with an 11-member Community  Redevelopment Commission. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/03/26/MN177737.DTL

Farmland
Illinois
Due to the extreme loss of the Chicago areas historic farmland the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois' annual list of "top 10" endangered historic structures has included three farms in Kane County that could be paved over by the state for a new outerbelt expressway.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0203220042mar22.story?coll=chi%2Dnews%2Dhed

Transportation
California
This year's Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) has a chance to be something else: a first cut at a strategic regional approach to dealing with Sacramento's growth and transportation challenge writes the Sacramento Bee in an editorial "A plan to grow with: How to think about regional transportation". http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/1893348p-2000096c.html

Georgia
Four counties in the Atlanta metro area sign on with the regional express bus system proposed by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority. The buses will provide the first metrowide transit system, linking commuters to downtown, Hartsfield International Airport and MARTA stops. GRTA plans to start the first routes in summer of 2003. 
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/today/metro_c399081247dab1f41061.html

Legislation
Washington
The Washington State legislature has passed into law and sent on to the Governors office the following smart growth related legislation for 2002.  In brief; 1) ESSB 5748 - Integrating Transportation and Land Use Planning.  ESSB 5748 states that cities, counties and code cities should demonstrate how land use planning is integrated with transportation planning. 2) SHB 2758 - WA Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements Program, the language in SHB 2758 speaks to the development pressures on prime agricultural land and the need to keep these lands in production. Creates a program within the WA Conservation Commission to gather, hold, and distribute moneys for the sole purpose of buying agricultural development rights that run in perpetuity with the land. 3) SHB 2648 - Smart Growth Screen for Major State Capital Facility Projects. SHB 2648 requires OFM to take into account whether there is regional cooperation; local or additional funds are leveraged; reduction of negative environmental impacts are considered; when determining which projects to request funding for, to promote capital facilities expenditures that minimize unplanned or uncoordinated infrastructure and development costs, support economic and quality of life benefits for existing communities, and support local government planning efforts.
For more information contact: 1,000 Friends of Washington http://www.1000friends.org

"Smart Codes"
Oklahoma
Impressed with the ''Smart Codes'' that have boosted renovation of old buildings in New Jersey, Maryland and Massachusetts, state Republican Representative Kris Steele and Democratic Senator Brad Henry sponsored similar legislation, hoping to spur revitalization of aged commercial districts in Oklahoma cities and towns.
www.state.nj.us/dca/codes/rehab/rehab.htm
http://www.newsok.com/

= = = National News = = =
The National Parks Conservation Assn. (NPCA) released its annual list of "America's Ten Most Endangered National Parks."  Mojave National Preserve in California is among the newcomers. NPCA is working to protect our national parks from the burdens of encroaching development and air and water pollution. 
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-000021891mar26.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dnation%2Dmanual

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Federal Highway Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency announce a national competition to recognize best practices in transportation and smart growth. "Smart Moves: Transportation Strategies for Smart Growth," will showcase outstanding state and local efforts to promote smart growth principles in the planning and delivery of transportation projects. Eligible applicants include: state DOTs, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, transit operators, and local transportation departments. The application and instructions can be downloaded from
http://www.transportation.org/aashto/news.nsf/allpages/SmartGrowth

= = = New Releases = = =
Two new reports from the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy,  "The Link Between Growth Management and Housing Affordability: The Academic Evidence" this report is a comprehensive review of the academic literature to determine the impact of growth management on the affordability of housing. In sum, this report finds that, irrespective of whether growth management programs are in place or not, the strength of the housing market is the single most important influence on housing prices. http://www.brookings.edu/urban

"Creating a Scorecard for the CRA Service Test: Strengthening Banking Services Under the Community Reinvestment Act".  This brief summarizes an analysis of almost 2,000 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) examinations, and finds that federal regulators use subjective and varying criteria to assess banks' performances in meeting the retail needs of lower-income populations. The authors propose a series of reforms to make the CRA service test more performance-based and eliminate grade inflation. http://www.brookings.edu/urban

