On Common Ground: Summer 2004

he type of planning and community development

T described by the term Smart Growth continues to evolve.
When the term was first introduced in the mid-1990s,
Smart Growth’s focus was on reducing or mitigating the envi-
ronmental degradation brought by development—consumption
of land and the accompanying negative effects of degraded
water and air quality and loss of natural lands, wildlife, and
farmland. The term’s early use also encompassed the need to
provide adequate infrastructure to handle growth’s demands
and address concerns such as traffic congestion.
Subsequently, Smart Growth’s vision has expanded to con-
sider new models of how to rebuild (or build) communities to
be better places. This refined vision now includes alternative
transportation options (including transit and walking), the cre-
ation of “walkable,” mixed-use communities, and the revital-
ization of older neighborhoods and cities. From the beginning,
the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ definition of
Smart Growth included the provision of a wide range of hous-
ing options and prices, and this element has been embraced by
Smart Growth advocates.

MEASURING
Today’s Smart Growth

2
SUCCESS
ON COMMON GROUND SUMMER 2004

Now there is an increasing recognition that Smart
Growth must address the need for social equity in our
communities. This means creating safer, healthier,
more livable communities for all members of our com-
munities, and embracing the full range of our diverse
population in the benefits of Smart Growth, including
homeownership.
Are these expanding goals for Smart Growth being
achieved? The scorecard is mixed. There has been
significant achievement since the late 1990s in the
preservation of natural lands and agricultural lands
through a variety of mechanisms, including public
purchase, land trust stewardship, and the use of pur-
chase or transfer of development rights. Transit rider- Mithun Design
ship is increasing, and many communities are invest- photo: Michael Seidl
ing in new transit systems. The downtowns of many
major cities have been revived, and growth in these
cities has included significant residential develop- For more information on NAR and Smart Growth,
ment. Some jurisdictions are rewriting their zoning go to www.realtor.org/smartgrowth.
codes to permit and encourage more compact, mixed-
use development, and these projects are doing very On Common Ground is published twice a year by
well in the marketplace. the Government Affairs office of the
But in most places, zoning still makes Smart NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, and
Growth development illegal, and the amount of is distributed free of charge. The publication pres-
development that could be called Smart Growth is a ents a wide range of views on Smart Growth
small portion of what is being built. Low-density sub- issues, with the goal of encouraging a dialogue
urbs that require the use of a car to go everywhere are among REALTORS®, elected officials, and other
still the norm (and still required by most zoning interested citizens. The opinions expressed in On
codes), and attempts to integrate different housing
Common Ground are those of the authors and do
types and prices are usually opposed. While home-
not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of the
ownership rates are at an all-time high, housing
opportunities for low-income households are dwin- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, its
dling, especially in revitalized high-cost cities. And members, or affiliate organizations.
while some older cities flourish, others—especially
those whose economies were based on manufactur- Editor
ing—are stagnating or declining. Joseph R. Molinaro
In this issue of On Common Ground, we take a Manager, Smart Growth Programs
wide-view scan of the State of Smart Growth—what’s NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
working and what challenges remain. We report on 700 Eleventh Street, NW
efforts to measure and promote Smart Growth, zoning Washington, DC 20001
codes that encourage Smart Growth, and some of the jmolinaro@realtors.org
REALTORS® who have embraced Smart Growth in
their business plans and in their associations’ public Distribution
policy efforts. For more copies of this issue or to be placed on our
mailing list for future issues of
On Common Ground, please contact
Ted Wright, NAR Government Affairs, at
(202) 383-1206 or twright@realtors.org.

SUMMER 2004 ON COMMON GROUND 3

Communities are learning
to build compactly by mixing
housing, stores, and offices …
but outmoded zoning and other
obstacles must be overcome.

The LongRoad to

4 ON COMMON GROUND SUMMER 2004

n the Internet, the

O Census Bureau operates
a “population clock” that
gives an up-to-the-minute esti-
mate of how people are living in
the United States (www.census.
gov/cgi-bin/popclock). On April
15, the clock counted 293,026,388
people on U.S. soil—140 million
more than in 1950. Every 13 sec-
onds another person is added.
This near-doubling of the
nation’s population in a little
more than half a century—
compounded by the tendency of
Americans to demand more liv-
ing space per person, drive more
miles per person, and consume
more goods per person than they
did in 1950—is forcing policy
makers to face an important
question: How should our com-
munities grow?

Smart Growth By Philip Langdon
In the 1,000-square-mile Highlands region that stretches from eastern
Pennsylvania across northern New Jersey to New York’s lower Hudson Valley and
northwestern Connecticut, nearly 100 square miles have undergone development
during the past two decades. The spread of houses, roads, offices, and shopping
centers has exerted a mostly harmful impact on agriculture, wildlife, and sources
of fresh drinking water. Meanwhile, in the Rocky Mountains and the Far West,
development is penetrating areas that used to be far off the beaten path. In much
of the United States, countryside is giving way to “rural sprawl.”
What’s the answer? Part of it can be summed up in two words: Smart Growth.
“Smart Growth first and foremost is plain old good planning,” says Don Chen,
executive director of the national advocacy group Smart Growth America. “It
means improving on what we’ve already built, rather than throwing away old
neighborhoods and leaving scars in the landscape so that we go chew up the next
field or forest.”


The goal of Smart Growth proponents is to steer walking distance of gathering places such as
development to the most suitable places and parks and cafes and to have sociable streets and
organize it into better-connected, more compact sidewalks, “is growing as never before,” says
forms. If that can be done, people can live well on Robert Steuteville, editor of the national
less land. In fact, they can live better—because newsletter New Urban News. A survey complet-
their communities will be more walkable and gen- ed in December 2003 by the Ithaca, New
erally more convenient. The environment will be York–based newsletter identified 648 neighbor-
less degraded by miles of strip commercial build- hood-scale New Urbanist communities that are
ings and parking lots. being developed or are in phases leading up to
Here’s a quick rundown on what’s happened development. That’s a 37 percent increase over
so far: the year before. “For the last seven years, the
average increase has been 28 percent per year,”
• Smart Growth has captured public attention. Steuteville points out. New Urban News defines
David Goldberg at Smart Growth America says “neighborhood-scale communities” as those
that 23 governors talked about Smart Growth in covering at least 15 acres, featuring an intercon-
their 2003 State of the State addresses, or made nected network of streets and a mixture of hous-
comments or initiated policies that apply smart ing types, and at least one central gathering
growth principles. Those governors include place. “The placement of parking and buildings
Democrats Phil Bredesen in Tennessee and and the design of streets must create a pedestri-
Jennifer Granholm in Michigan, and an-friendly character,” Steuteville emphasizes.
Republicans Mitt Romney in Massachusetts and
• Economic benefits have been substantial. A
Mark Sanford in South Carolina. The appeal of
March 2004 study by Mark Muro and Robert
Smart Growth cuts across party lines.
Puentes for the Center on Urban and
• New Urbanism has gained momentum. This Metropolitan Policy at the Brookings Institution
movement, which calls for homes to be within determined that compact development patterns

In much of the United States, countryside
is giving way to “ rural sprawl.”


The goal of Smart Growth proponents is to
steer development to the most suitable
places and organize it into better-connected,
more compact forms.
can cut road-building costs nationally by $110 • Smart growth ideas have been incorporated
billion, or nearly 12 percent, over 25 years. They into laws and government policies. Nineteen
can reduce water and sewer costs over the same states have growth management laws and 10
period by $12.6 billion, or nearly 7 percent. They have smart growth laws, according to Smart
can shave $4.2 billion, or nearly 4 percent, from Growth America. In addition, regions such as
the annual costs of operations and services metropolitan Portland, Oregon and municipali-
delivery. ties such as Fort Collins, Colorado have adopted
smart growth principles.
• The building and development industry is
growing more receptive. Harry H. Frampton, “While in some areas Smart Growth initially
chairman of the Urban Land Institute, which was motivated by worries over the destruction of
serves developers, said his organization has farms and natural areas, it has gone far beyond
“helped Smart Growth gain enough traction to that now,” says Chen of Smart Growth America.
move into the mainstream.” “People are making the connection between


spread-out, disconnected development and the minimum density of 3.5 dwelling units per acre in
need to spend so much of our lives in traffic. One- new residential projects. If a county designated a
size-fits-all subdivisions just aren’t working for a Priority Funding Area, it also had to be consistent
population that is aging, deferring children and with the county’s 20-year growth projections.
having fewer of them, and forming single-person Since construction of schools in outlying areas
households faster than any other type.” often entices families to move to the suburban
fringe, Glendening increased state school spend-
How communities respond ing and focused more of its construction and ren-
A number of governments have decided to chan- ovation budget on older, more built-up communi-
nel development into existing towns and cities and ties. In 1996–97, 43 percent of Maryland’s school
other areas where new construction makes the construction and renovation funds went to older
most sense from a regional perspective. Under communities. When Glendening left office in
Democratic Governor Parris Glendening, January 2003, schools in older communities
Maryland established “Priority Funding Areas”— received 80 percent of those funds.
areas designated for growth. Land outside those Glendening’s Republican successor, Robert L.
areas is ineligible for state financial support, Ehrlich Jr., has since backed off on some elements
including road-building and other projects intend- of Smart Growth, such as using state funds to
ed to accommodate growth. (One exception is acquire open space, but he too is focusing on bol-
schools. To forestall opposition from rural legisla- stering older communities. “The idea is to spend
tors, schools were omitted from the Smart Growth money renovating and fixing up these existing
law, but Glendening took other actions to concen- town centers and historic Main Streets,” says
trate school construction dollars in built-up areas.) Chuck Gates, spokesperson for the Maryland
Maryland’s program designated the state’s 157 Department of Planning.
municipalities and all the communities inside the “It has made a significant difference,” Gates
Washington and Baltimore beltways as Priority says of Maryland’s effort over the past eight years.
Funding Areas. Many counties are beyond the On Baltimore’s west side, large condominium tow-
beltways and have no municipalities. Every coun- ers have been springing up. “Throughout older
ty was allowed to designate additional Priority parts of our communities, we see new life and
Funding Areas, but those areas were required to increasing property values,” says Dru Schmidt-
have water and sewer lines, and had to achieve a Perkins, executive director of 1000 Friends of

Smart Growth
seems to work
best when it
encompasses an
entire metropolitan
area.


Maryland. On the other hand, Gates notes that if
homebuyers want to live in more remote areas and
are willing to pay a premium for that privilege,
developers will heed the market and continue
building at the fringe. Smart Growth, as practiced
in Maryland and many other places, does not pre-
clude outward development; it does, however, across the Columbia River in Washington State is
eliminate many of what effectively were govern- exempt from Metro’s growth controls. Motivated
ment subsidies for sprawl. by the disappearance of prime farmland, Portland
Smart Growth seems to work best when it has been thinking regionally since the 1970s,
encompasses an entire metropolitan area. Before when Governor Tom McCall and the state legisla-
Maryland embarked on its smart growth efforts, ture took steps to control outward development.
some counties acted on their own, with mixed Oregon law requires Metro to keep a 20-year
results. Baltimore County, which surrounds supply of land available for development within
Baltimore City, restricted development in some the growth boundary. Since the late 1970s, the
rural areas, such as the horse country north of boundary has moved about three dozen times,
Baltimore, where the landed gentry live. That usually not far. The most recent expansion, in
inadvertently encouraged residential develop- December 2002, added a substantial territory—
ment to leapfrog to Harford County to the north- 18,638 acres, enough for 38,657 housing units and
east and Carroll County to the northwest. “Both thousands of jobs. Rather than expanding around
those counties have experienced enormous sprawl the fringe, Metro concentrated two thirds of the
problems,” says Gates. The lesson is that restric- growth in one area: Damascus/Boring. “The
tions in one area sometimes shift development intent,” says Metro principal planner Raymond
into more distant places. Valone, “is that it be all planned together as a com-
About as close as any urban area in the United plete community.”
States has come to a comprehensive approach is Portland-area housing prices have risen consid-
Portland, Oregon. Portland’s directly elected met- erably in the last decade. How much of the price
ropolitan government, known as Metro, oversees increase resulted from the growth boundary is an
expansion in a three-county area. Only the area open question. Some areas of the U.S. with no


ensure that housing of various kinds can be pro-
duced in a range of locations. “Any corner lot in a
If Smart Growth is to single-family residential zone in Portland is enti-
tled to be converted to a duplex,” notes Robert
achieve substantial Liberty, former executive director of 1000 Friends
of Oregon. “All local governments [in the region]
results, efforts must be must authorize accessory apartments.” While sub-
urbs in many sections of the United States have
made at both regional become less dense over the years, Portland’s sub-
and local levels. urbs have become denser.
The 2000 Census found that greater Portland,
unlike most American metropolitan areas, does
not concentrate poor families in the city. People
with modest incomes were able to disperse
throughout nearly all of the Portland suburbs
because every municipality and county is required
to zone for a sizable number of apartments. In
2000, for the first time, more poor people in the
three-county area lived in the suburbs than in
Portland itself, Betsy Hammond reported in The
Oregonian. The result, in the view of Bruce Katz,
director of the Brookings’ Center on Urban and
Metropolitan Policy, is that social problems are not
compounded by concentration. Nor are the central
city and the older suburbs emptying out, dragging
down the metro area.
The center, with its MAX light-rail line and a
new streetcar line, is thriving. The light-rail line
connects towns on the east side to those on the
west. Mixed-use development has clustered close
to MAX stops like Orenco Station—a popular cen-
ter where residents can walk from home to coffee
shops, restaurants, and commuter rail.
If Smart Growth is to achieve substantial
results, efforts must be made at both regional and
local levels. In metropolitan Washington, D.C., the
best development over the past 25 years owes its
growth boundaries have experienced sharply existence to the regional Metro rail system and to
escalating house prices. “In Portland, the housing local initiatives. A prime example is the profusion
supply is expanding in a fashion that corresponds of housing, offices, stores, restaurants, and ser-
very well with the population,” says Gerrit Knaap, vices within walking distance of five Metro sta-
executive director of the National Center for Smart tions in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor of Arlington
Growth Research and Education at the University County, Virginia. What had been an aging, low-
of Maryland. In part because of restrictions on density commercial road corridor in the 1960s has
outward expansion, plenty of private redevelop- become “the economic engine of Arlington
ment is occurring in the city. The population with- County,” according to James Snyder, supervisor of
in the city’s boundaries has grown to 539,000 from the county’s Planning Section. Since 1979, when
366,000 in 1980, partly through annexation but Metro opened its Orange Line in the corridor,
also through an embrace of apartments, town- 18,000 houses and apartments, 14 million square
houses, and other, denser forms of housing. feet of offices, and 21.5 million square feet of retail
Housing has been built on former parking lots, have appeared. “Things are compact and dense,”
above stores, even atop a public library. Haggard- Snyder says. The corridor, containing 7.6 percent
looking neighborhoods have improved. “There’s of the county’s land area, generates 33 percent of
no blight in Portland,” Knaap says. “That’s really its property tax revenue. It allows Arlington to set
stunning.” its property tax rate lower than other major juris-
As Smart Growth has become the norm, gov- dictions in northern Virginia.
ernments in the Portland area have taken steps to Greater Atlanta, the biggest metropolis in the


