Regional Community Development News – June 3, 2011

1. Planning to Disaster: San Diego and California’s Sustainable Communities Strategies

San Diego metro area has been institutionalizing its boring reputation by undertaking in recent years what is arguably the most aggressive regional planning effort in the country. Enviros and “anti-sprawl” (read: anti-poor, anti-choice) 

types have fallen back in love with America’s Finest City over San Diego’s ease of meeting SB 375′s Sustainable Communities Strategies targets. Thanks to the members of the San Diego Assn of Govts (SANDAG), San Diegans can look forward to this whiter brighter future:

While the notion of efficiently coordinating transportation, housing, and commercial development across thousands of square miles and millions of people sounds daunting, officials in the San Diego area say that drafting the SCS was not nearly as difficult as it may be for other regions.

...

Overall, “anti-sprawl” forces are reducing quality of life and the costs are disproportionately borne by low-income minorities, which is what makes this leftist program so ironically terrible.

2.  Planning project to protect Mid North's natural assets - State News - Agribusiness and General - General - Stock Journal


MINISTER for Urban Development, Planning and the City of Adelaide John Rau says a new planning strategy to guide future development in the State’s Mid North will protect the region’s natural assets, while preparing for economic growth.


Formally adopting the plan, Mr Rau said the Mid North Region Plan addresses the significant change underway in the region.


The plan sets out land use arrangements that aim to ensure sustainable growth integrated with infrastructure planning.


“The mid north’s rich pastoral and mining heritage, mineral resources and growing alternative energy industry were key considerations in developing this plan,” Mr Rau said.


“The plan aims to ensure that the growth of industries is managed in a way that protects the region’s natural assets and provides new infrastructure and employment opportunities for the more than 13,000 additional residents expected to live in the area by 2036.”




3. Plans for regional South Australia - Government of South Australia
Housing, property and landBuilding and developmentSouth Australia's land supply and planning systemSouth Australia's land and development planning strategyPlans for regional South Australia


On this page: 


The plans for regional areas of the state Providing direction for land use and development More information about each of the regional plans The plans for regional areas of the state
The South Australian planning strategy includes plans for the following seven regional areas of the state in addition to The 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide: ...


4.  Chairman says TRPA bill must work out by end of weekend | TahoeDailyTribune.com


 Assemblywoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-Las Vegas, said Thursday the bill to withdraw Nevada from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency goes nowhere unless the parties work with her to find a compromise.


“If it's not done Saturday or Sunday morning, I'm not doing it,” she said. “I'm not going to ram and jam.”


Kirkpatrick said she wants to take Senate Bill 271 to a work session to try and figure out what to do with the legislation but that that will require those for and those against to work together.


“At least direct them to bring all the children into the play room,” she said.
Kirkpatrick said she will try one more time to get a bill that meets the needs of both sides.


She has now held two lengthy hearings on SB271, which would demand California agree to changes in the compact eliminating the rule requiring a majority of both states' members back a project to approve it and requiring the agency consider economic conditions in the basin in rewriting its regional plan.
...


5. Lee County planners lose jobs | The News-Press | news-press.com


Three top planners with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council are losing their jobs a week after Gov. Rick Scott vetoed funding for local planning councils statewide. ...


Ken Heatherington, the council's executive director, said the layoffs were a result of less funding from the state.


The council's budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year is about $4.2 million, with about $728,000 in revenue coming from federal, state and local grants.


Heatherington couldn't say if the positions would be refilled.
...
The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, created in 1973, comprises Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, Glades and Sarasota counties.


6. Does Capital Area Regional Planning Commission deserve to die? - Isthmus | The Daily Page


One of the last things Kathleen Falk did before stepping down as Dane County executive was write a letter (PDF) about an obscure body known as the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission.


Most of the county's 490,000 residents have probably never heard of this commission, let alone know what it does. But in wonky bureaucratic circles, the letter was nothing short of earthshaking. ...


Falk's letter proclaimed the commission a failure and asked that it be disbanded.


"Despite years of extraordinary effort by some...commissioners and staff, [the commission] has failed and continues to fail," she wrote on April 14, a few days before her successor, Joe Parisi, took office. "I respectfully suggest that we 


dissolve [the commission] as soon as possible — certainly before county taxpayers have to pay another $750,000 or more next year."


