Smart growth policy revision needed, some say

By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer
Attorney general pressures region to curb greenhouse gases from transportation | Tuesday, December 4, 2007 12:09 AM PST ∞

In the wake of the attorney general's sharp criticism of the San Diego area's new transportation plan, some politicians said Monday the region may need to revise its "smart growth" strategy.

Adopted on Friday, the $57 billion plan calls for widening highways, adding car-pool and toll lanes to freeways and building a fast bus system. The plan also budgets $280 million for promoting "smart growth" development.

Smart growth is generally defined as building homes near jobs, shopping or public transit. The idea is to reduce driving, increase use of trains and buses, and reduce emissions of smog and greenhouse gases by building more compact communities, as opposed to far-flung ones many miles from jobs.

Attorney General Jerry Brown predicted last week the San Diego Association of Governments' smart growth strategy would fail miserably at trimming local greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global warming.

Brown, who has been making headlines in recent months by suing local and federal agencies over California's new climate change laws, grabbed regional leaders' attention last week with a letter authored by his deputy, Sandra Goldberg. It charges the benefit of the association's $280 million program will be diluted dramatically if divided among 193 designated smart growth areas, many in far-flung communities such as Ramona.

"They are too widely dispersed," said Goldberg of the smart growth areas, in a telephone interview Monday. "Many of them are located far from areas where there are jobs, and far from areas where it would be efficient to provide public transit. We'd like to see them focus on a more limited number of areas."

Goldberg also said the attorney general would like to see the money go to development along commuter-train or fast-bus lines.

In North County, smart growth zones are predominantly in downtowns and along the Sprinter light rail line to debut soon between Oceanside and Escondido. There also are zones in Ramona, Fallbrook and Valley Center, where there aren't passenger trains and fast-bus service.

"I found the attorney general's comments to be on point in many ways," said Lesa Heebner, Solana Beach mayor and association board member, who served on the regional planning committee that developed the smart growth strategy. "This warrants another look and a review of the whole thing."

Heebner said she agrees the number of smart growth areas should be scaled back and the money should be concentrated in urban areas served by public transportation.

La Mesa Mayor Art Madrid, an association board member who has long complained transportation dollars are spread too widely in a "peanut butter" approach that dilutes the benefit of projects, added that regional leaders should pay attention when the attorney general speaks.

"They've given us a heads up," Madrid said. "Let's check it out before they take us to court."

He alluded to the lawsuit the attorney general filed against San Bernardino County in April, challenging that fast-growing inland county's general plan, or blueprint for new growth. Later in the summer, the parties settled the suit. But not before Brown exacted a promise from San Bernardino County to devise a strategy for curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

The attorney general has yet to sue a California region over a regional transportation plan, Goldberg said. And she said her office was only making comments about San Diego's plan, as it did for transportation plans in Sacramento and Fresno earlier. However, she did not rule out a suit.

Association spokeswoman Colleen Windsor said Monday the board will invite Brown to its annual January retreat in Borrego Springs to discuss the connection between global warming and transportation planning.

Goldberg said her office had not received the invitation. But, she said, "We would be happy to have a dialogue with SANDAG about these issues."

According to San Diego County's new regional transportation plan, local greenhouse gas emissions will increase by one-third between now and 2030, to about 23 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The plan says the combination of highway improvements and new bus lines would result in less carbon dioxide being spewed into the atmosphere than with a transit-dominated strategy, a conclusion the attorney general takes issue with.

"It seems counter-intuitive," said Rob Rundle, an association planner. "But the fact is that three-quarters of our land-use pattern and population is already here, from what our projections show. So, if you cut back significantly from the (road) improvements that we are planning and put it all into transit, you'll still be serving the same population base and the same land-use pattern. You can't provide transit to a lot of these areas; it's just not cost-effective."

Rundle said the attorney general appears to misunderstand, in part, the intent of the smart growth program. He said the 193 sites are candidates eligible for funding. He said the intent is not to fund projects at all locations but to award money selectively on a competitive basis.

Rundle said the first award is anticipated in early 2009, following a summer 2008 decision on the criteria projects will have to meet. About $7 million will be made available during that first round, he said.

A total of $280 million will be distributed over the 40-year life of TransNet, or 2 percent of the $14 billion the half-cent sales tax is expected to generate. The renewal measure will begin collecting revenue next April.

Escondido Mayor Lori Pfeiler, who serves on the regional planning committee, said, "The bottom line is, the money is not going to be evenly spread. Your significant investment is going to be on the Sprinter line, the Coaster line and the bus rapid transit line."

However, Pfeiler said the money was intended not only to promote compact development in urban cores, but also to encourage efficient projects in outlying areas that conserve scare resources.

"There also is a reality that says there are communities like Ramona and Spring Valley that have significant populations," she said. "You can't just write off those areas. And you can get them to grow smarter."

Information on the smart growth program is available at: www.sandag.org under "land use and regional growth."

-- Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 745-6611, Ext. 2623, or ddowney@nctimes.com.