Southeast, is now trying to combine regional and ing; and developers tend to specialize in only one
local action, both of which are badly needed after or two kinds of projects. “Compared with the chal-
decades of uncontrolled sprawl made commuting lenge at hand—fundamentally transforming how
on the region’s clogged highways maddeningly our communities grow—the strides that have been
slow. In 1999, the 10-county Atlanta Regional made are quite modest,” says Smart Growth
Commission launched the Livable Centers America’s Don Chen.
Initiative, providing $5 million over five years for There is no doubt that compact, mixed-use
communities to devise ways to build mixed-use development with extensively interconnected
and residential construction with access to transit. streets, pedestrian convenience, and access to
The resulting community plans are eligible for a transit is increasing. The question is whether it
share of $350 million in transportation improve- will become widespread enough, fast enough. “In
ments. One such plan calls for turning Perimeter my perspective, the ‘smart growth movement’ has
Center—a suburban mall and office center with been most successful at sparking a national con-
three MARTA rail stations—into a transit village. versation about why places matter,” says John
Another calls for building mixed-income housing Shepard, a long-range planner with Larimer
on what had been parking, near an underused County (Fort Collins), Colorado. That’s an impor-
MARTA station in Decatur. In Midtown Atlanta tant beginning. But much more will have to be
near the Georgia Tech campus, extensive develop- done, as Hank Dittmar, president of the advocacy
ment integrating offices and housing is taking group Reconnecting America, acknowledges.
place. Dan Reuter, chief of the Commission’s Land “Our challenge,” Dittmar says, “is to scale up, and
Use Division, calls Midtown “a national success to take down the regulations, codes, standards,
story.” and habits that shackle the marketplace.”
In most of the United States, Smart Growth is
still the exception to the rule. Impediments are Philip Langdon is senior editor of New Urban News, a
many: zoning codes discourage mixed uses; finan- national newsletter on New Urbanism and community
design.
ciers resist integration of offices, retail, and hous-

B
ozeman, Montana, population 27,509, is one city that practices Smart Growth on a small
scale. “We’re encouraging residential infill, taking underutilized residential lots and
bumping up the density through accessory dwelling units,” says Jody Sanford, associate
planner. Often the new, small units are above garages along alleys. They’re especially popular
with students at Montana State University. “Most of the designs are quite nice,” Sanford says.

In older parts of the city, owners are allowed to
divide large lots in two to create additional hous-
ing. The more people who live in a neighborhood,
the better the nearby shops and eating places
fare. Along with residential additions to existing
neighborhoods, small-scale commercial infill
development is encouraged. A custom cabinet-
maker and a maker of custom bicycle frames
have built apartments above their shops. The
city’s policy of trying to improve and augment
what already exists is paying off in the attractive-
ness and vitality of the center. Says Sanford:
“Downtown has experienced quite a renaissance
in the past 10 years.”


48 Urban Villages

14
Smart Codes Smart Places

38 Light Rail

26
22
Smart Growth

Local Alliances


On Common Ground
summer 2004 2 Introduction

4 The Long Road to Smart Growth
Communities are learning to build compactly
by mixing housing, stores, and offices … but
outmoded zoning and other obstacles must
be overcome
By Philip Langdon

14 Smart Codes Smart Places By Jason Miller

22 Local Alliances Helping to Determine
Smart Growth Criteria
By John Van Gieson

26 How Do You Know If It’s Smart Growth?
By David Goldberg

32 Coast to Coast
REALTORS® take an active role in shaping
sustainable, Smart Growth communities
By Steve Wright and Heidi Johnson-Wright

38 Light Rail
A solid option in the transportation debate
By Chris Swope

44 Housing versus Transportation
Two sides of the affordability coin
By Joanne M. Haas

48 Smart Growth Fuels Vibrant Urban Villages
By Brad Broberg

54
54 And the Winner Is …
EPA’s 2003 National Awards for Smart Growth
Achievement

EPA Awards 60 Smart Growth in the States

On Common Ground thanks the following contribu-
tors and organizations for photographs, illustrations,
and artist renderings reproduced in this issue: Haley
Fleming of Atlanta Regional Commission; David
Goldstein of Natural Resources Defense Council;
Jody Sanford of the City of Bozeman; Christine
Shenot of the Maryland Department of Planning;
Howard Katz, Director of Strategic Planning,
Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s Office; Tom Myer of
Condo 1; Rob Steuteville of New Urban News; Janet
Stone of Greenbelt Alliance; Urban Advantage;
Emmaus Main Street Program; Craig Lewis, The
Lawrence Group; Fisher & Hall Urban Design; Peter
J. Musty, Charette Center.


What do you do when your
development codes won’t let
you build or maintain the kind
of town you want?

You make new rules.

Smart Codes
Places
By Jason Miller


ention zoning codes to the average person and the reaction is pre-

M dictable: a stone-faced stare, glazed eyes, a yawn. But communi-
ties across the United States are discovering that the very fabric of
their neighborhoods and towns is built on those codes—or, more accurately,
because of them. And communities are doing something about these codes.
Conventional zoning codes are fundamentally flawed, says Geoffrey
Ferrell, a principal with Geoffrey Ferrell Associates in Washington, D.C.
“Ever since the industrial years, the conventional separation-of-uses
approach has been the wrong approach to control”—to keeping unpleasant
uses away from the residential areas. “It has devolved to micromanagement
of use and density. The [built environment] that has resulted is very, very
poor about 99 percent of the time. No one’s happy with what they’ve been
given.”
Ferrell’s co-principal, Mary Madden, agrees. “That micromanagement of
uses has resulted in a huge number of unintended consequences, namely,
suburban sprawl. Everybody hates sprawl, but the builders aren’t violating
rules; they’re building exactly what the codes call for. Those codes are a
blueprint for sprawl. Under the existing conventional codes, you can’t help
but build it.”
Community frustration with conventional codes and the type of develop-
ment they spawn has driven new urbanist- and smart growth–minded plan-
ners to create new zoning codes. While these new codes go by many
names—form-based codes, new urbanist codes, TND (traditional neighbor-
hood development) ordinances, smart zoning, the SmartCode© from Miami-
based town planners Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company—they are all
designed to create places that emulate the urbanism of older, well-loved
places, while preserving rural areas and historic sites threatened by conven-
tional development.
Communities that have replaced their conventional codes with new ordi-
nances have generally reported success in the process leading up to the new
codes’ implementation, as well as favorable upturns in their real estate mar-
kets. Here are a few of the notable success stories.
nIn the 1960s, Columbia Pike was considered Arlington, Virginia’s main
street. A 3.5-mile stretch of road that runs from the Pentagon to the Arlington
County/Fairfax County border, Columbia Pike was intended to be a Metro
rail corridor. When this didn’t happen, development along the Pike stagnat-
ed and the corridor languished for 40 years. Growth occurred along the Pike,
but it was of a singular variety, says Timothy Lynch, executive director of the


Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, whose enhance the richness of their community, while
office is located on the Pike. “We saw bank ensuring none of the long-time local businesses
branches with drive-through lanes, fast food fran- would be replaced.
chises with drive-through lanes—and that’s been To tap the potential of this diamond in the
about it. We also saw long-time businesses either rough, the Columbia Pike community developed a
close or move to other parts of the county. There comprehensive Columbia Pike Revitalization
are pizza stores, check-cashing stores, laundro- Plan, which included adoption of a form-based (as
mats, dry cleaners, dollar stores—these are all opposed to a conventional use-based) zoning
services people use, but you can’t buy a men’s code. The code is a legal document that regulates
suit, women’s clothing, a pair of shoes, or even a land development by setting careful and clear con-
book on Columbia Pike.” trols on building form to create good streets,
In January 1998, Arlington County Board chair neighborhoods, and parks, with a healthy mix of
Chris Zimmerman recognized the Pike’s need for uses. Components of the code include clear defini-
revitalization. A challenge came from the long- tions of terms, a regulating plan, building enve-
time property owners on Columbia Pike, however. lope standards to determine each building’s form,
Many of the existing buildings were owned out- standards for siting and streetscapes and for archi-
right by second- and third-generation owners who tecture, and administrative guidelines for expedit-
were making money and weren’t interested in ing the approvals process.
inviting hard-hitting capital gains taxes if they By most accounts, the Columbia Pike venture is
sold their buildings. Others, anticipating a boom an ongoing success. Since implementation of the
from the arrival of the Metro line, had developed form-based codes in 2002, more than $30 million
buildings that ended up being “ white elephants” in development has been approved along the cor-
after Metro declined to advance along the ridor. Within the corridor itself, more than
Columbia Pike corridor. $300 million in development projects are in vari-
Columbia Pike citizens wanted to preserve and ous stages of negotiation and planning.

Everybody hates sprawl, but the builders
aren’t violating rules; they’re building
exactly what the codes call for.

The present Safeway grocery store in the A computer-generated model of Columbia
Columbia Pike corridor, Arlington, Virginia. Pike’s Safeway grocery store could be
redeveloped under the new
form-based codes.


BEFORE CODES AFTER

The Emmaus Farmers Market before the city implemented
codes that focused on preserving and creating a small town
American charm.

Lynch sees good things ahead for Columbia
Pike. “The first development—a $90 million proj-
ect—broke ground this past March. We’re already
seeing tremendous community benefits. The
developers have started to create the street walls
that will define the space, and they ’re doing it
through the form-based code.”
As for how much the form-based codes have
affected the property values on Columbia Pike, it’s
still a bit early to tell, says Dan Lockard, a REAL- buildings. Since the zoning codes in place permitted
TOR® with Fraser Forbes Company in McLean, infill development of a conventional suburban
Virginia. “I think it’s going to have a positive nature, the Emmaus Borough Council appointed
impact on the county, however. The first property Marin to chair a newly created entity, the
is just entering the development process now. Community Relations Planning and Development
Everyone is watching closely to see what happens. Committee, and the first order of business was to
“The form-based code takes a lot of the guess- examine a sample zoning ordinance intended to pro-
work out of what you’re doing,” he adds. “The reg- tect the main street.
ulations lay everything out for you. It makes your After 18 months of discussion and analysis, the
job easy.” committee decided to amend portions of the zon-
ing code for the central business district, rather
Emmaus, Pennsylvania than create an “overlay” of traditional codes that
Faced with encroaching conventional suburban would be no stronger or weaker than the existing
development at either end of their seven-block conventional codes. Emmaus attorney Craig
downtown main street, the citizens of Emmaus, Neely, now the Emmaus Borough Council presi-
Pennsylvania, wanted a solution that would pre- dent, insisted on this approach, stating it would
serve the pedestrian-friendly layout of the down- make the code changes defensible. With the
town and retain the identity of the 250-year-old exception of one court battle, Neely’s position has
community. proven correct.
The borough (population 12,000) had revised The code changes followed a practical logic
its comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance in rather than an aesthetic one. Every amendment
1992, but at that time there was no TND ordinance was made for practical reasons—usually to protect
conceived of, let alone implemented. “We knew the pedestrians’ safety and enhance their experi-
the character we wanted, but we didn’t know how ence. Drive-throughs were prohibited. Minimum
to get there,” says Joyce Marin, a resident, council setback distances were changed to “build-to”
member, and one of 150 business owners in the lines, which meant that new buildings needed to
downtown district. align with existing buildings along the sidewalks,
In 2000 came the scare that became the catalyst creating a street wall. Fencing requirements were
for change. A downtown landowner planned to build added. New construction had to be at least two
a conventional strip mall in the midst of Emmaus’ stories, and parking had to be behind the build-
traditional collection of mixed-use, mostly two-story ings. Vehicular entrances to properties may only


be that—entrances; the exits have to be behind tle place on earth,” says Marin. “We are becoming.”
the properties.
Interestingly, even though the codes don’t man- Petaluma, California
date aesthetics, that’s exactly what the citizens are A 24-member citizens advisory committee spent
getting more of, says Marin. “Emmaus is a much an amazing seven years coming up with a vision
more desirable place to live today than it was even for a 400-acre piece of land adjacent to the old
three years ago.” downtown of Petaluma (the first town in America
Neely agrees. “Once spring arrives and the to adopt a limited-growth plan, in 1972).
flowers start blooming, and the trees leaf out, I get Passionate about the property, the citizens knew
comments from visitors—they think they’re com- they had a jewel of an opportunity, and they want-
ing into Mayberry.” ed to make the most of it. They wanted the
Emmaus’ ordinances ensure that future devel- Petaluma River—which runs through the city—to
opment will conform to the existing pattern, says become the centerpiece. They wanted the new
Neely. “The provisions are designed to preserve development to blend and connect with the his-
what’s already here, since 85 percent of what’s toric downtown, but with an edgier look.
here conforms to the ordinance already. The ordi- After several fits and starts, an aggressive City
nance has never really become an issue for peo- Council pushed the committee to act, and invited
ple. … You don’t hear about it because it’s doing Fisher & Hall Urban Design of Santa Rosa,
its job, quietly.” California, to assist the committee in its decision
David Fretz knows what a good job it’s doing. making. When principals Lois Fisher and Laura
The Emmaus-based REALTOR® with Prudential Hall assembled a team, presented the
Fretz Realty sees the results every day. “The SmartCode© option, and framed the discussion as
Emmaus real estate market is very strong because an effort to create “smart zoning,” the committee
of low interest rates, but people also love Emmaus decided to move ahead with the new approach.
because they are tired of the fast-food, strip-mall Nine months later, the Petaluma SmartCode was
look in every American town. When towns pre- adopted to a standing ovation from political adver-
serve a traditional look through traditional codes, saries and citizens, alike.
when they restore themselves and their character, The Petaluma SmartCode differed from its pre-
that creates value. Not every community is sensi- ceding conventional code in its simplicity. The
tive to that, but Emmaus is one that is.” “hybrid” SmartCode used ordinary language and
“We’re on the cusp of being the hottest, hippest lit- simple graphics, coding precisely the aspects of

The North River area of the Petaluma River before its potential development under the SmartCode.