In an interview, Falk says she does not blame the commission's members but maintains "the institution is not doing its job."


7. University World News - SOUTHERN AFRICA: Call for a regional research fund

"Southern African universities have called for a regional fund to boost public sector research, which is considered critical to the ability of countries to innovate and develop economically. A detailed plan for a $100 million five-year fund was submitted to the continent's biggest higher education event, the biennial conference of the Association of African Universities, held at Stellenbosch University this week.

Piyushi Kotecha, CEO of the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA), proposed the research fund in a presentation on Thursday, joining other higher education stakeholders in the call but for the first time outlining how it might work. ...

8. Malaysia PM: Replace Cold War Bilateralism With Multilateralism

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Friday urged greater multilateral cooperation to tackle international security challenges, and called on Southeast Asian nations to establish a new regional body that will provide humanitarian aid during disasters.

"Today, China is our partner. The U.S. is also our partner....It is not about taking sides. We must replace the old bilateralism of the Cold War not with a new bilateralism but with a multilateralism that can rise to the task ahead," Najib 

said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international security conference in Singapore.

He added the challenges of the 21st century can be solved only through cooperation and integration, rather than forcing nations to "take sides." ...

A demonstration of this multilateralism can come through regional cooperation in providing humanitarian aid during disasters.

9. An insight into Postal Euromed | Post & Parcel

Earlier this year, The Postal Euromed General Assembly, held in Rome, saw the formal creation of the Postal Euromed union – a collection of Euro-Mediterranean based operators coming together in a bid to promote efficiency and growth across the region. ... questions to ... Dr Sherif Battisha, of Egypt Post & Stefano Gori, of Poste Italiane.

Please provide our readers with some background on Postal Euromed. Where did the idea originate? Is it the relaunch of an existing organisation that now has Universal Postal Union (UPU) status?

“This is not the relaunch of an existing organisation. The Postal Euromed General Assembly, held in Rome, saw the formal creation of the union of postal operators in the region. It is the latest step of a process that was launched at the inaugural Euromed Postal Conference which took place in Marseille in 2007.

“It is the concrete result of a common effort, under the UPU umbrella, of a grouping covering 14 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area ...

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Regional Community Development News – June 2, 2011

1. OPINION | Expanding transit for Minnesota | Twin Cities Daily Planet


Minnesota's major metropolitan region is a sprawling one—the country's 16th most populous. The region's transit system, while not the most expansive, is growing ...


The existing system's operations, however, have been targeted for significant budget cuts in the state legislature. A report from the Brookings Institution has revealed that access to jobs by transit needs significant improvement, which means that cuts to existing operations are not a step but a leap in the wrong direction.


The report, "Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America" examines the top 100 metropolitan areas and the 371 transit systems that serve those areas. Brookings found that while 70 percent of metropolitan residents have access to transit, only 30 percent of metropolitan jobs can be accessed on transit in 90 minutes. ...


The Twin Cities ranked 39th out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas for combined transit coverage and job access, ...



Compounding this problem is the fact that several major corporate campuses have either started in or moved to suburban locations. Best Buy is headquarted in Richfield, Imation is headquartered in Oakdale, and 3M is headquartered in Maplewood, having moved out of St. Paul.


The region's unrestrained geography puts it at a disadvantage to other cities where density was necessitated by geography. Honolulu and Denver epitomize this necessity, and both rank predictably well (first and sixth, respectively). The unrestrained geography, however, does not excuse the sprawl of the Twin Cities.

...

2. Carbondale trustees open to grocery bag fee | PostIndependent.com


Carbondale trustees may be inclined to join their counterparts in Basalt and Aspen in support of a possible fee, rather than an outright ban, on disposable plastic and paper shopping bags.


But the board also tended to agree with Community Office for Resource Efficiency advisors who believe a more regional approach to the issue may be best.


“One of the things we talked about with the Carbondale board and that has been evolving in our discussions is that this really lends itself to a regional collaboration,” said Jason Haber, energy program manager for CORE.


“There may be tweaks to fit the needs of each community,” he said. “But it's important to have a consistent approach throughout the valley, so shoppers aren't confused and so you're not creating competitive advantages and disadvantages between communities.”


...
Recently, representatives from Aspen to Carbondale have been meeting to discuss a valley-wide “Waste-Free Roaring Fork” initiative.


...


