Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

SPEAKOUT: Revisiting metro growth limits

By Rick Garcia

Published April 11, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

Text size  

More Speakout

More stories »

Rising gas prices, unpredictable oil supplies, and looming threats of diminishing oil reserves and climate change top today's headlines. Mayor John Hickenlooper is committed to a greener Denver, and Gov. Bill Ritter is calling for a new energy economy for Colorado.

A bill in this legislative session would have established new efficiency and performance goals for transportation projects by combining investments, incentives and land use to reduce the miles we drive. Many local elected officials are responding by looking for improved ways to think and plan regionally.

The Denver Regional Council of Governments is, too, and has been for quite some time.

More than 10 years ago, DRCOG adopted an innovative plan for regional growth that metro areas across the country and around the world still look to as a successful model. The plan, Metro Vision, calls for most of the region's growth between now and 2035 to occur within a defined area - an urban growth boundary.

DRCOG forecasts 1.5 million additional residents and more than 900,000 new jobs in the region by 2035. The urban growth boundary was recently enlarged to accommodate several local jurisdictions' requests to meet their development needs toward 2035. DRCOG is once again challenged to re-evaluate its urban growth boundary practices as either one of regional growth containment or growth staging.

The early framers envisioned a growth boundary, currently set at 921 square miles, resulting in a more cost-efficient approach to approve funding for roadways, transit, water and sewer services throughout the region.

The DRCOG-approved Metro Vision goal of compact development also reduces driving distances and improves air quality by concentrating jobs and services, and stimulating infill development. The urban growth boundary allows us to preserve open land outside the boundary.

Many communities across the United States use various mechanisms to manage urban growth. DRCOG's plan is a bottom-up approach - it starts at the local government level and, amazingly, it's voluntary and has been a respected tool among the planning and private development communities.

The success of this approach is evidenced by the region's elected leaders showing their consensus on Metro Vision by updating it three times since its initial adoption.

Regional collaboration on the issues of who grows and how has not always been easy. Like many of our member governments, the urban growth boundary has experienced growing pains. The DRCOG board's recent decision to modestly expand the growth boundary by 21.8 square miles as part of the 2035 plan update generated controversy and debate, and left some asking, "Why have a defined growth area if it can be encroached upon routinely by local development pressures?"

Ultimately, however, our regional leadership is united in supporting the principles of sustainability that underlie Metro Vision and the urban growth boundary concept.

That's why I convened a group of DRCOG board members to review the entire growth boundary process over the next few months. The group will likely make recommendations to the full DRCOG board to adjust the future process to better meet and manage the current diverse growth and development needs of the Denver metro region. The working group will revisit the intent of the urban growth boundary and either strengthen or alter the mechanics of how our region stages future growth.

We remain committed to the growth boundary as a tool for promoting sustainable growth. It provides a blueprint to take us into the future as we maintain and enhance the internationally renowned quality of life that makes the Denver region such an inviting place to raise a family, do business and thrive.

Denver City Council member Rick Garcia served as chair of DRCOG during 2007. He has represented Denver on the DRCOG Board of Directors for nearly five years.

Comments

  • April 11, 2008

    12:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    jjez writes:

    The only real way to limit growth is to limit births. And do we really want to be like China? Growth is sadly inevitable. Why not do something to restrict the sprawl? Leave open space for our children's children. A place for wildlife. What really needs to be done is to stop building 300,000 sf houses for two people! Make better use of the land we have within the boundry. Build more multi-family affordable housing instead of McMansions for two. Use what resources we have more wisely.

  • April 11, 2008

    5:10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    greenleaf writes:

    Squatch,

    You didn't even read the article did you?
    Yourturning into a one trick pony, buddy!