The [Emmaus] code changes followed a
practical logic rather than an aesthetic one …
usually to protect the pedestrians’ safety
and enhance their experience.
the built environment that the community cared only the design review step to take if the develop-
about most: the building heights, the building er follows the SmartCode.
fronts, and the civic spaces. The code showed new “The SmartCode also eliminated mandatory
streets, new green spaces, roads, and buildings on-site parking. From a real estate perspective, a
facing the river. Different areas were coded for dif- building can now move from use to use more
ferent densities, minimum and maximum building quickly, and can change hands more quickly
heights, finished heights, parking areas, and per- because there isn’t the constraint of how much park-
centages of frontage types. ing must be included with each use.”
After the codes went into effect in June 2003, “it Mike Moore, community development director
was like a dam breaking,” says Hall. “A four- for the City of Petaluma, admits it’s a little early to
square-block theater district has been approved. A determine exactly how SmartCode is faring, but
10-acre condo project has been approved. In the likes what he sees thus far. “We had a large project
pipeline is another 10 acres of mixed-use build- in the initial stages, and in terms of the
ings: shops or workplaces on the main floor, con- SmartCode’s application, I think it has worked for
dos on top. Six downtown blocks of redevelop- that project, which is several blocks in the down-
ment are scheduled—in an area that had had very town area and includes the renovation of an exist-
little development in the last 20 years!” ing historic building and the construction of a
Fisher points to the roadblocks the Petaluma movie theater, a parking garage, some apartment
SmartCode has removed. “Two-thirds of the buildings, a mixed-use building, and a small office
approval process is gone, now,” she says. With the building.”
SmartCode—which has been approved by the Skip Sommer, a commercial REALTOR® with
Planning Commission and City Council—there’s Petaluma-based Creative Property Services/

An artist’s rendering of the North River area of the Petaluma River after potential development under the Petaluma SmartCode.


Golden Land Realty, represents some of the devel- Hammond and the town’s officials gathered
opers who are transforming downtown Petaluma community representatives and began the vision-
under the new SmartCode. “My clientele loves the ing process with comparative surveys of different
new code because it minimizes the planning neighborhood images. “Virtually 99.8 percent of
process,” he says. “And the city loves it because it the people said they preferred the traditional
streamlines their ability to respond to developers.” development form,” says Hammond.
On the strength of that visioning process,
Huntersville, North Carolina Hammond and her team developed a strategic
A bedroom community, Huntersville lies immedi- plan with input from a Citizens Advisory
ately north of Charlotte, North Carolina. In the Committee and the Huntersville Public Works
’80s and early ’90s, Huntersville and the neighbor- Department. With help from consultants from the
ing towns of Cornelius and Davidson began to College of Architecture at the University of North
grow—fast. The rate of change Huntersville experi- Carolina Charlotte and input from the Real Estate
enced was disconcerting for residents who had lived Building Industry Coalition, they totally rewrote
there for some time. Even newcomers were uncom- the zoning ordinance, and made significant
fortable with the unchecked growth, since they had changes to the subdivision ordinance.
wanted the small-town quality of life and character. The result? A draft ordinance that mandated
Waves of suburbanization were moving out from traditional development form in terms of building
Charlotte, threatening to diminish the town’s char- placement. Build-to lines replaced minimum set-
acter in such a way that it would not be recognizable back requirements. Frontage requirements were
as the place that people had chosen or had grown included, as well as parking requirements. Front
accustomed to over the years. doors had to be on the side of the building fronting
The movement to look at change in the regula- the street. These and other changes encouraged a
tions was spurred by a typical urge to maintain the pedestrian-friendly orientation of all buildings to
community’s identity and not be “absorbed” into the street.
Charlotte. Ann Hammond, then the planning With the help (“and open-mindedness,” says
director for the Town of Huntersville, began to Hammond) of the Mecklenberg County
expose the town’s officials to the new urbanist Engineering Department, they added a section on
principles that were showing up in the planning narrower, more pedestrian-oriented streets. The
and popular press. “They reacted as I had,” she code required connectivity, narrow lots with alley
says. “They said, ‘This makes sense, and it makes access, and some vertical mixing of uses based on
sense for us.’” locational standards—meaning that some mixed-

The Basin Street Landing in Petaluma before adoption of the SmartCode, but The Basin Street Landing in Petaluma presently under construction due to
within the SmartCode’s area of implementation. the adoption of the SmartCode process.


“The code requires
more traditional forms
of town and city
development. It does
not require TNDs; it
permits TNDs.”
Ann Hammond, former planning
director, Town of Huntersville

use buildings were allowed closer in to town and in creating better places within Huntersville, says
at certain key intersections. Craig Lewis, managing principal and director of
The planners’ goals were simple: town planning with The Lawrence Group in neigh-
• Allow neighborhoods in the more urban sec- boring Davidson, North Carolina. As a consultant for
tions of town to fill out properly over time. Huntersville, Lewis has seen the outcomes of the
• Allow for more TND greenfield developments. ordinances—both good and not so good.
Hammond never misses the chance to correct a Political maneuverings blunted the edge of
misperception of the Huntersville code: “The code some of the ordinance’s requirements, says Lewis.
requires more traditional forms of town and city “The result was a proliferation of hybrid tradition-
development. It does not require TNDs; it permits al neighborhoods. There were a lot of small lots in
TNDs.” seemingly discontinuous areas over a 50-square-
The ordinance continues to allow single-family, mile area within the Huntersville, Cornelius, and
single-use subdivisions, but they must adhere to Davidson municipalities. Spots of sprawl were all
the new code: over the place. The production builders are all
• Narrow lots must have alley access. there, all building semblances of traditional
• Homes on wider lots may include a front- neighborhoods, but many are hybrids.”
loaded garage, but the garage must be Fortunately, the Huntersville success stories
recessed from the front plane of the house. outnumber the hybrids. “Vermillion is a pure tra-
• Every building must be on a public street. ditional neighborhood that’s doing it right,” says
The public street stipulation proved to be an Lewis, “and they still have another 200 to 300
interesting aspect, because conventional subur- acres that they can develop.”
ban shopping centers were effectively outlawed by
this point; they needed to be configured as pedes- Jason Miller is a freelance writer, editor, photographer,
trian-oriented shopping streets. and publishing consultant based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
But these and other constraints proved successful


amien Place, a proposed mixed- port developments endorsed by the rep-

T use development in San Jose,
California, was opposed by near-
by residents who felt that constructing
resentatives of groups with divergent
views on growth.
The Santa Clara HAC includes mem-
twin 11-story condominiums on the site bers of the Home Builder’s Association,
of an old bowling alley would destroy Sierra Club, Building and Construction
their neighborhoods. Most of the oppo- Trades Council, Silicon Valley
nents lived in one- or two-story homes. Manufacturing Group, and the Santa
But the project was compact, was Clara County Association of REAL-
applauded by some advocates for its TORS®, among others.
density, included affordable housing In the case of Tamien Place, Shiloh
units, and was located near a freeway Ballard, who supervises the HAC as
and a CalTrain commuter rail station. It director of housing and community
seemed, in other words, to embody development for the Silicon Valley
Smart Growth criteria. Manufacturing Group, put out the call
Because of the controversy, approval for volunteers to talk the project through
of the project by the San Jose City the political process. Local REALTORS®
Council was far from certain. The coun- played a key role on the team that per-
cil member from the district where the suaded local officials to approve Tamien
project was to be built supported it, but Place, she said.
the member from the adjacent district, ”They always send a representative
where many of the opponents lived, to all of our meetings and have been
opposed it. incredibly active in helping to support
That’s where the local Housing our activities,” Ballard said.
Action Coalition (HAC) came in. Stewart works closely with Ballard to
Composed of diverse groups with an ensure that local REALTORS® are
interest in supporting Smart Growth, the actively involved in supporting projects
HAC, based in San Jose and covering all that passed muster with the HAC’s
of Santa Clara County, urged local offi- review committee.
cials to support the Tamien Place project. “Some time ago we, along with other
“We all got together, spoke to various groups in the county—including some
members of the City Council and wrote groups that were never able to talk to
letters, and the project got approved,” each other, I might add—realized that
said Paul Stewart, executive director of we needed to advocate for housing pro-
the Santa Clara County Association of duction, especially affordable housing,”
REALTORS®. Stewart said.
The Santa Clara HAC is one of a He said the process works because the
growing number of local and state participating groups have agreed to leave

“We don’t say ‘no’ to sprawl; we say ‘ yes‘
to good, compact, infill development.”
Janet Stone, Greenbelt Alliance
alliances that review proposed develop- their differences at the door when they get
ments, usually at the request of the together to advocate projects that are cer-
developers, to determine if they meet tified by the HAC review committee.
Smart Growth criteria. If so, the alliance The Santa Clara HAC is a member of
certifies or endorses the proposal and the San Francisco–based Greenbelt
urges local government authorities to Alliance, an extensive coalition of local
approve it. groups in nine Northern California
Particularly in California, where the counties with a population of more than
certification movement originated in the 7 million.
early 1990s, REALTORS® have become A pioneer in the certification move-
players in urging local officials to sup- ment, the Greenbelt Alliance has been


LOCAL
ALLIANCES
HELPING TO DETERMINE SMART GROWTH CRITERIA
By John Van Gieson


reviewing and certifying development TORS® is actively involved in the
projects since 1990, before the term Housing Action Coalition in the Alameda
Smart Growth gained the currency it has and Contra Costa counties’ suburbs east
Greenbelt Alliance today. In 14 years, the Alliance has put of Oakland. Nancy Rogers, public affairs
its stamp of approval on 105 proposed
Endorsements developments. (The Santa Clara HAC
director of the Bay East Association of
REALTORS®, said REALTORS®, envi-
Are Based On says projects it certified added more than ronmentalists, members of faith-based
33,000 housing units, nearly half of organizations, government officials,
Seven Criteria: which were affordable to low and moder- developers, business leaders, and others
ate income residents.) sit on the committees that review projects

1
Janet Stone, director of the Livable proposed for certification.
Is it located in an Communities Program at the Greenbelt
urban area within Alliance, said the review com-
a half-mile of mittees typically meet once a
mass transit? month to determine whether
projects submitted by develop-
ers meet the organization’s cri-

2
teria for certification.
The alliances that endorse
Will it reduce
developments generally have
dependency on
similar criteria, but there are
automobiles? regional differences based on
local concerns. In California,

3
which Stewart said contains 6
of the 10 highest-priced hous-
Does it have a ing markets in the country,
minimum density there is an emphasis on afford-
of 20 units per able housing. On the other
acre? hand, the Vermont Smart
Growth Collaborative’s crite-

4
ria emphasize preserving the Local REALTORS® played
quaint villages and that give
Does it have at the state its picture postcard a key role on the team that
least 20 units? charm.
Discouraging sprawl and persuaded local officials to
promoting infill development approve Tamien Place.