3. Think-tank sets up northern task force-Regeneration & Renewal


A commission to examine ways of boosting the north of England's economy is being set up in a bid to fill the gap left by the demise of economic development body the Northern Way and the regional development agencies (RDAs).
Think-tank the Institute for Public Policy (IPPR) North will establish the Northern Economic Futures Commission later this month. ...


The Northern Way partnership was formed in 2004 by the RDAs for the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber. It closed in March...but a report it commissioned from consultancy SQW last month warned that its closure leaves a "vacuum" that could hinder economic development in the north.


IPPR North director Ed Cox said there was an economic logic to switching to a more local approach to economic development. But he added that there is a risk that the local enterprise partnerships that are intended to replace the RDAs could prove too small to be effective on key issues such as investment and strategic planning.
...


4. Communist Party mulls tithe to pay for regional development - GlobalTimes


Party members could be asked to pay 10 percent extra on their annual membership fees to help revitalize the struggling economies of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, the Economic Observer reported on Thursday.


A draft development plan completed its final round of consultation in Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province, on May 26, and now awaits final State Council approval, the Shandong Province, Ji'nan-based newspaper reported.


"I never heard of a special Communist Party fee of this kind in the history of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," Liu Zonghong, director of the History Teaching and Research Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Party School, told the Global Times.


If approved, all CPC members will pay the special fee for 10 years in a gesture toward the revolutionary bases of support for the Party during the final phase of the Chinese Civil War (1945-49).
....


5. Delaware County gets rebate check from PECO - delcotimes.com


PECO representatives presented Delaware County Council with a $274,255 rebate check Tuesday morning for energy conservation efforts.


County Councilman Thomas McGarrigle said under the Pennsylvania Guaranteed Energy Savings Act, the county was allowed to update facilities with energy-efficient lighting, energy management controls and other equipment, which yielded reductions of a 20-25 percent in energy use and costs.
...
In 2009, the county received about $3.7 million in energy efficiency and conservation funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The federal stimulus funds are being used on several projects.


The projects include the installation of solar panels on the county Government Center.
...


The stimulus money is also going toward incentives to county employees who use public transportation. The TransitChek program is being administered by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, according to Pickett.
...


6. Regional plan proposal seeks feedback - Vauxhall Advance


Albertans are being asked for their input on the recommendations from an advisory council for the Southern Alberta Regional Plan, under the Land-use Framework.
Based on the province’s watershed regions, specific land-use plans are currently being developed around the province.


In the southern Alberta region, the plan refers to the watershed of the South Saskatchewan River, and is therefore known as the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan.


Little Bow MLA Barry McFarland suggested if people have concerns about the recommendations made by the South Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Council, now is the time to express those concerns.


“I think it’s something that, according to people that have been opposed to this whole regional planning concept, the Land-use Framework — the ministers have been saying all along that it’s going to take time, and that we’re going to seek public input. ...


7. Knight promotes Alberta’s long-term plans to balance economic development and conservation | Canada Views


Responsible energy practices that balance the impact of development with social and environmental objectives are a priority of the Alberta government and will be the focus of Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight’s mission to three Midwest U.S. states.


Knight will be in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana ... 17th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management taking place in Madison, Wisconsin. The minister will provide information about Alberta’s ongoing work, through regional planning and other provincial initiatives, to manage the cumulative effects of development on the air, land, water and biodiversity.


“Through the Land-use Framework and other initiatives, Alberta is taking a new and comprehensive approach to managing growth pressures on the landscape,” said Knight. “We must take advantage of opportunities to tell our story – Alberta will develop its resources responsibly and in a way that balances development and conservation over the long-term.”
...


8. 16,000 homes for 32,000-plus people - Tampa Bay Online


...
The Quarry Preserve, Lake Hideaway, Sunrise and Hickory Hill are projected to have a combined 16,050 homes at build-out. Figuring at least two people per household, the number is over 32,000 residents.



These mini-towns will also include: 425,000 square feet of retail space, 850,000 square feet of business parks and 795,000 square feet of commercial activity.

...
Manager of Economic Development Mike McHugh said people may view the people behind these projects as crazy right now, given the bad economy and the icy housing market.


But he said these developers want to lay the groundwork for the future because they know the economy will rebound and people will again flock to Florida and Hernando County.
...
"These projects will move forward in phases (and) the timing and the phasing of them will be dictated by demand," McHugh said.


