March 4, 2000
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GULF COAST GROWTH NEWS
Regional News
Testimony calls for more than highways
In recent testimony before a state senate committee on transportation infrastructure, John Bartosiewicz, General Manager of Fort Worth Transportation Authority, said "traffic congestion…cannot be mitigated solely by building more highways. The Clean Air Act and the designation of non-attainment will necessarily push decision makers toward non-highway alternatives in order to maintain a healthy economic environment." Bartosiewicz is chairman of the Public Transportation Advisory Committee to the Texas Transportation Commission.
Houston transportation plan gains backers
The Technical Advisory Committee of the Transportation Policy Council voted to support the City of Houston's new Transportation 2000 Strategic Transportation Plan. The plan, which is still in draft form, calls for a new Regional Transportation Coalition and "progressive use of and the redevelopment of key corridors for high capacity transit." The plan also says, "In some corridors, the best approach...may be to take a proactive stance and develop new transportation facilities that work in concert with other land use strategies to guide redevelopment." Smart growth is repeatedly proposed in the document, which is available at http://www.ci.houston.tx.us/citygovt/mayor/stp2000.htm (there is also a comment area on the web page) or call John Jackson at 713/837-7828 for a hard copy. The deadline for comments is March 17. Comments can be e-mailed to lrp@pd.ci.houston.tx.us, or mailed to John Jackson, Planning & Development Department, City of Houston, PO Box 1562, Houston, TX 77251.
Chapter 42 revisited
The subdivision section of the City of Houston charter called Chapter 42, which was passed by Council in a veritable firestorm of controversy last spring, is up for review soon. A group of people representing interests across the spectrum of positions is meeting to revisit the document. One suggestion being explored: if an area in the "suburban" zone (outside Loop 610) can opt to be designated "urban", why couldn't an area inside the loop opt to be "suburban." The code is available in web form (you can't print the whole document) at http://www.municode.com/CGI-BIN/om_isapi.dll?infobase=10123.nfo&softpage=Doc_Frame_Pg42
Livable Texas
"It's all Connected" is a slogan of the Clean Texas program described at the Partnerships for a Livable Texas Conference in Dallas early this week. Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission Chairman Robert Huston said the three principles of the program are "A clean and healthy environment, economic growth and prosperity, and an equitable quality of life." The terms are commonly associated with smart growth and sustainable development. Huston also noted that it is "imperative that we reduce the amount of non-renewable energy used." Proceedings from the conference will be available at http://www.cleantexas.org, although the site is currently under construction and contains no information.
METRO's transit plan
METRO will hold public meetings to present details on its 2025 Transit System Plan on Thursday, March 16 at noon and 6 pm. The plan will include a regional rail system and will be presented to the METRO board in July. The meetings will be held in the 16th floor board room at 1201 Louisiana.
Houston density
The Houston Metropolitan City Area is 23rd in population density among 273 U.S. areas with 560.6 people per square mile, according to a report in the March 3 Houston Business Journal.
USA Today to print air quality index
The U.S. EPA will provide USA Today with daily Air Quality Index (AQI) forecasts in approximately 38 cities this summer. The forecasts and related health messages will appear on USA Today's weather page, which is the most read page in the newspaper. The American Lung Association, which is working with the newspaper on the project, is targeting the launch date to be May 1, to coincide with Clean Air Month. ALA says they are also working with USA Today on feature stories, graphics, and other projects to help educate the public on outdoor and indoor air issues.
Notes From Other Places
Takings bill coming up for vote
A federal "takings" bill will come to a vote in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 8, and is expected to move rapidly to the House Floor the following week. A similar bill drafted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) passed the House last Congress. According to opponents, the "property rights" bill (HR 2372) is designed to cripple the ability of local governments to control land use, planning, and smart growth. NAHB believes H.R. 2372 will balance the duties of local planning agencies with the rights of property owners and says the bill does not affect any environmental law, impact the budget, or define for the courts when a "taking" has occurred. Instead, NAHB says the bill merely removes procedural hurdles preventing property owners from having their case heard in federal court in a fair and expeditious manner. Several newspapers oppose the bill, including the Detroit Free Press, which said, "The committee would do well to take it off the table and let local communities determine their own character and future." For more information, see http://www.nahb.org/news/propertyrights.htm and http://www.nwf.org/nwf/lands/takings/99hrltr.html. The bill itself is at http://thomas.loc.gov (enter HR2372 in the search window).
Hot new legal specialty: sprawl
With urban sprawl and slow-growth advocacy emerging as major issues in the United States, a growing number of lawyers are specializing in the areas of land use and municipal law, according to a recent article in USA Today. Law schools are reporting higher enrollment in these fields, which were once generally avoided. The story says municipalities and advocacy groups are retaining legal representatives to draft zoning laws and help fight developers and, in response to this trend, both the George Washington University Law School and the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law have created new programs that educate law students in land use, real estate, and environmental law. USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (02/29/00) P. 4A; El Nasser, Haya
Housing on a platform, stores downstairs
In Redondo Beach, Calif., a partnership is building a new condominium community with stores at street level and 98 detached homes atop a second-level concrete platform. According to the New York Times, the mixed-use project marks an attempt to increase population density by constructing detached homes that look like single-family housing. The developer, Avi Brosh, states, "We never kidded ourselves into thinking that these homes were single-family homes in a traditional setting. We had to play a little balancing act" between meeting high-density goals and delivering comfort and privacy to the new homeowners. The city has a mixed-use ordinance in effect that encourages such projects. New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (02/27/00) P. 33; Newman, Morris.