5
are common goals of the certi-
fication programs.
Is it based on “We don’t say ‘no’ to sprawl; we say “There are a lot of growing pains
good design ‘yes’ to good, compact, infill develop- going on right now, and you have REAL-
features? ment,” Stone said. TORS® involved with a lot of coalitions
She said developers in the San and being at the table with groups we

6
Francisco Bay area covet the endorse- normally wouldn’t be involved with,”
ment of the Greenbelt Alliance, which Rogers said. “We have to be more flexi-
Is it being provides letters of endorsement and ble.”
speakers to urge project approval at “It’s taken awhile for the developers to
developed with
Planning Commission and City Council catch on and come to us,” she said. “I
community input?
meetings. would say two to three years for the
“We’ve even had developers who were developers to begin to understand what

7
turned down come back and try to argue we’re doing and to use us.”
that actually their project does meet The certification movement has
Does it include Smart Growth criteria,” Stone said. spread east, but the high level of involve-
affordable “We’ve had lots of feedback from devel- ment by REALTORS® in California has
housing units? opers saying, ‘Your support made the dif- yet to materialize in other locations.
ference and pushed this project over the Leaders of Smart Growth alliances in the
line.’” states of Vermont and Pennsylvania and
The Bay East Association of REAL- the Washington, D.C. area say REAL-


TORS® are not actively involved in their efforts. her organization contained only four affordable
One of the most promising new certification single-family homes.
programs is the Washington Smart Growth Those homes were proposed, however, in the
Alliance based in Washington, D.C., which covers center of the Village of Hancock, population 382.
the city and its Virginia and Maryland suburbs. Hancock residents were fiercely insistent on pro-
Formed by the Urban Land Institute and four part- tecting their 216-year-old village, Humstone said,
ner organizations, the Washington program is a and it took a great deal of negotiating to reach
prototype for programs being considered by other agreement with them.
regional affiliates of the Urban Land Institute. Resistance by neighbors is a constant problem
The partners in the Smart Growth Alliance that must be overcome by Smart Growth develop-
(SGA) are the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, ers and their advocates in the certification move-
Greater Washington Board of Trade, Coalition for ment. Stewart said opponents of growth twist the
Smarter Growth, and the Metropolitan Wash- meaning of Smart Growth to use it as a no-growth
ington Builders’ Council. The review committees, club to beat up on projects they don’t like.
which meet quarterly, have endorsed 15 projects “Often the neighbors will call us up and say,
in the SGA’s three-year history. ‘Could you help me fight this project?’ when it is a
John Bailey, director of the Smart Growth Smart Growth project,” Humstone said. She said her
Alliance, said the organization believes in work- group’s endorsement may help to overcome opposi-
ing with developers to correct problems that may tion to Smart Growth projects, “but it’s too soon to
prevent them from being recognized for meeting say since it’s the Nimbys we’re dealing with.”
Smart Growth criteria. “We’re sort of like the Nimbys—short for Not in My Backyard—are a
teacher who says, ‘Hey, I don’t want to fail you. I potentially potent political force.
want to pass you,’” he said. “If you’re a city council member and you’re fac-
In Vermont, REALTORS® helped to develop the ing a crowd of 50 people who are opposing a vote
Smart Growth criteria used by the Vermont Smart you’re going to take, why would you vote that
Growth Collaborative, but they have not been way?” Ballard said. “You can’t go out on a limb.”
active in the review process. What the endorsements do is give local officials
Development in Vermont typically occurs on a cover in supporting controversial developments.
far smaller scale than condominium towers like And they’ve been known to strengthen a back-
Tamien Place in San Jose, or the massive mixed- bone or two.
use projects springing up in the Washington sub-
urbs. Beth Humstone, director of the Vermont col- John Van Gieson is a freelance writer based in
laborative, said one of the projects approved by Tallahassee, Florida. He owns and runs Van Gieson
Media Relations.

WASHINGTON SMART GROWTH ALLIANCE RECOGNITION PROGRAM CRITERIA
For a project proposal to be recognized, it must satisfy five criteria:

1. Location. The project must be located in an area designated and appropriate for growth or revitalization, most particular-
ly infill or sites adjacent to developed residential or commercial areas. It should take advantage of existing or short-term
planned public water and sewer service, and it should be accessible to public transportation.
2. Density, Design, and Diversity of Uses. The “three Ds” of smart growth development must be present, either within the
proposed project or within its vicinity. There should be sufficient density and scale to support a mix of uses, walkability, and
public transit. The project should be designed so that it is integrated effectively into the existing community fabric.
3. Transportation, Mobility, and Accessibility. The project should be designed, located, and programmed to offer alterna-
tives to single-occupancy vehicle trips, by enabling safe and effective pedestrian and bicycle access to multiple uses and
activities and/or by being accessible to public transportation.
4. Environment. The project should protect, conserve, and/or mitigate damage to open space, water and air quality, and
important ecosystem components.
5. Community Assets. The project should generate benefits for its surrounding area and/or the host community. These may
include positive economic impacts, affordable housing, support for the school system, historic preservation, public access
to parks or open spaces, support for local efforts to encourage alternative transportation, adaptive use of obsolete build-
ings, and other improvements to quality of life.


HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT’S
SMART GROWTH?

By David Goldberg


magine yourself in Pam Sessions’ shoes. You’re a

I profit-oriented developer with a social conscience.
Through market and demographic research,
you’ve detected an unmet demand in metro Atlanta for
well-designed, urban scale neighborhoods, with a mix
of housing types and prices, in a village-like setting.
You’ve absorbed the literature on green design and
Smart Growth. The principles make sense and you’re
determined to put them into practice. You’ve hired a
design firm credited with landmark projects from
Seaside, Florida to Maryland’s Kentlands. You’re con-
fident you’ve got a to-die-for winner, but when you
present it to the local government the reception is a
tad chilly—something akin to being doused with ice
water, then clonked on the head with the bucket.
“It’s always a challenge to do something new,”
Sessions says in her characteristically understated
manner. The truth is, almost every aspect of her
“smart,” “green” project was either illegal or otherwise
unacceptable at the time. Narrow, tree-lined, pedestri-
an-oriented streets? Sorry, code violation. Mix town-
homes, big and little houses and apartments at differ-
ent price points? It’s just not done.
Eventually, though, Sessions did get her Vickery
project approved—once the rental apartments were
jettisoned. The whole process might have been a bit
easier, she says, if there had been some respected third
party to evaluate her plans and certify them as “smart”
and “green,” or to tell her how to make them more so.
Such a certification also could have helped the local
community understand how certain changes to plans
might be counterproductive to goals such as reducing
traffic or water runoff or encouraging people to walk.
Sessions might be getting her wish. Concerns like hers, along with several
other considerations, are behind a growing effort to create tools, through
research and standard-setting, to help answer the question, “How do you know
if it’s Smart Growth?” The question applies not only to individual projects, but
also to the broader policies being put into place to preserve rural land, revital-
ize already-developed areas, and accommodate future growth in high-quality
urban settings. Over the next few pages we’ll take a look at three promising
efforts to measure Smart Growth in order to certify that it is, in fact, happening.
One is an expansion of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) certification for green buildings to neighborhood developments; anoth-
er is an effort in Atlanta to create a market-ready, branded certification of smart-
growth communities; and the third is an attempt to create a scorecard for
Maryland’s statewide Smart Growth program.

Taking the LEED in greening the neighborhood
Since its introduction a few years ago, the LEED rating system developed by the
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has gained wide acceptance as a way
both to teach best practices in resource-efficient building design, and to recog-
nize the builders and buildings that use them. Under LEED, projects can earn
Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum status by meeting rigorous criteria in sever-
al categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, indoor
environmental quality, materials and resources, and innovation in design.
Its shortcoming, according to some advocates of Smart Growth, is that it gives
too little weight to the building’s context. For example, a brand-new office build-


ing in a cornfield reachable only by car could rate there too much or too little low-income housing
higher for energy savings than a renovated in- nearby? What are local needs?—is likely to vary so
town building accessible by subway, foot, bike, widely that standard-setting could be very diffi-
and car. At the same time, acknowledges urban cult, Benfield said.
designer Doug Farr, the USGBC could criticize Another challenge will be to set clear standards
new urbanist and smart growth advocates for but avoid being overly rigid. “Whatever system we
neighborhood designs that fall short on minimiz- come up with will have to be flexible enough to
ing storm-water runoff, night-sky lighting, or the recognize regional variations,” Benfield said. “I
heat-island effect. personally think creativity is really important in
“We wanted to see if we could work together to the smart growth world. It’s an incredibly creative
come up with a rating system for green, smart- field, one in which new answers are being found
growth neighborhoods,” said Farr, a Chicago new almost on a daily basis. I think we need to encour-
urbanist and green architect responsible for sever- age that and whatever we do shouldn’t standard-
al LEED-rated buildings himself. Farr has been ize too much.”
representing the Congress for the New Urbanism
(CNU) in a three-way planning effort among Marketing Smart Growth in Metro Atlanta
CNU, the USGBC, and the Natural Resources As the LEED-ND panel begins to craft the new
Defense Council (NRDC), which has expertise in program, members will no doubt want to watch
both smart growth and environmental design. The developments in metro Atlanta where Sessions
collaboration has produced a 15-member panel of and three other developers are guinea pigs in a
experts that will establish rating criteria for what is LEED-like effort, with some twists. There, a col-
being called LEED-ND, for neighborhood devel- laboration between the Greater Atlanta Home
opment. Builders Association (HBA) and the Southface
“One reason to do this is to foster a positive side Energy Institute, a nonprofit
of environmentalism and reward good actors—
business people, architects, designers, REAL-
TORS® who are pursuing a path with good envi-
ronmental values,” said Kaid Benfield, NRDC’s
smart-growth guru and representative on LEED-
ND. Another is the hope that projects able to meet
the high standards will face less opposition
from neighborhood groups, or at a mini-
mum, prevent opponents from making false
claims of environmental harm. As it has
with individual buildings, a LEED standard
might also convince more developers to try
a greener approach. “Developers like pre-
dictability,” Farr said. “If you’re telling me
to do Smart Growth, give me a clear idea
what’s expected.”
Farr sees the ND designation as adding
at least two new rating categories: location
and linkage. “For location you would ask: Is
it leapfrog development or in a preferred
growth area? Is there a plan for transit or
other infrastructure? The other [linkage]
addresses neighborhood patterns—
pedestrian linkages, having something to
walk to.”
Less clear is how, or whether, to incorporate
social goals associated with Smart Growth, such
as the provision of affordable and mixed-income
housing. Those goals have an environmental com-
ponent, in that housing close to jobs and public
transportation can reduce the air and energy
impacts of long car commutes. But the context—Is


EarthCraft homes – Clark’s Grove, Georgia

In the last couple of years the
(EarthCraft House) concept has caught on,
with more than 1,000 eco-friendly houses
built or under construction.
devoted to energy efficiency, produced a LEED- said Jeff Rader, the home builders’ project leader.
like marketing brand for residential construction, “We see it as a product type that will be profitable.
dubbed EarthCraft House. In the last couple of Conservation subdivisions generate a lot-price
years the concept has caught on, with more than premium. We want to strengthen that value
1,000 eco-friendly houses built or under construc- enhancement by working on a whole range of
tion. More importantly, a growing number of green elements. We also believe they should be
developers, Sessions among them, have vowed to easier to permit since they do carry with them
build only EarthCraft Houses. public benefits if they are done in truly green
With the brand gaining cachet, Southface and way—reduced impact on the natural environment,
the HBA began working with the Urban Land reduced traffic and infrastructure demand.”
Institute and local planners and designers to cre- Initially the EarthCraft group planned a pro-
ate standards for an EarthCraft House gram like LEED, which awards ratings based on a
Community. While many of the goals are similar to numerical scoring system, but ultimately decided
LEED-ND, EarthCraft is taking a conscious con- that only a jury could achieve the necessary flexi-
sumer orientation that requires a somewhat differ- bility. “We found we couldn’t standardize it for all
ent approach to setting the standards. contexts,” Rader said. “In urban infill, for exam-
“There is a real market for green communities,” ple, you might not be able to score high on green


“Any effort to measure
Smart Growth should
somehow capture the
most important goal of
all, a population that is
living happily and has
hopes for an equally
bright future.”
Harriet Tregoning, former secretary for
Smart Growth, State of Maryland


coast to coast REALTORS Take an Active Role
®


to coast to co
in Shaping Sustainable, Smart Growth Communities
By Steve Wright & Heidi Johnson-Wright

hen Linda Goodwin-

W Nichols set up shop as
a REALTOR® in
Florida’s Osceola County three
decades ago, Smart Growth
wasn’t an issue.
In fact, growth of any kind
wasn’t an issue. Back then, the
quaint but sleepy Central
Florida county didn’t even have
50,000 residents. On a holiday
weekend, a population greater than
that visited nearby Disney World.
Today Goodwin-Nichols, who acts
as vice mayor of the fast-growing city of
Kissimmee, cannot think of fully serving a
client without keeping abreast of issues such as
higher density, smaller lots, better roads,
improved infrastructure, conserved land, and—
most important of all—school capacity.
“Trying to balance extreme growth while pro-
tecting private property rights has always been a
major challenge,” said Goodwin-Nichols, presi-
dent of Goodwin Realty & Associates. “Now it’s
extremely crucial that we, as REALTORS®, get
involved with planning organizations, the
Chamber of Commerce, the school board, and our
government to be proactive in looking at what our
community will look like in 20 years.”
Whether REALTORS® are trying to preserve rural char-
acter in the East, small town charm in the Midwest, affordable
housing in California, economic vitality in the Pacific Northwest, or
good public education in Florida, they are finding that Smart Growth
is key to the future.
Goodwin-Nichols lives in Osceola County, which has more than
tripled its population in less than two decades. She identified educa-
tional funding as the crucial issue in an area that is popular with
young and growing families.


