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| Matthew B.
Ackerman, LEED AIA |
| Jeffrey L.
Zucker, LEED AIA |
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At
A Crossroads…
My recent work as chair of the Yavapai County
Sustainable Planning Committee (YCSPC) has been both an honor– and a
challenge.
It's been such an honor to be able to contribute at this time of
unprecedented 'openness' by our county officials and staff to consider
such progressive concepts. It's also been a personal challenge
for me, in that the scope of the specific proposal our committee has
prepared so far (the Residential Conservation Subdivision– an
essentially voluntary measure) seems like such a drop-in-the-bucket,
given the breadth and gravity of the issues we're facing.
I've understood my role within the YCSPC as two-fold: first to identify
the range of issues that must be considered for genuine "sustainable"
planning, and secondly, to provide a vision of what this might look
like. For the participating county staffs' part, their role has
been to essentially translate the sustainable planning concepts I've
proposed into a definable, and defendable, legal instrument.
Culminating months of effort, our committee made a presentation [2mb .pdf]
last week before a joint session of the County Supervisors. I
closed my part with the following statement:
We
stand at a crossroads here in Yavapai County. While the
introduction of the Residential Conservation Subdivision (a voluntary
zoning device) is a
good first step– I do believe much more will be needed.
 The growth
figures projected for our County are daunting. Even if we
see only a fraction of that in the upcoming years, the fact remains
that unless we're willing to take a good look at our current planning
practices,
and the legal structures that support them, we will, by default– be
planning for
more sprawl.
It
is my personal belief, that some of the concepts I've introduced to the
Sustainable Planning Committee
(particularly with respect to water) will need to be more than
just voluntary, if we truly intend to become sustainable.
I
am so encouraged by the receptivity being shown by you all to
consider these ideas, and hope that with your ongoing support, the
Sustainable Planning Committee will be able to continue our
work to address the full range of issues needed, if we hope to avoid to
the less-than-thoughtful growth that's now knocking on our front door.
We
have an opportunity to either choose sprawl, by choosing not to
act, or to step up to the plate, do the work, and be able to live in
this "Garden
of Eden" that the County still is… and can remain.
I was heartened by the spontaneous applause that followed my closing
remarks. Let's hope that this same enthusiasm can be translated
into real change here in Yavapai County.
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CATALYST
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