Because of their size, they are termed "developments of regional impact," and must jump through more local and state agency hoops than smaller projects.


Not only must the county planning and zoning commission give them the once-over, they must also pass muster with the Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council and the Florida Department of Community Affairs, which must make sure they are consistent with the county's comprehensive plan.
...


9. Cala Homes ruling spells further planning paralysis | Magazine News | Building - UK


Experts have predicted a deepening paralysis in the planning system after an appeal court ruling this week that leaves councils unable to take into account proposed changes to the system when drawing up development plans.
...


The news follows an unsuccessful High Court appeal by Cala Homes against the government’s plans to scrap regional spatial strategies (RSS). The government’s plan has resulted in councils scrapping at least 220,000 homes since the coalition took office.


Despite rejecting the appeal, the three judges found that councils should only take account of the proposed scrapping of the regional plans, which contain housing targets, when making planning decisions “in extreme circumstances”. They also said councils should have no regard to the proposals when drawing up new development documents.


10. Tahoe Compact under fire in Assembly committee - San Jose Mercury News


Opponents to a bill that could pave the way for Nevada to exit the Tahoe Regional Planning agency told lawmakers Thursday that they are rethinking the move.


The new supporters told the Assembly Government Affairs Committee that SB271 may be the "hammer"— the description of choice of chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas—to get the agency that oversees environmental protection and development in the Lake Tahoe Basin a much-needed push to update regulations and standards and improve dialogue with California.


No action was taken on the bill that has already cleared the Senate and could pave the way for Nevada to withdraw from the bi-state compact created by Congress in 1969. Any changes would need congressional and California approval. ...


Nick Vassiliadis, a lobbyist for Lake Tahoe Gaming Alliance, said small projects are frequent talking points because they represent a bigger problem.



Supporters include Leo Drozdoff, director of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "We can't replace what TRPA does," Drozdoff said, but added the bill my force the agency to focus on its mission.


"Maybe they need to move away from being the lake police and being more of a planning agency," he said. Drozdoff said he supported the version because it provides the right amount of pressure and the time to make a reasoned decision about staying or leaving the bi-state agreement.


"If we can't figure that out in six years then I think it's time for a different discussion." 
... 



11. Tea Party Against Government Mandated Sustainability - NBC29


The use of the word sustainability has the Jefferson Area Tea Party calling foul. They say it has been hijacked to push a radical political agenda and they are calling on Charlottesville and Albemarle County to renounce it.


The tea party says they are all for sustainability and environmentalism as long as it isn't government mandated. But they say that is exactly what is going on in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.


In a press conference Thursday afternoon, tea party leaders said Albemarle County's participation in several groups should end. Those include the Cool Counties Initiative as well as their involvement in ICLEI - an international cooperation of city and county governments.


They also take issue with the county and Charlottesville's acceptance of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to facilitate better regional planning.


... "We are concerned that environmentalism in this case is being used ... to hide a greater agenda,


12. Lake Erie wind project embraces regionalism with revenue sharing agreement | cleveland.com


Lake Erie’s offshore wind project took a giant leap toward regionalism last week with an agreement to share revenue associated with submerged land leases across four counties. ..
John Kohlstrand, a spokesperson for Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, said the revenue-sharing agreement sets a precedent for the project as it grows. ...
the goal is to erect about 250 turbines.


“When other land leases are reached for turbines that may be built in the future, this sets an example for the other projects that may not be located in Cuyahoga County,” Kohlstrand said. “The benefit here is by everyone working together, these multiple counties wouldn’t be feuding over the wind turbines.”


Initially, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will receive half of the revenue from the leases for the underwater transmission lines, and the other half will be split across the four counties.
“If we were going to be a truly regional collaborative effort, there had to be some gain for everyone,” ...


13. Ice melt to close off Arctic's interior riches: study | Reuters


Higher temperatures have already led to lower summer sea ice levels in the Arctic and the melting has the potential to increase access for fishermen, tourists and oil and natural gas developers to coastal regions in coming decades.


The melting has also led to hopes that shorter Arctic shipping routes between China and Europe will open.


The Arctic is increasingly a region of deep strategic importance to the United States, Russia and China for its undiscovered resource riches and the potential for new shipping lanes. The U.S. Geological Survey says that 25 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and natural gas lies in the Arctic.


