Urban limit line passing

By Kiley Russell
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Contra Costa voters Tuesday were heavily favoring the county's growth-control ballot measure, which creates a 20-year line intended to corral new development into existing neighborhoods.

With more than 80 percent of precincts reporting, the yes vote for Measure L led the no vote by about 25 percentage points late Tuesday.

Supporters say it will limit sprawl and help prevent even worse traffic congestion by limiting growth.

"I'm ebullient," said Mark Ross, a Martinez City Council member who heads the pro-Measure L campaign. "Voters in Contra Costa have ratified a landmark compromise between transportation and growth management."

Opponents worry the boundary takes too much land-use power away from local governments by forcing them to shift development to already established neighborhoods. The proposal does nothing to address local opposition to in-fill development, they say, and could drive up the cost of housing by limiting supply.

The county and its cities need to have a growth boundary in place by 2009 because of a provision in Measure J, a half-cent sales tax county voters approved in 2004.

Measure J requires the cities and the county to abide by a "mutually agreed upon, voter approved" growth boundary, beyond which no large-scale development will be allowed. In exchange, the cities and the county will receive a share from both a $360 million street maintenance fund and a $100 million pot of money for alternative transportation projects.

"I can't emphasize what a landmark compromise and innovative measure this is," Ross said. "The voters become charged with the responsibility of deciding if development larger than 30 acres gets approved and cities have to submit development plans to the voters."

Measure L requires a review in 2016 of the land-use patterns and employment and housing needs in the county to determine if the line needs to be expanded. It also sets a high bar for expansions beyond 30-acre parcels -- four of the five supervisors and a majority of the voters in a countywide election must approve any change.

For three years representatives from the cities and board of supervisors met along with environmental and business groups to hammer out a compromise proposal for the ballot.

But the cities, which generally wanted more room to expand, and the county, which didn't, failed to work out their differences. Pittsburg, Antioch and Brentwood placed urban limit lines before their own voters last November and only Brentwood's was rejected.

If Measure L passes, the 16 cities still without a voter-approved urban limit line will then be able to adopt the county's line in order to comply with Measure J.

The growth boundary created by Measure L conforms to those passed by voters in Antioch, Pittsburg and San Ramon, where voters approved an urban limit line in 2004.

A similar growth control proposal in Solano County, Measure J, was narrowly failing Tuesday night.

Solano County's measure would extend growth-control provisions to 2036 by restricting the density of residential development and any redesignation on agricultural and open-space land. It also requires that most nonagricultural development occur within city boundaries. It cannot be repealed or amended except by a vote of the people.

County officials wanted to have the new initiative in place before 2010. It would ensure that a growth-management plan is in place as the county puts together its general plan.

Opponents argued that the initiative was too long of a contract and said it prevented farmers from responding to changes in their industry, like selling or buying parts of land to operate more efficiently.

Reporter Danielle Samaniego contributed to this report.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/politics/15956163.htm