“We’re building so fast that we’re adding near- The Ventura Coastal County Association has
ly a classroom’s worth of children per day,” she responded by joining a coalition called Housing
said. “But we’re one of the worst-funded school Opportunities Made Easier, or HOME. The
districts in the state. So we have to look at taxes, HOME coalition advocates for such things as
impact fees, and other ways of making sure our affordable housing and higher-density develop-
children get a good education.” ment in Ventura County, where voters have placed
Goodwin-Nichols said that, years ago, she growth restrictions on much of the county land.
could not have pictured herself becoming politi- Consequently, less land is available for develop-
cally active, but now she has served eight years on ment, so it must be used more wisely.
a city commission. In addition, three agents in her “We have to take a hard look at single family
medium-sized office serve on either a planning or housing. Is it a 6,000-square-foot lot with a picket
code enforcement board. fence or a 1,200-square-foot, third-story condo
The Osceola County Association of
REALTORS® has become so concerned about
development eating up land for parks, recreation,
and open space that it committed preliminary sup-
port to the idea of raising taxes to buy undevel-
oped land in the Central Florida county.
A group called Save Osceola has been working
to place a sales tax issue on the county ballot to
raise funds for buying undeveloped land and per-
manently setting it aside for parks, recreation, and
open space. Board members from the Osceola
REALTORS® association committed their support
for the effort. Save Osceola is a grassroots organi-
zation dedicated to land preservation and man-
agement for the purposes of water resources,
wildlife areas, and for nature-based recreational
opportunities.
However, the movement for a sales tax may be
on hold. A separate referendum for a sales tax that
would have helped pay for education in the coun-
ty failed at the ballot during the March 2004 pri-
mary. After seeing that voters would not support a
sales tax hike to pay for education, Save Osceola
hasn’t taken steps to raise funds to back an open
space ballot issue.
“If you as a REALTOR® are going to represent
your clients and customers, you need to know
what’s going on in your community,” Goodwin-
Nichols said. “If we as REALTORS® can’t get
involved in solving the problems in our communi-
The American dream
ties, then nobody can. We have the manpower to
make a huge influence in our community.”
has to be redefined as
In Ventura County, California, one of the most
expensive housing markets in the country, the
we go into the next
challenges are different. The lack of developable decade. Let’s see if we
land and affordable housing are what motivate
REALTORS® to get involved in Smart Growth can plan our cities so
matters.
“With a housing crisis in California, we need to we can walk to get a
retain rural land while supporting jobs and hous-
ing needs,” said Kay Wilson-Bolton, past president
quart of milk. It’s
of the Ventura County Coastal Association of
REALTORS® and broker/owner of Century 21
going to take awhile,
Buena Vista. but we can get there.


space, but very high on transportation access and Smart Growth under Glendening. “About 75 per-
walking destinations, etc.” A jury can also cent was within PFAs [Priority Funding Areas].
better evaluate the place-making details that will But that’s not to say that everything inside was
make plans worthy of brand distinction. Smart Growth. However, on average, development
To calibrate their standards, the initial jury will outside used 10 times more land.” And State fig-
evaluate four local projects that have been praised ures show that the rate of growth in miles-driven-
as smart growth developments and that incorpo- per-person each day is slowing, she said.
rate EarthCraft houses. One of those is Sessions’ While some evidence is visible in the form of
Vickery, a suburban greenfield project in proximi- revitalized town centers and renovated neighbor-
ty to already-developed areas; another is Clark’s hood schools—and it’s clear that the land con-
Grove, a new district in the exurban city of sumption rate is slowing compared with the trend
Covington. The third is Glenwood Park, a brown- of the 1990s—better measures of progress are
field redevelopment in Atlanta, and the fourth is needed, said Frece, who left his state government
Serenbe (see map on page 28), a new village with- job to become communications director for the
in a huge swath of undeveloped Fulton County National Center for Smart Growth Research and
that is being master-planned for sustainability by a Education at the University of Maryland. Through
collaborative of land owners. “We want to test our a grant from the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy,
program against those very high-performance the center is working with the Maryland
projects to make sure we don’t miss innovation, or Department of Planning to set and measure a
that we don’t have a flaw in methodology that number of critical benchmarks.
would prevent them from qualifying,” Rader said. While the scorecard is still being formulated,
“Toward the end of summer, after we’ve made the several measures have suggested themselves,
evaluations, we’ll open it up for business.” such as: open space preserved; trends in farm
acreage; pollution in Chesapeake Bay; transit rid-
Rating Maryland’s Smart Growth Program ership; rates of biking and walking; land zoned for
Programs such as LEED and EarthCraft should mixed use; and housing supply and affordability.
make it possible to evaluate individual projects for “Unfortunately, we’re limited by what is measura-
their contribution to a metro area’s long-term ble based on what statistics are kept,” Frece said.
quality of life, and that in turn will make it easier Tregoning said she hopes any effort to measure
to build neighborhoods that mix uses and housing Smart Growth would somehow capture the most
types. Meanwhile, however, single-use sprawl important goal of all, a population that is living
development continues to be the dominant prac- happily and has hopes for an equally bright future.
tice. An increasing number of states and localities “You would want to know: Do people feel their
are adopting policies to change that. One of the access to jobs and amenities is adequate or getting
best-known states is Maryland, whose adoption of better? Do they have good choices in housing and
a Smart Growth program under Governor Parris neighborhoods at all stages of life? How do they
Glendening in the mid-1990s helped popularize feel about their quality of life?”
the term.
The Maryland program requires local govern- Conclusion
ments to designate “priority funding areas” where However we measure it, the best way to assess
most development should occur, and then limits whether neighborhoods and regions we’re build-
state funds for infrastructure and services to those ing are “smart” may be to look through the eyes of
areas. Maryland encourages redevelopment of someone living several decades hence. Will the
existing places through policies including tax neighborhoods built in the early part of this centu-
credits and a shift of school funds toward rehab- ry be as beloved and functional as those built in
bing old schools and away from new construction. the early part of the 20th century are now? Will
The state also took aggressive steps to set aside there be working farms and open vistas? Will older
open space and preserve agricultural land. “In ret- suburbs be vibrant and vital, or will they be slums?
rospect,” said John Frece, who was Glendening’s Perhaps when we can answer those and similar
special aide for Smart Growth, “one of the things questions positively we’ll at last know we’re prac-
we didn’t do, but should have, was to set specific ticing Smart Growth.
targets for what we wanted to achieve. We say we
want more walkable, livable communities, but we David A. Goldberg is the communications director for
don’t say how we’ll know we’re making progress.” Smart Growth America, a nationwide coalition based in
Washington D.C. that advocates for land-use policy
The state did measure the proportion of devel-
reform. In 2002 Goldberg was awarded a Loeb
opment occurring within priority funding areas, Fellowship at Harvard University where he studied urban
said Harriet Tregoning, who was secretary for policy.


Mithun Design
photo: Michael Seidl

REALTORS® met with more than two dozen groups,
including local builders, the Chamber of
Commerce, economic development groups, and his-
toric preservationists to come up with recommenda-
tions for zoning at the municipal level,” said Frank
Christoffel IV, director of governmental affairs for
the Building Industry Association of Lancaster
County, which also provides governmental affairs
services to the Lancaster County Association of
REALTORS®.
The Lancaster County Board of Commissioners
endorsed the plan’s recommendations and appro-
priated $60,000 for outreach and education, plus
$30,000 per year line item funding, with the goal of
defining Smart Growth.
“It means one thing to one person, another thing
with a balcony? The answer is: It’s both,” said to another person. We wanted to find some common
Wilson-Bolton. ground,” explained Christoffel.
“The American dream has to be redefined as we “We’re working with municipal supervisors to
go into the next decade. We have to have a real good build on smaller lot sizes and to consolidate the
dialogue on this. If we believe in that dream, we growth where sewer, water, and public infrastruc-
have to see if people are willing to take less to get ture already exist,” he said.
more. Let’s see if we can plan our cities so we can “The county has a population of 480,000, and is
walk to get a quart of milk. It’s going to take awhile, adding about 5,000 per year. We have to build on
but we can get there,” Wilson-Bolton said. smaller lots. The real estate market shows these
In the rolling hills of Pennsylvania’s Lancaster smaller lots do very well, they don’t hurt REAL-
County, REALTORS® have joined forces with politi- TORS®. It’s easier for municipalities to provide
cians, preservationists, regulators, and developers services,” said Christoffel.
to define Smart Growth and use it to preserve the “It’s a great challenge with 60 separate munici-
county’s resources. palities. Zoning is the real devil in the details. If
“In 2002, the Lancaster County Association of you’re a developer and you want to build a Smart


Growth community, you have to get a variance or one can read and understand—you shouldn’t have
a conditional exception, as opposed to current to be a Ph.D. to understand them.”
zoning that encourages sprawl. It’s easy to build Larson said the Wisconsin REALTORS®
sprawl. It’s harder to build Smart Growth.” Association has launched a Quality of Life pro-
“It’s very difficult to sit on land for three years gram featuring statewide real estate and living
to go through a lengthy local permitting process. conditions surveys that will help the organization
We focused on smaller lot size, expediting the per- with its comprehensive planning efforts “by get-
mitting process within growth areas in the coun- ting into the psyche of buyers.
ty,” said Christoffel. “Rather than representing 15,000 REALTORS®,
“[The Smart Growth coalition] is the first of its we want to become the voice for over 3 million
kind in the state,” he said. “We won the 2003 State homeowners in the state,” he said.
and Local Government Affairs Award for the Best In the Pacific Northwest, the Washington
Smart Growth Program in the U.S. from the Association of REALTORS® has also created a
National Association of Home Builders. Quality of Life program focused on protecting
“We support Lancaster County’s agricultural property rights, ensuring economic vitality, pro-
history. We have permanently preserved over viding housing opportunities, preserving the envi-
50,000 acres of farmland out of about 600,000 total ronment, and building better communities.
acres,” said Christoffel. “We’ve become some of the lead players on the
Tom Larson, director of regulatory and legisla- state and local level,” said Bryan Wahl, director of
tive affairs for the Wisconsin REALTORS® government affairs for the Washington Association
Association, said their member REALTORS® got of REALTORS®. “We have really been ramping up
very proactive in Smart
Growth because “planning
is critical to protection of
the quality of life and hous-
ing market in Wisconsin.
“We saw plans only for
agricultural preservation,
only for preserving natural
resources—they were plan-
ning for areas where they
didn’t want development to
occur, but they didn’t plan
for areas where they did
want development to occur.
They didn’t look at what
the strengths and weak-
nesses were,” Larson said
of area planners. “They
didn’t plan proactively for
growth and development.”
Larson said the
Wisconsin REALTORS®
Association tells munici-
palities not to hire big, It’s easy to build sprawl. It’s
expensive planners from
far away. harder to build Smart Growth.
“Planning is about get-
ting the people to buy into
the plan. If you have a plan that nobody is going our efforts to influence local planning efforts. Our
to follow, it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. concern is our ability to accommodate growth,
“Planning has to respond to local political realities especially in Washington where we have urban
and it has to be a living, breathing document that’s growth area restrictions.”
flexible. Things change. You have to allow for Wahl said the Washington Association of REAL-
change and have updates on a regular basis. TORS® has scored several key victories in the state
“Some people over-think these plans,” Larson legislature, which has supported several measures
continued. “But they should be plans that every- that encourage economic vitality, improve trans-


portation and infrastructure financing, and
provide housing opportunities.
Wahl said Washington REALTORS® and
developers face a number of problems with
permitting processes that are difficult and
time-consuming, development regulations
that often are conflicting, and overly restric-
tive limits on use of a property.
“When you draw lines in the sand, you
have to find ways to provide for the land
capacity to accommodate that growth,” he
said. “We’ve been able to reach out and
work with organizations that typically we
weren’t on the same page with, such as
environmental [groups]. They’ve come to
see the only way we can manage land is
to provide housing of different types: mixed
use, cottage housing, planned unit develop-
ments.”

Wright and Johnson-Wright are award-winning
journalists who frequently write about Smart
Growth and sustainable communities. They live
in a restored historic home in the heart of Miami’s
Little Havana. Contact them at stevewright64
@yahoo.com.


rail
light

A Solid Option in the
Transportation Debate
By Chris Swope

t was a smart growth triumph in the unlikeliest of

I places: Houston, the traffic-choked city of freeways,
finally has its own light-rail system. Sleek, new rail-
cars began carrying passengers in January, rolling in and
out of the downtown on 7.5 miles of track laid into the city
streets. City officials called it the dawn of a new era. But
there has been one nagging problem: automobile drivers
keep crashing into the new railcars, at the alarming rate
of five times a month.
Some people joke that awe-struck Houston drivers are
distracted because they have never seen public transit
before. Actually, there’s a bit of truth to that theory: it
turns out the car drivers were at fault in nearly every
crash. Houston transit officials are working out a few
safety kinks on their end. In the meantime, the auto-rail
crashes have become something of a metaphor for trans-
portation policy in an era of sustainable growth: cars and
public transit have to learn to get along, even in car-crazy
places like Houston.
Crash problem aside, Houston’s light rail demon-
strates a remarkable turn in thinking that’s occurring all
across the country. Cities and states are coming to realize
that they cannot solve their traffic congestion problems
simply by building more highways further into the coun-
tryside. So ambitious efforts to build up public transit are


underway even in places where it once seemed Houston’s are an expensive boondoggle, carrying
impossible to persuade people to leave their cars too few passengers to justify the $43-million-per-
at home. Houston, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and mile price tag. However, not even the staunchest
San Diego—all cities that grew up around the rail advocates expect Houstonians to abandon
automobile—are building extensive light-rail sys- driving altogether. As they see it, what light rail is
tems. Meanwhile, on the highway side, many doing in Houston and other sprawling cities is giv-
states are shifting investments away from building ing people an alternative transportation choice—if
sprawl-spawning roads in favor of fixing up the they want it—as well as an alternative to rambling
infrastructure they already have. subdivisions, parking lots, and strip malls. “We
The nationwide boom in public transit is taking always want to see people get out of their cars
millions of cars off the roads, easing the conges- whenever it’s possible,” says Ken Connaughton,
tion in U.S. cities somewhat. Trains, buses, and spokesperson for Houston’s transit system. “But
other forms of public transit carried riders on 9.5 the goal here is to give people transportation
billion trips in 2001, the highest number in 40 options. People will always need to drive. But we
years. In the past 5 years, according to the need a combination of choices—buses, rail, and
Washington, D.C.–based Surface Transportation the roadway—and unless we have all three in a
Policy Project, transit ridership has grown by 21 viable combination we’ll be in gridlock forever.”
percent. In the same time the number of miles
Americans drove grew by only 12 percent. Traffic congestion is costly
As communities increase investments in transit, One thing about the nation’s transportation sys-
the biggest payoff is not in removing cars from the tem is painfully clear to nearly anyone who lives in
roads. It’s in transit’s ability, particularly with rail, a metropolitan area: traffic congestion has never
to shape compact, pedestrian-friendly develop- been worse. According to a report by the Texas
ment patterns—the opposite of suburban sprawl. Transportation Institute (TTI), the average
Already a Houston developer is planning a 30- American wasted 26 hours stuck in traffic in 2001,
story condominium tower adjacent to the new up from just 7 hours in 1982. All the bumper-to-
light-rail system. Units are expected to sell at bumper delays weren’t just aggravating for driv-
prices up to $1 million, in part because buyers see ers, they were also expensive to the U.S. economy.
rail access as an important amenity. Houston’s TTI puts the cost of congestion at $70 billion,
light-rail line is expected to stimulate as much as including lost time and fuel.
$1 billion worth of housing, offices, and retail The country’s traditional response to traffic
space along its route. congestion has been to build more roads. That
Critics argue that light-rail systems like wasn’t so hard to do back in the 1950s when the