But the warming also will likely melt so-called "ice roads", the temporary winter roads developers now use to access far inland northern resources such as timber, diamonds and minerals, according to a study published on Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change.
...
All eight countries that border the Arctic -- Canada, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States -- are expected to experience declines in winter-road land accessibility.
...


14. New executive director moves past probationary period - Tiffin, Ohio - The Advertiser-Tribune

Seneca Regional Planning Commission decided to bring the executive director up to full pay Wednesday evening.

During a meeting, the commission approved bringing Executive Director Jill Griffin's pay up to $50,000, the full pay for the position, following a probationary period where her pay was $46,000.

The recommendation came from the executive committee, the members of which determined she had met their criteria during a recent evaluation. Commission President Jim Boroff said he does not plan a raise for Griffin in the near future.

"She has progressed in the eyes of the executive committee," said Boroff, mayor of Tiffin. "We are really delighted with what she has been doing. ... She is doing far better than we anticipated."

...

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Regional Community Development News – June 1, 2011

1.  Study To See If Townships, Borough Can All Prosper | The Sanatoga Post


How does Lower Pottsgrove- or any one of the seven townships surrounding the borough of Pottstown PA – encourage economic development inside its borders without, at the same time, competing against the borough itself? The Pottstown Metropolitan Regional Planning Committee hopes to find out from a “regional market assessment and fiscal impact study” due to get started this month (June 2011).

The study has been a discussion topic for months among members of the committee – Lower Pottsgrove is represented there by township Assistant Manager Alyson Elliot – and various groups at the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) in Philadelphia. The commission recently agreed to pay for the research as part of its amended 2012 budget.

The committee also consists of Pottstown, East Coventry, North Coventry, Douglass, Upper Pottsgrove, West Pottsgrove, and New Hanover townships. All want to see their municipalities prosper. All want their commercial tax bases to grow. ...


2.  Regional economic development gains new support - The Prescott Daily Courier - Prescott, Arizona


Town government officials are trying to revive regional cooperation on economic development.

Regional cooperation began in 1986 when representatives from the private sector and elected officials from Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley formed the Prescott Area Economic Development Corp. It helped to bring Printpack and the Ace Hardware distribution center to Prescott Valley, according to a memo from Greg Fister, economic development manager.

However, the corporation ran out of money within a few years and folded in the mid-1990s.

Regional cooperation has its supporters in Prescott Valley and other nearby communities. They argue that their communities benefit - even if a plant locates elsewhere - because the plant will hire employees who live in their municipalities.


3.  How is your LEP? - Lexology
...

The absence of direct funding for day-to-day running costs, let alone capital and revenue projects, means that the LEPs will function in a very different way to the regional development agencies (RDAs) in the past. As the RDAs wind down, some LEPs are hoping that their local authority members will acquire RDA-held strategic property assets for the future delivery of some development projects, and even take on RDA staff. Many LEPs are operating at present with the "loan" of key personnel, seconded for several days a month, to establish the new LEPs' activities. The initial LEP capacity fund will not stretch as far as the calls on it from LEPs, to develop action plans and priorities, so the recent announcement of an LEP start-up fund of £5million will be welcomed by many. LEPs need to show that they are capable of being self-sustaining in the near future and, indeed, that they are capable of delivering the ambitions of their prospectuses submitted to central government.

...


4.  Vancouver-area mayors race to avoid another delay to Evergreen Line - The Globe and Mail


Metropolitan Vancouver mayors are scrambling to avert a threatened one-year delay in the saga of the region’s most-delayed transit line in history.

Their reactions come in the wake of a surprise statement by the province’s new Transportation Minister this week that he doesn’t expect the line to be finished until 2015 because Metro Vancouver mayors haven’t come up with a funding plan.

But there isn’t a united approach among the mayors as they try to get the project started this year in order to see it finished by 2014, as planned.

...

The fragile truce between the region and the province on how to come up with $400-million locally for the line was shredded Monday when Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom said during legislative debates that he didn’t expect the line to be completed until late 2015. He also blamed regional mayors for not coming up with a solution over the past six months.
...


5.  Trail towns: Rebranding Northern Michigan as a recreation hotspot - petoskeynews.com


Tourists heading to the Northern Lower Peninsula in the future will be able to find even the most remote recreational trails and destinations, if a project involving dozens of organizations comes to fruition.