Big City News
DETROIT
Citywide, Detroit is seeing a number of new housing starts, which land planners and elected officials hope will result in a larger revitalization. Developers are working with neighborhood groups to get new subdivisions approved, replacing blighted areas. Although small in size when compared with other cities' construction statistics, the number of new residential building projects in Motown has caused property values to rise for the first time in years. Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer has made convincing surbubanites to return to the city's downtown a top priority. He and others hope that such new attractions as casinos, more downtown company headquarters, and a new baseball stadium will further add to a mass repatriation of Detroit's neighborhoods. Archer acknowledges that the miles of red tape involved in disposing of city lands continues to be a major challenge. To this end, the city has vowed to increase building and planning department staffing and funding to remove such barriers to land sales and urban revitalization. Furthermore, the Archer administration will work to make Detroit's racial diversity an advantage - not a hindrance - to attracting more residents back to the city."Recent History's Ills Slowly Being Cured," Financial Times - Detroit Region (www.ft.com) (02/28/00) P. 4; Bowe, Christopher-
Events
Next Houston Gulf Coast Smart Growth Initiative meeting: Mar 22, 11:30 am, American Institute of Architects, 3000 Richmond suite 500. http://www.gulfcoastideas.org
Bus Tour of Fifth Ward redevelopment: Mar 10, 9:40 am, 2020 Herman Dr. near Hermann Park (Judson Robinson Community Center). Features the new business buildings developed on Lyons Avenue by the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corp, which has also built or rehabbed about 200 homes. Reserve a place: jndenkler@aol.com.
Collaborative Urbanisms: Multicultural Citizenship: Mar 25 3-5 pm, Rice University Sewall Hall, Room 309. Entrance 1 or 2 from Main Street. Moderator: Anita Bohm-Hassani, Immigration Activist and M.S.W. Candidate at University of Houston; James Holston, Professor of Anthropology, University of California-San Diego; Larry Payne, Executive Director, National Conference for Community and Justice, Greater Houston Chapter. Second in a series of four workshops pairing urban scholars and key practitioners actively engaged in Houston's downtown revitalization and economic development. Free. Phone: 713-348-2055, E-mail: ndeckha@hotmail.com URL: http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~culture/urbanisms.html
Transportation 2000 Plan: A CEC Roundtable: Mar 8. A Citizens' Environmental Coalition discussion of the draft version of the City of Houston's long term transit plan. The document, which calls for a broad assortment of smart growth strategies, will be presented by John Jackson of the City's Planning & Development Department. At the Houston Environmental Center in the Upper Kirby District building, 3015 Richmond, east of Kirby. Noon, lunch will be provided. RSVP at alison.dodson@cechouston.org or 713-524-4232.
The Practice of Environmentally Sensitive Development: Mar 20-21, Shepherdstown, W. Va. An Urban Land Institute workshop on balancing environmental protection with economic return. Also to be held in San Francisco June 22-23. 800-321-5011.
2000 Symposium on Smart Growth: Mar 22-24, Radisson Resort, Coral Springs, Fla. Sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry (NCHI). The two-day conference will include sessions on the experiences of Florida builders, an overview of this year's political landscape, urban growth obstacles, economic trends and more. For more information, contact Norine Ali at 1-800-368-5242, ext. 520, or go to http://www.nahb.org/NCHIsmart.htm.
Urban Approaches to Smart Growth: Building New Homes in Cities and Older Suburbs: Mar 30, Chicago, sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. Hotel special price cut-off date Feb 28. 800-368-5242 x324.
National Green Builders Conference: Apr 5-8, Denver. Adam's Mark Hotel. Sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. http://www.nahbrc.org/gbcon/gb2000schedule.htm
Developing New Urbanist Communities: Apr 10-12, Orlando, Florida. Urban Land Institute and the Congress for the New Urbanism offer this three-day course in town building using new urbanist principles. 800-321-5011.
Nature in Fragments: The Legacy of Urban Sprawl: a two-day conference in New York City, April 13-14 at the American Museum of Natural History. Those interested in land-use planning, conservation, and how sprawl is affecting the natural world are encouraged to attend this symposium to explore in more detail how to integrate biodiversity conservation with all levels of our decision-making. For info call 212-769-5200 and refer to program code SPRAWL2K.
Books
From Sprawl to Smart Growth: Successful Legal, Planning, and Environmental Systems, is by Robert H. Freilich and is published by the American Bar Association. Freilich is an attorney who has represented more than 200 cities, states, and counties in comprehensive planning, regulation, and litigation defense. http://www.ababooks.org or 800-285-2221.
Note to readers: If you have news to share or have reports from events, please let us know at issues@gulfcoastideas.org
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