The biggest payoff
is not in removing cars
from the roads, it’s in
transit’s ability, to shape
compact, pedestrian-
friendly development
patterns.


nation built its cherished interstate highway system. But road
building these days is politically dicier and more expensive,
especially in built-up areas where residents resist it. There is
also a growing recognition among government officials, if not
among highway engineers, that new roads have a way of lead-
ing to more traffic. Developers build more houses, offices, and
shopping centers near the new highways, which then fill up
with cars and create a need for more new roads. It’s a costly
cycle, and exactly the recipe for suburban sprawl that the United
States has been using for half a century.
A gradual shift in this thinking began in the early 1990s.
Congress gave state and local governments more freedom to
spend federal money on mass transit and other solutions, in
addition to highways, to solve their traffic problems. Roads and
highways still get 80 percent of the dollars. But highway alter-
natives get 20 percent, and that amounts to a significant invest-
ment. From 1990 to 1999, federal spending on transit doubled
from $3 billion a year to $6 billion, according to the Surface
Transportation Policy Project. Over the same period, federal
spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects grew from $7 mil-


lion to $222 million. highway projects in other states have become
The new funds and flexibility sparked a flurry of political footballs. An 18-mile highway project in
transit experimentation at the local level. Maryland, known as the Intercounty Connector,
Hundreds of miles of light-rail track were laid in killed five years ago by then-Governor Parris
cities around the country. Commuter rail is enjoy- Glendening, has been revived by the new
ing a renaissance, with new systems planned in Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich (plans call for
Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon, as limiting the number of interchanges on the road
well as a unique rail line planned for the Chicago to limit the amount of sprawl it creates). In
suburbs that will make it possible to travel from Tennessee, Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen
one suburb to another without riding downtown put a hold on the northern half of a beltway pro-
first. And numerous cities, including Boston, posed around Nashville (the southern half is near-
Charlotte, and Miami, are using a cheaper alter- ly complete). And last year in Georgia, Republican
native to rail known as “bus rapid transit.” That Governor Sonny Perdue killed a controversial 59-
strategy speeds up pokey city buses by giving mile highway, known as the Northern Arc, that
them a dedicated lane on the roadway. was proposed to run through Atlanta’s northern
As local transit undertakings increase, highway suburbs.
funding is shifting away from building highways Residents who live in the Northern Arc’s path
in favor of fixing and expanding the existing net- called Perdue’s move a victory for Smart Growth.
work. Several governors, including Democrats Jim But Susan Laccetti Meyers, vice president of a
McGreevey of New Jersey and Jennifer Granholm pro-highway group called Georgians for Better
of Michigan, as well as Massachusetts Republican Transportation, says Perdue made a huge mistake.
Mitt Romney, are among those advocating a “fix it “The Atlanta lifestyle is conducive to the automo-
first” strategy with highways. It’s a smart growth bile,” Meyers says. “And only in very limited
philosophy that reflects how constrained many instances will you see that change. Projections are
state budgets are. For example, in March that in 2025, 97 percent of people here will still
Pennsylvania erased 26 road and bridge projects use automobiles as their primary means of getting
worth $5 billion from its 12-year plan. State trans- around.”
portation secretary Allen Biehler said the move
reflected “a tightening financial picture and ongo- The voters speak
ing concerns about the impact transportation deci- At the local level, mass transit is enjoying a surge
sions have on Pennsylvania’s landscape.” of political support. Much of that backing comes
In the new environment, several high-profile

“We need a
combination of
choices—buses, rail,
and the roadway—
and unless we have
all three in a viable
combination we’ll be
in gridlock forever.”
Ken Connaughton, Houston’s transit
system spokesperson


straight from the voters, who are passing growing given the timing; no one had yet taken a spin on
numbers of transit ballot initiatives. Three-quar- the new system to see how it worked.
ters of local transit initiatives won last year, and In the end, 52 percent of Houston voters
more are on the ballot this November. Last year’s approved the light-rail bonding. They’d already
wins included Kansas City, where voters raised seen the kind of traffic that 50 years of road build-
taxes in order to expand bus service; San ing had brought about. Why not try something
Francisco, where voters kept a tax to fund bus, new? Now that the light rail is running—the rail-
subway, and some roadway projects; and Lone cars carried more than 550,000 passengers in the
Tree, Colorado, a Denver suburb that agreed to tax first month alone—most Houstonians seem satis-
itself to join the regional transit district. fied that their city is on the right track. (Except, of
The biggest ballot victory for transit came in course, for those few drivers who crash into the
Houston. By last November, Houston had already trains.) “Ridership has exceeded what we expect-
spent $324 million of its own money to build the ed,” says Ken Connaughton, the transit
first 7.5 miles of light rail, with no federal match- spokesperson. “It’s very popular. You can go out
ing funds. (Several members of Congress from the on the line nearly any time of day and see full
Houston area, including the powerful Republican trains going by.”
Tom DeLay, think light rail is too expensive.) This
past November voters were asked to approve an Chris Swope is a staff writer for Governing
additional $640 million in bonds to begin work on Magazine.
a 64-mile light-rail expansion. It was a tough sell,


mericans spend more from their annual household budgets coming and

A going than they do on practically anything else—and that often includes
buying the house of their dreams in the suburbs.
Surprised? You’re not alone. Look in the lane next to you.
“I’m sure a lot of people who move into a sprawling suburb don’t realize they
are inflicting more transportation costs upon themselves,” says researcher
David Goldstein of the California-based Natural Resources Defense Council
(NRDC). After studying car ownership and driving patterns in three metropoli-
tan areas, Goldstein concluded travel-related expenses often displaced the sav-
ings consumers envisioned by closing on bigger, less expensive suburban
homes. “You’ll spend more driving to and from, than paying for the home.”
Goldstein says the NRDC study draws a direct link between the amount peo-
ple drive and whether their neighborhood design includes features such as den-

HOUSING V E R S U S

TRANSPORTATION
two sides of the affordability coin
By Joanne M. Haas sity, transit access, and pedestrian and bicycle paths. “This study shows people
who live in more convenient communities are less dependent on cars.”
Similar findings surfaced in another recent survey where transportation
Researchers have costs also registered a close second in annual household expenditures,
found that sub- behind housing. “It’s all about location, location, and location,” says
researcher Robert Dunphy, senior resident fellow of Transportation and
urban sprawl Infrastructure with the Urban Land Institute in Washington, D.C.
This is why Dunphy’s study, just like Goldstein’s, stresses transportation
means consumers as one factor never to ignore when contemplating a move, no matter if it is
within a single metropolitan area or from one part of the country to another.
are spending Goldstein agrees, adding REALTORS® and consumers alike can tap a limit-
more on travel ed but growing pool of resources dedicated to helping consumers weigh
transportation and housing factors before signing on the dotted line.
than their homes
People gotta move
… and Smart Dunphy approached his study confident of one factor. “There is an extraordinary
Growth is the amount [of money] people spend on housing. We already knew that.”
Using consumer expenditure data released last year by the U.S.
real thing. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Dunphy’s research shows


he stresses, it’s imperative the housing cost calcu-
lations also include transportation expenditures to
get “the full burden of a location cost.” Some of
the bigger markets have high housing costs but
offer lower transport burdens. That combination
doesn’t necessarily make the living easy, but it
does make it more affordable.
“New York and Boston both have lower trans-
portation costs so that helps you deal with the cost
of apartments,” he says of two cities known as
expensive places to get a home zip code. San
Francisco resembles that trend. But, Dunphy adds,
weighing high housing costs with lower trans-
portation costs makes the city by the Bay “not as
extremely expensive.”
The 2001 data in Dunphy’s study shows the
average household spent $7,600 annually on
transportation, with most of that going for costs
related to private vehicles and a fraction for public
transport, including air travel. That average was
“You’ll spend more lower in cities like New York, Boston, and
Washington, D.C., which are big, densely devel-
driving to and from, oped, and operate well-used mass transit systems,
making private vehicle use unnecessary and
than paying for the almost unattractive.
Of the 28 metropolitan areas included in his
home.” David Goldstein, study, housing costs were the lowest in the
Midwest and near the Great Lakes in places such
Natural Resources Defense Council as St. Louis, the Twin Cities, Kansas City,
Milwaukee, and the off-shore cities of Anchorage
housing costs swallowed about a third of a single and Honolulu. However, some savings were lost
household’s total budget in 2001. That includes pay- on above-average transportation costs. Dunphy
ing the mortgage or rent, upkeep, and utilities—all noted the biggest surprise is Honolulu, known as
told, that’s about double what folks spent nearly 30 a high-priced market for home purchases.
years earlier. Perhaps, he said, it’s an example of households,
According to Dunphy’s calculations, which possibly renters, just getting by in a tough market.
included National Association of REALTORS® Cities like Baltimore and Cleveland, where
data, transportation consumed 19 percent of a populations have dropped, are experiencing a
household’s budget in 2001. People spent more on return to inner neighborhoods where the best
moving around than they did eating, seeing doc- transit options abound. “That’s one of the favor-
tors, or even getting new clothes. “Clearly, mobili- able trends for transit—the resurgence in city liv-
ty is worth a lot to people, and they do spend a lot ing,” Dunphy says.
on it,” Dunphy says. Based in Washington, D.C., Dunphy hopes his
The combination of housing and transportation research is noticed by tax-averse lawmakers look-
expenses demanded more than 50 percent of all con- ing for insight as to what consumers are willing to
sumer spending that year, and things aren’t much spend and for what purposes. The Congressional
different in 2004. In another Dunphy discovery, debate regarding the federal transportation budg-
lower-income people spent nearly identical percent- et, he notes, pitted anti-tax legislators against
ages of their budgets for housing and transportation advocates for investment.
as their wealthy counterparts. The differences sur- It wouldn’t take much of a user fee increase, he
faced when considering regions, whether Smart says, to fund transit and road improvements that
Growth features were available, and if homeowners would translate into lower car repair bills and less car
were willing to endure long commutes to own larger, use. “The data show Smart Growth has a financial
less expensive suburban homes. payoff,” he says of why he likes toll roads, especially
Dunphy says that to reduce housing expenses a in tight fiscal times. “There really is no other way to
person must locate where housing is less expen- get the money. The consequences of a pretty good
sive—and that often means smaller markets. But, life are starting to creep in.”


Another idea Dunphy likes is the pay-at-the-
pump insurance proposal, which would allow The combination of
motorists to pay for the insurance they need for the
miles they drive.
housing and transporta-
Sprawl ife at a price
tion expenses demanded
Goldstein says NRDC research shows clearly “the more than 50 percent of
amount you need to spend on driving depends
upon how smart the growth is in the neighborhood all consumer spending.
you’re living.”
The NRDC study—completed by Goldstein, the Impacts of Density and Transit on Auto Costs
council’s energy program director, and a few oth- San Francisco Bay Area

ers—involves the metropolitan areas of Chicago,
Los Angeles, and San Francisco, with some data 8000

Annual Auto Costs
from Seattle. 7000

($/Household)
6000
“We have empirical evidence that Smart 5000
Growth works,” Goldstein says. “This study shows 4000 2
3000
people who live in more convenient communities 150
2000
are less dependent on cars. … The communities 1000 300
0 Hh/Res
are also more livable because they tend to have 0 300 450 Acre
600 900
cleaner air and water and more protected open Zonal Transit
space.” Density
Goldstein says the study should show naysay-
ers that Smart Growth is effective when it comes to This figure displays how the cost of driving is affected by neighborhood
crafting urban designs that offer people efficient characteristics. The height of the surface represents annual driving
and convenient places to live while simultaneous- costs: a family in the small, light violet region at the top of the graph—
a family living in urban sprawl—would spend about $8,000/year to own
ly reducing traffic congestion and significantly and operate their cars. Moving to the left from this area, as the com-
slashing the pollution problems that accompany pactness of the neighborhood increases, driving cost decreases rap-
high auto use. idly. Moving from the violet triangle to the right along the edge of the
Smart Growth is a neighborhood planning style graph shows the effect of increasing transit service levels; from no
transit service in the violet area to high levels of service (such as liv-
devoted to preventing urban sprawl by considering ing within walking distance of a metro station) in the purple area
several key land-use issues. Those issues often where costs drop to $6,000/year. This graph applies to a family with a
include housing, transportation, and utilities as well typical level of income.
as agricultural, natural, and cultural resources.
The four variables the Goldstein team used “It’s not immediately apparent,” Goldstein
while studying the transportation costs and habits says. “Almost every family owns a car—maybe you
of those in sprawl areas were income, household have one or two cars and you moved out to the
size, compactness of the neighborhood, and avail- suburban sprawl. And now you have two or three
ability of transit services. “These four explain 90 cars. That’s hard to notice but it is a real cost over
percent of the difference between zip codes,” the years and it has contributed to feeling less eco-
Goldstein says, referring to the driving data col- nomically secure.”
lected per zip code in the metropolitan areas. “It For example, he says, if you are a suburban resi-
can be the difference between spending $9,000 a dent and you lose your job, you’ll still need the cars
year on driving or only $3,000.” to search for new employment. An urban resident in
A homebuyer or renter can determine how a Smart Growth community can job hunt by using
much he or she will spend on transportation upon public transit, cabs, or walking. “You could sell your
moving to an area and weighing those four factors. car and keep your house,” Goldstein says. “You could
Goldstein notes there is an online service avail- do that until you get back on your feet. You have
able to assist consumers in making that precise more flexibility as well as lower costs in the more effi-
calculation for four metropolitan areas. It’s avail- cient neighborhoods.”
able at www.locationefficiency.com, which also It’s all about options aimed at helping con-
has information about Fannie Mae’s Location sumers and the environment alike, and the
Efficient Mortgage®. researchers are hoping the nation’s policy makers
Goldstein says the program, while currently and planners are listening.
limited, may be expanded, and remains a valuable
Joanne M. Haas is a freelance reporter covering govern-
tool in showing consumers the sometimes-hidden ment, politics, business, agriculture, and education.
travel costs of living in the sprawling suburbs.