Billboards
California
Los Angeles City Planning Commission recommended (3/14) that new billboards be banned in the city and rejected a proposal to allow them along freeways in exchange for the removal of 2,000 signs elsewhere in the city.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000018988mar15.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dcalifornia

Initiative
California
In a final bid to preserve eight years of planning, backers of a commercial airport at El Toro filed suit Monday to overturn a voter-approved measure that rezones the former military base for a park. The lawsuit asks the court to invalidate Measure W, the Orange County Central Park and Nature Preserve Initiative, which passed March 5 with                  57.8% of the vote.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/03/18/MN62340.DTL

Transportation
California
Citizens to Preserve the Ojai in Ventura County, CA wants to prohibit the city from approving construction that would cause any traffic increase unless the project can take the added burden off of roads. The group also wants to give voters the right to reject plans that would increase density on land inside the city limits.
http://www.latimes.com/editions/ventura/la-000018982mar15.story?coll=la%2Deditions%2Dventura

An action by the U.S. Supreme Court will force the Metropolitan Transit Authority to improve service to Los Angeles County's mostly poor, urban bus riders, while jeopardizing other programs, including some light rail service to the suburbs.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-031902mta.story?coll=la%2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes

Colorado
A transportation pilot program in five metro-area communities (in the Denver Metropolitan area) with ridership to low for traditional bus service can now use a Call-n-Ride service to get around town. Residents can call a bus driver and he or she will come pick you up. Last month the Regional Transportation District board voted to include the pilot service as one of its regular offerings. Metro Denver is among a handful of cities nationwide experimenting with on-demand services. Similar programs exist in Seattle and Houston, according to the American Public Transportation Association. http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/commuting/article/0,1299,DRMN_255_970546,00.html

Utah
Attorneys for the state of Utah and two federal agencies pleaded Wednesday with a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower-court ruling and allow Legacy Highway to proceed as planned.  In November, the 10th Circuit granted an injunction halting Legacy construction until an appeal could be heard.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,380007227,00.html?

= = = National News = = =
Highlight:
On March 13, the Senate rejected a proposal to increase automobile fuel economy requirements (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency - or CAFE - standards) that would have required automakers to increase their fleet-wide gasoline economy to 36 miles per gallon by 2015. Instead, senators approved by a 62-38 vote a more industry-friendly proposal that would direct the Department of Transportation to develop new fuel economy rules. In addition, the Senate voted 56-44 to exempt pickup trucks from any future increases in CAFE standards. The current federal efficiency requirements require a minimum of 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks, SUV's and minivans.

Air Pollution
According to a study led by Brigham Young University, and published in the March 6 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" tiny particles of pollutants emitted by automobiles, power plants and factories significantly increase the risk of dying from lung cancer in the United States. The research also substantiates Pope's
controversial previous work that demonstrated an association between increased levels of air pollution and an increase in total and cardiorespiratory deaths.  http://www.byu.edu/news/releases/Mar/pope.htm

Transportation
Beginning this year, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century will give employers the option to offer up to $100 a month in nontaxable mass transit and van pool commuting benefits to their employees. Employers also may provide up to $175 a month in parking benefits.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascitystar/business/2874579.htm

Twenty-three percent of major roads in the nation's largest urban areas have significant deterioration and need immediate repair or reconstruction, according to a new report from the nonprofit transportation research group, The Road Information Program (TRIP). "Rough Ride in the City: How Poor Road Conditions Increase Motorists' Costs," analyzed data for major urban areas obtained from the Federal Highway Administration. The 10 urban areas with a population of 1 million or more with the highest percentage of roads in poor condition are Boston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, San Jose, San Francisco-Oakland, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The report found another 27 percent of the nation's urban roads in mediocre condition and currently or soon in need of repairs. http://www.tripnet.org/national/nnr031402.htm