The "Regional Asset Collaboration Project" -- as it is being called for now -- is a patchwork of nonprofit organizations, local governments and government agencies which are brainstorming ways to market recreational tourism assets in Northern Michigan, like the more than 200 miles of interconnecting trails and the 40-mile Inland Waterway, to a broad national audience.

Spearheading the marketing initiative are the Land Information Access Association, Top of Michigan Trails Council, Northwest Michigan Council of Governments and Northeast Michigan Council of Governments, which combine to represent an 18-county geographical area.

"The first phase for us would be to develop a draft website with a map of the trails in the region," ... Cheboygan County community development director.


6.  El Defensor Chieftain: Fighting for their (water) rights


Catron County Commissioner Richard McGuire ... discussed some of the difficulties of regulating water rights.

It's a complex issue, he said, involving water planning occurring at the federal, interstate, state and local levels — each with their own sets of values, regulations and history.

To complicate matters, Catron County contains more than one water basin and planning region. ...

"Catron County must deal with legislation, regulation and planning on the federal level, as well as that of several states besides New Mexico's, plus the southwest New Mexico planning region, before it even begins looking at local planning," he said.
...

"A well crafted ordinance will acknowledge the primacy of federal, state and regional water planning, while paving the way for maximum protection of local water for local users," ...




7.  3 Questions: Amy Glasmeier on rebuilding after disaster hits


The recent series of tornados and floods in America has severely damaged many communities, from the Midwest to the South, and left them with enormous rebuilding tasks. Amy Glasmeier, head of MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, is a leading expert on regional and local economies in the United States, and on regional economic planning. MIT News spoke to her about the reconstruction challenges that lie ahead.

Q. Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., have both suffered catastrophic tornado damage this spring. These two cities have different economic histories: Joplin has been a mining hub, while Tuscaloosa has had a more diversified economy and a major university. Still, beyond the immediate, visible aspects of these tragedies, what are the common long-term dangers these cities face, in terms of sustaining economic activity?

A. Economic problems will emerge to the extent that the local economy is tied to trade and transportation. If the infrastructure is compromised, ...


8. Housing secretary praises Utah growth vision | The Salt Lake Tribune


"Salt Lake City has not only been a leader, it’s also been a model for the entire nation" in turning around such areas with smart planning, Donovan said a few minutes later at a celebration at the Rio Grande train station.

He and local leaders held that event to mark the beginning of implementing the "Wasatch Choice for 2040," a regional plan developed by local governments to guide future growth. The event also celebrated a recent $5 million HUD grant to assist in planning and attracting new development around mass transit stops.

"I saw with my own eyes how the $5 million we are investing … is going to help link affordable housing to jobs and transportation" and create economic growth along TRAX, FrontRunner and streetcar lines, Donovan said.


...


9.  Sun editorial: Unity, not ultimatums, will help the lake | SierraSun.com


Nevada's latest iteration of a bill that threatens the state's withdrawal from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency does little to build the consensus and community needed to truly improve the lake's quality or the quality of life for those who live and play here.

Although the current bill is more well thought-out than the previous version, it still continues to perpetuate a perceived divide at Lake Tahoe. The new bill pits Nevada against California, and Nevada against Congress, in a political move with unknown results.

It's not that the bistate compact that brought California and Nevada together to protect Lake Tahoe doesn't need a once-over — or that the agency that was created by that compact doesn't need some overhauling. It's that both of those goals could be accomplished more successfully with Nevada and California's lawmakers working together.

The Nevada Assembly should reject Senate Bill 271.


Nevada has made its point ...


10. What should be next for brewery site? Public packs meeting to share ideas - Local Highlight - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington


Apartments. A museum. A state-of-the-art aquatic center.

Those were just some of the ideas kicked around Tuesday night during a packed public meeting as part of the community visioning project for the former Olympia Brewery site.

The City of Tumwater, the Thurston Regional Planning Council and Lorig Associates – the Seattle-based consulting firm paid $90,000 to run the project – held the meeting at Tumwater Valley Lodge to gather input as they work to develop a game plan for three sections of the 170-acre site that houses more than 10 buildings.

After receiving an overview of the project and site, people in the standing-room-only crowd wrote down what they want to see at the site before breaking into small groups for more discussion.

All the ideas, visions and questions received Tuesday provide a foundation for what the community envisions. ...




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