Smart Growth
Fuels Vibrant
Urban Villages
By Brad Broberg


nspired by a variety of forces—notably the dwin-

I dling supply of undeveloped land—successful
Smart Growth undertakings continue to mount.
New projects are springing up from coast to coast as
government, developers, and consumers are finding
that Smart Growth is more than a buzzword. In the
right time, place, and form, it can be the most effective
and marketable approach to development.
REALTORS® in Pasadena, California, and Arlington
County, Virginia have found this to be especially true.
Fueled by strong support from local government, devel-
opment in those two communities reflects numerous
Smart Growth principles. And buyers are eating it up.
“There’s a tremendous market for it,” said Dominic
DeFazio, a REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker in
Pasadena.
REALTOR® Tom Meyer, president of Condo 1 Inc. in
Arlington, said, “There’s been a little overbuilding with
apartments in the last couple of years, but the condo
market is extremely hot. In 15 years here, I’ve never
seen it this crazy.”
As attractive places to live within large metropolitan
areas, Pasadena and Arlington shared pressure to grow.
Yet as established communities, any vacant land had
long since disappeared. The answer was redevelop-
ment using Smart Growth principles as the building
blocks.
Arlington, one of the first communities to embrace
Smart Growth, and Pasadena, one of the latest, both
adopted infill strategies that increased density at key
locations, encouraged a mixture of uses and, most
importantly, took advantage of the arrival of rail lines.
The result? A series of vibrant urban villages where
people can live, work, and play—all without having to
battle growing congestion in their cars.
“There is a nice mix of retail, offices, and multi-
family residential at each Metro stop,” said Meyer.
“You can walk up out of a Metro station and find any-
thing you want.”
Metro is the transit network that serves the
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Its extension of
rail service west into Arlington County 25 years ago
gave county planners the perfect tool to prepare for the
growth they knew was coming.
“At a certain point, several decades ago, the people
in power said, ‘We know growth is coming to our area.
We know we’re going to get a Metro line here. How can
we [plan] to make sure the county doesn’t get all
clogged up with cars,’ ” explained Meyer.


Arlington is proof that you can have quality of
life and growth if it’s planned right.
A compact and highly urbanized county, lots, it targeted areas surrounding the stations for
Arlington had gotten a taste of what might be in high-density, mixed-use growth with plenty of
store if it didn’t act aggressively when Rosslyn, a public amenities, offering incentives to entice
gritty neighborhood just across the Potomac River developers to participate.
from D.C., began to redevelop in the 1960s as an “A lot of thought went into where the rail stops
office center. went,” said Meyer. “There’s a small community
“It was occupied during the day and dead at around each stop. Arlington is very vibrant now.
night,” said Tom Miller, planning commission The night life is exciting in these places” (see
coordinator for Arlington County. “There was very photo at right).
little housing and not much retail. People viewed By focusing growth within a quarter-mile radius
Rosslyn as something they didn’t want to see of the transit stations, Arlington not only pre-
duplicated.” served the surrounding single-family neighbor-
Thanks to farsighted planning, that style of hoods, it enhanced their value.
development did not continue. As plans were “As you get a few blocks away from the Metro
made in the late 1960s and early 1970s to extend stop, you see density go down from high-rise to
MetroRail into Arlington, the county fought to mid-rise to single-family homes, which are now
build the Orange Line underground along the extremely valuable because they’re near the
aging Rosslyn-Ballston commercial corridor rather Metro line,” said Meyer. “The prices have gone
than along a new freeway. And instead of relegat- out of sight a few blocks from Metro stops.”
ing transit stations to roles as glorified parking Kristin and Wayne Westbrook, both profession-

50 ON COMMON GROUND SPRING 2004

Arlington, VA als in their mid-50s, live in The Atrium, a 13-story
condo in Rosslyn. “I like the energy of the neigh-
borhood,” said Kristin. Not only is their condo
two blocks from a Metro rail station, but restau-
rants, shops, and theaters are all within walking
distance.
“It’s a wonderful way of getting the body mov-
ing,” said Kristin. “When I relied more on a car, I
walked a lot less. This is a healthy alternative.”
Arlington is proof that “you can have quality of
life and growth if it’s planned right,” said Miller.
Arlington’s success has not gone unnoticed.
Miller said other communities are constantly ask-
ing the county how to make Smart Growth work
for them.
“It doesn’t happen overnight,” said Miller. “It’s
difficult to create a strong sense of place and a
place that people want to be. You can start on it
and build the foundation ... but you can’t make
development go where it doesn’t want to go.”
In Pasadena, a community known for its grace-
ful architecture, creating a sense of place was not
a problem for the city as it wrestled with a need to
accommodate growth. The problem was how to
preserve the existing sense of place while open-
ing the door to redevelopment.
Mission accomplished, said Hans Hagen-
mayer, a REALTOR® with Team Provident Realty
in Pasadena. “Pasadena has done a good job of
seeing that these projects keep in character with
the city,” he said. “The new projects don’t stand
out because they look like they’ve always been
there.”
For many years, Pasadena was a sleepy city
where change occurred slowly—if at all. “When I
started, Pasadena was still ‘The little old lady
from ... ’” said DeFazio, who has been selling real
estate in that community since 1981.
By the 1990s, however, Southern California’s
growing population, squeezed by a chronic hous-
ing shortage, caught on to the charm of
Pasadena’s leafy neighborhoods and elegant
architecture—especially after the heart of the city,
Old Pasadena, was revitalized and the Metro-
politan Transportation Authority announced plans
to build a new rail line linking Pasadena to Los
Angeles. The little old lady has been kicking up
her heels ever since.
“We had almost zero development for so many
years and now there’s a development on every
corner,” said Maggie Navarro, a REALTOR® with
Coldwell Banker in Pasadena.
Well, maybe not every corner. Following
Arlington’s example, Pasadena chose to channel
growth, which had been leaking into single-
family neighborhoods in the form of small apart-
ment complexes, to the areas surrounding the rail


within walking distance of
Mission Meridian.”
Sean’s mother, Janine,
thinks the family is making a
wise investment. “People in
California are getting tired of
[driving],” she said. “I think
this type of development will
be the rule for the next 10
years at least.”
Given the community’s
deep desire to preserve its
heritage, some Pasadena res-
idents now wonder whether
the city’s Smart Growth
approach is working too well.
“It’s raising people’s eye-
brows,” said League.
“They’re asking when is
enough enough.”
Developments in Arlington
and Pasadena are vivid
examples of the market’s
appetite for Smart Growth,
but they are not the only

“We had almost zero development for so many
years and now there’s a development on every
corner.” Maggie Navarro, REALTOR with Coldwell Banker, in Pasadena
®

stations for the Gold Line, which opened last year. ones. Post Properties can point to several Smart
The city created incentives to attract high- Growth apartment communities it has built
density, mixed-use developments to transit station around the country—including Pasadena and
sites that add urban spice to Pasadena’s predomi- Arlington but also Denver, Dallas, and Atlanta—
nantly suburban flavor. “They’re creating transit that have received similar responses.
villages ... where people can live, work, and go to “Without question, the reception has been very
a cool restaurant without leaving their neighbor- positive,” said John Mears, executive vice presi-
hood,” said Navarro. dent of the Atlanta-based development company.
The strategy has been wildly successful. “Every “People want to be closer to where they’re working
developer in Southern California is trying to build and closer to the cultural amenities of the metro-
here,” said Brian League, senior project manager politan area and not spend inordinate time in their
with the city of Pasadena. vehicles,” said Mears.
Pasadena developers find their projects in high Post Properties had specialized in building gar-
demand. “People want to be able to live close to den-style apartment homes outside the urban
shopping, close to theaters, and keep their cars at core. “They were gated communities, strictly resi-
home,” said DeFazio. “People are flocking here.” dential,” he said.
With help from his parents, recent college grad- That changed about six years ago. “It was a
uate Sean Saraf is buying a unit in Mission financial strategy as opposed to something that
Meridian Village, a mixed-use development near had a greater social conscience,” said Mears. “We
a rail station in the adjacent city of South thought if we could find well-located properties
Pasadena. “I’m looking forward to being able to within the city, it would be hard for our competi-
walk out of my loft and take the train to Los tion to find properties that would provide immedi-
Angeles ... without having to get in my car,” said ate competition to what we were building.”
the 23-year-old. “Plus there are a lot of things to do The role and scale of retail in Post Property


developments varies from location to location. In ures because there’s a lack of a market. They’re
some, it is ancillary to the residential component. failures because they were very poorly executed.”
In others, it is an attraction in its own right. Perhaps the biggest mistake is trying to dupli-
“The destination retail, as an amenity, has been cate a successful development at a different loca-
tremendous,” said Mears. “Where we have done tion without taking into account the unique needs
that, the retail is in fact a huge selling point and of that location. “The principles of New Urbanism
clearly distinguishes us from our competitors and apply everywhere, but it takes its physical form
enables us to achieve premium [rents] for that from the characteristics of the location,” said
convenience.” Zimmerman. “It’s not a style. It’s a complete sys-
While Smart Growth advocates have plenty to tem.”
cheer about, Smart Growth remains a “woefully Looking ahead, Zimmerman says the New
small” percentage of overall development, said Urbanism expression of Smart Growth is the per-
Todd Zimmerman, co-managing director of fect response to a looming “demographic impera-
Zimmerman/Volk Associates, a development tive” in which both aging Baby Boomers and
analysis firm specializing in New Urbanism. “It’s Millennials—the generation that is currently
growing by leaps and bounds, but it’s growing off between the ages of 7 and 27—simultaneously
such a small base,” he said. seek alternatives to traditional suburban living.
Despite its many advantages, New Urbanism, “It is clearly the future,” said Zimmerman.
one element of Smart Growth, comes with no
guarantee of success, said Zimmerman. “Like any Brad Broberg is a Seattle-based freelance writer special-
other real estate development, it depends on how izing in business and development issues. His work
appears regularly in the Puget Sound Business Journal
well it’s executed and positioned,” he said. “There
and the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.
are several failures out there, but they’re not fail-

T he combination of New Urbanism and mass transit is
a match made in Smart Growth heaven and the knot
is being tied more and more often, said Andy Kunz.
Mission Meridian Village features 53 courtyard condo-
miniums and 14 lofts combined with 4,000-square feet of
neighborhood retail and a 324-stall parking garage—all
“Transit-oriented development (TOD) is happening in a within a short stroll of the South Pasadena Gold Line
lot of places to varying degrees,” said Kunz, director of Station.
NewUrbanism.org, a nonprofit organization that promotes Developer Michael Dieden founded CHA in 1997 with
urban living and mass transit—twin hallmarks of Smart the express purpose of pursuing TOD. “Our mission is to
Growth. build places where people can live near transit and use
TOD uses rail and bus stations as magnets to attract transit and leave their cars in the garage,” said Dieden,
high-density, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly develop- who began planning Mission Meridian Village before it
ment, which in turn stimulates mass-transit ridership. was even certain the Gold Line was coming.
Atlanta, Portland, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, Dieden’s faith did not go unrewarded. “Every unit has
D.C. are among the metropolitan areas experiencing sig- been pre-sold,” he said. “It just shows how much of a
nificant transit-oriented development, said Kunz. demand there is for this type of living.”
“It’s just about exploding around D.C.,” said Kunz. “New The key to successful TOD, said Dieden, is cooperation
housing in D.C. is selling faster than they can build it and between cities, transit agencies, and developers. That’s
most of it is within walking distance of rail stations.” what happened with Mission Meridian Village. “South
What’s exciting to see, said Kunz, is that transit agen- Pasadena is very progressive in terms of transit-oriented
cies are taking the lead in soliciting TOD proposals from development,” he said. On the other hand, Dieden
developers—not just for new stations but for existing backed away from two potential TOD projects in the Bay
ones as well. “They are looking at their parking lots and Area after he and the cities failed to agree on develop-
seeing potential [commercial] gold mines as well as a way ment strategies.
to increase ridership,” he said. “Transit development is difficult because you’re dealing
In the Los Angeles area, TOD is underway up and down with multiple public agencies, and they often have differ-
the rail lines of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. ent objectives that can conflict with the objectives a pri-
In South Pasadena, Creative Housing Associates (CHA) is vate developer is going to have,” said Dieden. “It’s not
putting the finishing touches on a showcase example. foolproof, as I have learned the hard way.”