= = = New Release = = =
New from the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy,
"The Local Path to Making Work Pay: Denver's Earned Income Credit Experience".  This essay describes the reasons for Denver's decision to use welfare block grant funds to create a local earned income tax credit for the city's low-income workers. It describes the: 1) reasons for Denver Mayor Webb's decision to create a local Earned Income Tax Credit; 2) specific steps the city took to create the working family credit; 3) lessons learned during the development of the new policy; and 4) implications of this experience for welfare reform reauthorization. It concludes that local leaders can creatively use flexible federal welfare funds to provide accessible support that alleviates poverty and rewards work. The author recommends that federal welfare reform reauthorization maintain flexibility and include adequate funds by adjusting block grants for inflation.
http://www.brookings.edu/urban

= = = State and Local News = = =
Ballot Initiative
California
A ballot initiative passed by voters on (3/6) that would have turned the El Toro Marine
base in Irvine, CA into an urban park may be nullified after Navy officials announced they will sell the 4,700-acre site.
http://www.latimes.com/editions/orange/la-000017206mar08.story?coll=la%2Deditions%2Dorange

Greenspace
Georgia
In Atlanta, Georgia Governor Roy Barnes' program to give money to help jurisdictions in growing urban areas buy green space has helped several metro counties and municipalities acquire property to set aside for parks and natural areas.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/monday/business_c3c81684b1a062d20021.html

School Sprawl
Pennsylvania
With school enrollments in some Pennsylvania counties swelling by more than 25 percent in the last decade, districts are busier building schools than at any time since the post-World War II years. To find enough space - the 100 to 200 acres typical for a new middle or high school - they are pushing ever deeper into pristine countryside. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/2784182.htm

Transportation
Virginia
Gov. Mark R. Warner vowed to rebound from the General Assembly's abrupt adjournment by winning speedy passage of a Northern Virginia sales tax referendum for transportation, probably when lawmakers return April 17 for a brief veto session. 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10732-2002Mar11.html

Washington
A proposal to raise a billion dollars or more in taxes for a new monorail system now seems likely to go before Seattle voters in November.  A bill that would let voters create a city transportation authority to build a monorail system and levy taxes for construction is expected to pass the Legislature. The measure would authorize an annual Seattle property tax of up to $1.50 per $1,000 of property value and a vehicle-relicensing tax of up to $100 for each car in the city. 
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134416446_monorail07m.html

= = = National News = = =
In testimony before the US House of Representatives Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Robert Manley, an attorney from Cincinnati, Ohio, testified on behalf of the American Planning Association (APA) to dispel misconceptions advanced by critics of APA's Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook. Titled "Planning for Smart Growth: 2002 State of the States", the report notes that in many cases outdated planning laws are preventing states from effectively implementing smart growth measures to address urban sprawl, scattered rural development, and other issues. As a result, unmanaged development is costing states millions of dollars in wasteful expenditures. Manley said that Growing Smart "offers vital assistance to states and communities struggling with the consequences of change, whether rapid development or economic decline. Reforming planning statutes would curb the flight of investment from urban neighborhoods."
http://www.planning.org/newsreleases/2002/ftp0307.htm

= = = New Release = = =
New Jersey Policy Perspective releases report comparing NJ's gas tax and car registration fees to other states and making recommendations that would raise revenue, combat sprawl and promote honest discussion about the real costs of driving. To read "Perspective on The Gas Tax and Car Registration Fees" by NJPP Senior Policy Analyst Mary E. Forsberg, go to http://www.njpp.org/gastax_toc.html

No bill in the California Legislature this year is hotter than Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg's proposal to alter the way sales tax is allocated in the Sacramento region. You can now read California Planning & Development Report Publisher William Fulton's analysis of AB 680 and the issues it addresses on the CP&DR website,
http://www.cp-dr.com/binn/main.taf?function=&type=detail&section_id=2418

= = = Highlight = = =
Californians voted on more than two dozen local land use ballot measures yesterday (3/6). Among the local land use highlights of Tuesday's election are: An Orange County initiative that would block development of an airport at the former El Toro Marine Corps base by designating the site for a "great park," universities, museums and research offices; A proposed ban on new billboards in San Francisco; A pre-emptive initiative to prohibit rent control in Huntington Beach; "Big box" measures in Mountain View, East Palo Alto, Reedley and Agoura Hills. California Planning & Development Report will have complete coverage of election results beginning Wednesday afternoon on their website, http://www.cp-dr.com. Results can also be viewed at the California Secretary of State website, http://voterguide.ss.ca.gov/propositions.asp?sID=1

Proposition 42
Grief over gridlock drove voters to overwhelmingly adopt Proposition 42, which permanently restricts sales taxes on gasoline to highway and transit projects. http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/2802566.htm

Development measures backed or opposed by Home Depot, Ikea and Wal-Mart will be on the ballot (3/5) in five California cities struggling to decide if such "big-box" stores will make life better by creating jobs or worse by adding to suburban crowding.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-000016384mar05.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Dstate

Proposition 40 the $2.6-billion park and environmental bond measure is the most expensive bond measure of its kind in the nation's history, according to the California Resources Department. The bond measure approved by more than 56% of California's statewide voters will provide funding for a broad array of rural and urban projects ranging from old-growth redwoods and salt marshes to urban parks and farmland preservation.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000013544feb22.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dcalifornia

= = = State and Local News = = =
Gentrification
Georgia
Programs try to take sting out of gentrification in Decatur, Georgia. The booming city of Decatur is trying to hold onto its longtime residents. http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/horizon/030402/gentrify0304.html

Land Preservation
California
A complex land-swap deal in Ventura County, CA that would preserve nearly 200 acres of open space won support from the city's Planning Commission a week after two commission members were ousted for delaying a decision on the plan. In exchange for not building on a 191-acre site near Hill Canyon known as the Western Plateau, its owner and two other developers would be allowed to convert proposed senior and affordable housing into more profitable housing.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000013287feb21.story

Transportation
Georgia
Atlanta's MARTA system is getting an image makeover. In order to increase ridership MARTA has hired a marketing consultant to help MARTA understand how to target potential riders.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/metro/0302/0306marta.html

= = = New Releases = = =
Defenders of Wildlife and NRDC have launched a web site with an expose of the American Legislative Exchange Council  (ALEC) and their well-funded activities along with a comprehensive list of their funders. ALEC has organized to pass anti-environmental state statutes, such as "takings" legislation. ALEC claims to have helped pass over 450 state statutes in 1999 and 2000 alone.
The web site with the report is at http//www.alecwatch.org

Foundation Watch
The Greater New Orleans Foundation and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation are community foundations leading the field in promoting smarter growth patterns and more livable communities in the state of Louisiana.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation promotes smart growth and regionalism as linchpins of its work, linked to its focus on both economic development and quality of life issues. The foundation's participation in the MetroVision Partnership's Top 10 By 2010 project; support of statewide environmental research as it relates to economic development; and involvement in other regional collaborative efforts illustrate their comprehensive approach.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is taking a "demonstration project" approach to smart growth, focusing on a major downtown revitalization effort known as Plan Baton Rouge. The Plan embodies such smart growth principles as pedestrian friendly development and creating a 24-hour community with more residential development and a mix of uses and incomes. In the three years since the Plan's creation, downtown Baton Rouge has attracted in excess of $500 million in new construction projects completed, planned, or underway. As these two community foundations forge broad coalitions and lead by  example, they are building a strong framework for promoting smarter growth and investment patterns in the state of Louisiana.- Courtesy of the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities.

= = = National News = = =
Senate Hearings
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is having a full committee hearing today (3/6) on the Community Character Act (S. 975) and Brownfields Site Redevelopment Assistance Act (S. 1079) both bills would substantially help to improve the livability of cities, neighborhoods, towns and rural areas throughout the nation.  Both  national and state organizations will testify on behalf of the bills.

Affordable Housing
Joan Ryan's editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle sees the middle class as an endangered species in the urban corridor of the Bay Area. 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/03/05/ED123276.DTL

Railroad Reawakening
Jane Kay Holtz, the architecture/planning critic for the Nation and the author of "Asphalt Nation," writes "Railroad Reawakening" for AlterNet.  With airlines now in the red and road warriors stuck on jammed and crumbling highways, many are sounding the anthem for a renaissance in rail. http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12478

Steward of the Land Award