And theWinner Is ...
Five Communities Receive National Award for Smart Growth Achievement

T he votes have been tallied and the winners announced for
EPA’s 2003 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. In
this second year of the national award program, entries were
up more than 10 percent, with 112 entries from 31 states and
the District of Columbia.The Award recognizes outstanding
achievement in Smart Growth by state, local, or regional gov-
ernments in five categories: Built Projects, Policies and
Regulation, Community Outreach and Education, Public

SMART G Schools, and Overall Excellence in Smart Growth.
The program was expanded from four to five categories in
2003.The newest category highlights Smart Growth innova-
RO

tions in a specific area that will change annually.This year’s
chosen area was Public Schools, which demonstrates how
K–12 schools can adopt smart growth approaches and meet
WTH

the educational needs of students.
Each award recipient has incorporated the principles of
Smart Growth to create places that respect community
culture and the environment, foster economic development,
and enhance quality of life.The award is made by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Office of Policy, Economics,
and Innovation, with advice provided by a range of constituen-
cies with interest and expertise in the built environment and
WINN Smart Growth.

Read more about Smart Growth at EPA’s website: www.epa.gov/smartgrowth.


T GROW LIVABLE COMMUNITIES PROGRAM OVERALL EXCELLENCE
AR

SM

TH
1
WIN R
NE

AFTER

BEFORE

Metropolitan Council
Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota

C
onsistently ranked among the top locations in the country to raise a
family or establish a business, the Minneapolis-St. Paul region is experi-
encing rapid population growth … and with that growth comes stress:
increasing traffic congestion, rising housing prices, dwindling open space.

But instead of limiting growth, the Minnesota State Legislature tried
something different. It provided the Metropolitan Council—the region-
al planning organization for the seven-county Twin Cities area—with a
voluntary, incentive-based approach to help communities grow
smarter. The Legislature passed the Livable Communities Act (LCA) in
1995 to get innovative projects off the ground. The LCA underwrites
three grant programs: Tax Base Revitalization (brownfield cleanup),
Local Housing Initiatives (lifecycle and affordable housing), and the
Livable Communities Demonstration Account (mixed-use projects).

From 1996 to May of 2003 the council awarded 292 LCA grants
totaling nearly $100 million. Metropolitan Council chair Peter Bell
says Smart Growth principles are widely supported and effect real
change. “They embrace efficient use of existing resources, economic
vibrancy, preservation of open space, choices in housing and trans-
portation, and consensus building. They are principles that promote
community, livability, and quality of life.”


BUILT PROJECTS THE VILLAGE AT NAVAL TRAINING CENTER
T GROW
AR
SM

TH

2
WIN R
NE

Department of the Navy
Southwest Division Naval Facilities Engineering
Command, San Diego, California

T
he honor of the Built Projects Award was given to the Department of the
Navy for creating a traditional neighborhood of military housing. The Village
at the Naval Training Center adjacent to Point Loma, California (near San
Diego) is the location of this award-winning community.

According to Tony Megliola, public/private venture team leader, success of the
undertaking can be measured in the fact that The Village enjoys 100 percent
occupancy and has a waiting list. “It’s the best military housing in the U.S.,” he
said. “It’s a huge increase in the quality of life for military families that enables
the sailors to better focus on their jobs knowing that their families live in a good
neighborhood and are well cared for.”

The Village offers 500 affordable housing units, based on the principles of New
Urbanism, and features well-designed public spaces, pedestrian-friendly
streetscapes, and regional architectural styles. It integrates smoothly with the
existing residential and commercial surroundings of historic Point Loma. The tra-
ditional neighborhood design creates a place where families can live and play,
and have easy access to employment and shopping.


HOUSING ENHANCEMENT LOAN PROGRAM POLICIES &
REGULATIONS
T GROW
AR

SM

TH
3
WIN R
Cuyahoga County NE

Treasurer’s Office
Cuyahoga County, Ohio

W
orking with private banks and local municipali-
ties, the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s Office has
helped finance more than 4,700 home improve-
ment loans worth in excess of $57 million. The program
has been successful in stemming out-migration, helping
residents stay in their homes, and strengthening com-
pact, diverse, and livable neighborhoods—for less than
$1 million a year. The program, named HELP—Housing
Enhancement Loan Program—has improved residents’
quality of life and encouraged thousands of families to
remain in older Cleveland neighborhoods and inner-ring
suburbs.

Under HELP participating banks make home improvement
,
loans at 3 percent below market rate. The County
Treasurer’s Office then purchases CDs at these banks,
accepting 3 percent less return than market rate. Homes
valued up to $250,000 and multi-family homes of three
units or more are eligible in the 33 targeted cities.

The cities have noticed a “halo effect”; that is, improved
homes encourage other homeowners to make improve-
ments, even without HELP loans. Treasurer Jim Rokakis
says that even with current low interest rates, the pro-
gram appeals to many—they make about 100 loans a
month.

The success of this program has convinced two other
Ohio counties to enact similar programs. And Rokakis
says the success of the program has spurred the County
Treasurer’s office to create a program designed especial-
ly for “heritage,” or old housing, working with the
Cleveland Restoration Society.


COMMUNITY OUTREACH GEORGIA QUALITY GROWTH PROGRAM
& EDUCATION AWARD
T GROW
AR
SM

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4
WIN R
NE

Georgia Department of
Community Affairs
Office of Quality Growth, State of Georgia

G
eorgia communities looking for better ways to plan for Smart Growth
can turn to the Georgia Office of Quality Growth (OQG) for advice and
planning services. Communities can request the assistance of OQG
resource teams or consultants who will evaluate local ordinances, offer direct
technical assistance, share success stories, and more. An OQG website lists
and illustrates many ways in which Smart Growth ideas can be implemented.

The OQG program, active since 2000, has two goals: (1) direct assistance
efforts to those communities that are ready to implement Smart Growth and
(2) educate communities about Smart Growth success stories in Georgia.

The program has provided $350,000 in grants to 27 communities. With
those funds, communities have, for example, created neighborhood master
plans, written infill design guidelines and development regulations, conduct-
ed corridor studies, and written new ordinances.

Program director Jim Frederick says OQG has a field staff of four who “keep
their hand on the pulse of local government so we know which [communities]
are ready to go with a Smart Growth operation.” While OQG has a marketing
program but limited resources, Frederick says, “We focus on the best
prospects, and we rely heavily on peer-to-peer interaction to publicize the
benefits of the program.”


MOORE SQUARE MUSEUMS MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL PUBLIC SCHOOLS
AWARD
T GROW
AR

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5
Wake County
WIN R
NE

Public School System
City of Raleigh, North Carolina

I
n the heart of the Raleigh, North Carolina, cultural and arts
district is a new magnet school. This school—Moore Square
Museums Magnet Middle School—occupies a mere four
acres near downtown Raleigh, rather than going along with the
prevailing trend of big schools on big sites. The school’s build-
ing site was assembled from disused and blighted buildings,
and has been transformed into a fully equipped school with two
playing fields.

George Chapman, city of Raleigh planning director, revels in the
project’s glow. “The school has been well received in the neigh-
borhood: it has reached out to the community, and the commu-
nity has responded in kind.”

Nearly 500 students attend the magnet school in grades 6
through 8, many who applied specifically to attend this school.
The revitalized area is attracting new residents, new businesses,
and other redevelopment, all of which has helped to stabilize
the community. The school is within walking distance of a bus
center and close to cultural attractions and several neighbor-
hoods; it is a source of pride for students and residents. It has
also set a standard for building smaller schools that students
want to attend and re-invigorating neighborhoods.


smartGrowth
in the states

CALIFORNIA DELAWARE FLORIDA

Voters in the Los Angeles sub- The state of Delaware joined The The city of Dania Beach and Broward
urb of Inglewood rejected a bal- Nature Conservancy and The Conser- County are expected to enter into an agree-
lot measure that would have vation Fund to announce two land ment to fund redevelopment of the Dania
allowed the construction of a purchases that will lead to preserva- Beach downtown. This agreement repre-
new Wal-Mart store. The meas- tion of more than 1,150 acres of forest sents a change from how other Community
ure would have allowed the in Sussex County. The land, made up Redevelopment Agency (CRA) plans in the
construction of a new Wal-Mart of two tracts, was purchased from a county have been handled. For other CRAs,
SuperCenter without the nor- Pennsylvania lumber company for Broward County returns the increase in the
mal zoning, traffic, and envi- almost $14 million dollars. Plans for Community Redevelopment area’s growing
ronmental reviews. Opponents the land include reforesting with a tax base to the district for improvements.
of the measure, who won with mix of hardwood and evergreen trees The new agreement would allow Dania
61 percent of the vote, claimed and, eventually, limited public access Beach to apply for up-front funding for
the SuperCenter would hurt the and recreational use. Governor Ruth individual redevelopment projects in that
community by driving out small Ann Minner praised the purchase as zone. Broward County has set up a pool of
business and encouraging an example of her proposed “Green $10 million for several cities in need of
urban sprawl. Infrastructure” program, which seeks rejuvenation, including Dania Beach.
opportunities for state government to Improvements being considered by city
work with environmental groups to officials include adding cafés and other
preserve some of the state’s most retail establishments, better lighting, and
important natural habitats. reducing Dania Beach Boulevard by two
lanes to create a more intimate atmosphere.


IDAHO LOUISIANA MARYLAND

The Boise City Council voted unani- Three bills approved by the The Maryland General Assembly gave
mously to approve a transit plan Louisiana legislature relating to final approval to Governor Robert L.
designed to prevent traffic jams on coastal restoration and protection Ehrlich Jr.’s brownfields redevelop-
State Street, one of Boise’s main traf- were signed by Governor Kathleen ment reform bill. The program, devel-
fic corridors. The plan requires the Babineaux Blanco. House Bill 531 oped in 1997 and praised by the envi-
Ada County Highway Commission to authorizes use of police power to ronmental community, has lagged in
spend upward of $57 million over the protect the Louisiana coastline and recent years. Only 90 polluted proper-
next 20 years, and includes a widened specifies that compensation must be ties, averaging about 30 each year,
State Street of seven lanes, expanded paid “for property taken for public have been redeveloped to date.
bike lanes, landscaped medians and purposes related to coastal conserva- Changes to the brownfields program
detached sidewalks and pathways to tion, management, preservation, include streamlining the application
make the street more pedestrian- enhancement, creation, or restora- process, increasing the types of eligi-
friendly. The plan calls for the affected tion.” House Bill 766 provides that ble properties to include sites with oil
cities—Boise, Garden City, and state and political subdivisions shall contamination, shortening waits for
Eagle—to make sure their compre- be held harmless from any claims cleanup plan review from 120 days to
hensive plans allow for development relating to coastal restoration. 75 days, and shortening application
of mixed-use “nodes” that would per- Finally, Senate Bill 504 establishes a processing from 60 days to 45 days.
mit more people and better transit fund for coastal restoration projects. New public participation requirements
use. The bills are viewed as tools to pro- will make it easier for residents to
actively manage the coast and to comment on redevelopment proposals.
take steps to repair the coast once it
is harmed.


smartGrowth in the states (continued)

MASSACHUSETTS MONTANA NEW JERSEY

A $200 million redevelopment proj- Bozeman has embraced Smart Meadowlands planners are rolling
ect was recently announced on the Growth principles and will reject out a blueprint for a mixed-use
site of a failed mall in the city of “cookie-cutter” housing and hous- “transit village” that officials say
Worcester. The plan for the site, for- ing without parks and businesses, will transform 145 acres of ware-
mally known as the Worcester Com- according to its planning director. houses, trucking companies, and
mon Outlets, will include razing the Major development projects will be old dumps into a “classy” destina-
mall and building 900 housing required to have a central area, tion for residents willing to
units, 300,000 square feet of retail defined as some kind of commercial embrace a mass transit–friendly
space, a medical office building, core or a park. City planners are lifestyle. The Secaucus Transit
and a connection to the city’s com- calling for a return to “neighbor- Village Redevelopment Plan calls
muter rail stop. The site was devel- hood development,” consisting of for 1,850 residential units; a 500-
oped as a mall in 1971, but fell on sidewalks, trees, and safe routes to room hotel and conference center;
hard times in recent years due to school, all of which are found in and up to 750,000 square feet of
the influx of other shopping centers Bozeman’s oldest neighborhoods. restaurants, boutiques, coffee
in the area. Mall demolition is shops, professional offices, and
expected to begin in early next year, other commercial uses within a
with occupancy projected for 2007. short walk of the recently opened
Secaucus Junction railroad
station.


NORTH DAKOTA TEXAS UTAH

Bismarck began implementation of a By a slim majority, Houston resi- Work has started on the largest develop-
“Renaissance Zone” in late 2003. The dents approved a $7.5 billion ment project in Utah’s history. The
purpose of the Renaissance Zone, regional transit plan that will Daybreak project, a 4,126-acre commu-
enacted by the State Legislature in result in regionwide rail expan- nity to be built on land once contaminat-
1999, is to revitalize the business com- sion. Texas legislators are now ed by waste from an open-pit mining
munity, building structures, or both in a seeking federal matching funds, operation on the east slope of the
defined area of a municipality limited without which the project cannot Oquirrhs Mountains, will include a town
in size, in accordance with state law. proceed. Voters approved a $640 center, a school, 1,200 acres of parks, a
The goals for the Bismarck Renaissance million bond issuance that will lake, commercial space, and 13,000
Zone include establishing the Zone as pay for 22 of the projected 73 homes to be built over 15 years. The
a center of business life, government, miles of new light rail. The plan project comes after years of discussion
and cultural opportunity, promoting the also includes 44 new bus routes, by groups like Envision Utah about the
Zone as the preferred location for com- a doubling of HOV lanes, and concept of “walkable communities,”
mercial uses, maximizing the accessi- extension of the Metropolitan where residents can work, shop, live,
bility of the Zone, and upholding Transit Authority’s participation and play within a reasonably close area.
Bismarck’s heritage. Those who devel- in local road projects for another Eventually, the community will link to a
op projects in the Zone may be eligible five years. number of transportation options,
for exemptions from property and sales including a proposed Light Rail Spur,
taxes. the Mountain View Corridor, and walk-
ing and biking trails.

Compiled by Gerald L. Allen, NAR Government Affairs


On Common Ground: Summer 2004

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On Common Ground: Summer 2004