Transcript The Rural/Urban Interface of Stockton, California

The Rural/Urban Interface
of Stockton, California
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs and data provided in this presentation are solely the property
and responsibility of Richard Chabot. Photographs and data (unless otherwise noted) are current for
2005. Any comments on this presentation should be addressed to Dr. Chabot at:
[email protected].
You’ve Heard This Before. . .
• California is the most populous and the
fastest growing state in the U.S.
• From 36 million people today, we are
projected to be home to more than 50
million people by the year 2040.
• One impact of this population growth is the
expansion of urban boundaries into rural
areas, farming communities, and animal
habitats.
Farming in California
• Agriculture is
unquestionably
California’s greatest
asset, economically and
culturally
• Yet this map provided by
the American Farmland
Trust shows prime
farmland to be in extreme
danger of development
www.farmland.org
(Stockton is located here)
The California Department of
Conservation estimates that 19,000
acres of land in only five counties
(Fresno, Kings, Merced, Madera, and
Tulare) were converted from
farmland or grazing land to nonagricultural uses between 2002 and
2004. This equals an average of
nearly 26 acres a day.
While devastating for California
farms and our agricultural future, we
must also concern ourselves with the
types of communities this
development is creating
Statewide urban development marginally increased since 1998-2000, but
continued its inland encroachment. The San Joaquin Valley’s
urbanization rate increased more than 75% in 2000-2002.
California Division of Natural Resource Protection
http://www.consrv.ca.gov
The above developments are provided by, among others, Spanos and Grupe Developers in Stockton, CA.
“Urban land expanded by 92,750 acres during the 2002 mapping cycle, with nearly 25% occurring in the
San Joaquin Valley. The inland empire counties (Riverside and San Bernardino) and the six-county
Sacramento metropolitan area accounted for 22% and 14%, respectively, of the statewide total. Land
idling, ecological restoration, rural residential development, and mining operations also effected downward
pressure on the agricultural total. Partially countering the decreases were new orchard plantings in foothill
areas and a resurgence of carrot and potato cropping in the Antelope Valley (Los Angeles County). The net
decrease in irrigated farmland, 53,963 acres, was dominated by losses to Prime Farmland (47,172 acres)
during the two-year period.”
California Division of Natural Resource Protection
San Joaquin County, California
http://www.sjpnet.org/
Population: 650,000
– Agriculture used
to be the county’s
economic mainstay
• $1.5+ billion in 2004
– Construction has now
surpassed this
• $1.7+ billion
The land for this development used to provide
strawberries to the people of Stockton
San Joaquin County
Median Family Income: $46,919
Median home-sales prices
have been climbing. In
spring 2006, the median
home price for San Joaquin
County was $421,000 and
$364,000 in Stockton.
(According to figures from the latest
TrendGraphix survey)
Prices have been going down in a softened
housing market, but plans for future growth
remain. None of the developers are selling
out to farming co-ops or turning their
riverfront properties into parkland.
Stockton, CA
• Stockton 2006
– 280,000 people and in
2004 ranked 5th fastest
growing city in the
nation (#1 in CA!)
– Once known for crime
and boredom
– Now nationally known
for high housing prices
and a construction
boom
– This photograph
shows the sign of the
times
Population in San Joaquin County and Stockton proper has boomed ,
some would say uncontrollably, especially over the last four years
Population Growth Since 1980
700,000
649,868
600,000
563,598
500,000
San Joaquin
480,628
Stockton
400,000
347,342
300,000
210,943
200,000
243,771
279,888
149,779
100,000
0
1980
1990
2000
2004
Cities Rule
http://www.westplanning.com/docs/stockton/documents.htm#maps
“In California, virtually all land-use
planning and permitting powers are
delegated to cities (inside their
boundaries) and counties (in
unincorporated areas). Although
these local governments are
required to engage in
comprehensive land-use planning
efforts, there is no requirement
that they coordinate their efforts
on a regional or sub-regional
level. Each city and county is
permitted to pursue its own landuse planning and permit efforts
independently.” (p. 4)
Quoted from the Public Policy
Institute of California publication
Urban Development Futures in the
San Joaquin Valley (2005)
Photograph shows construction
of a new part of Frontage Road,
near Hammer and Hwy 99, in
part of the Oregoni cherry/walnut orchard
.
Spring
2005
•Traffic at the intersection of Hammer and Hwy 99
• Stockton, like other
valley cities, has
grown with the influx
of workers from
Sacramento or the
Bay Area looking for
cheaper housing
• The city doesn’t mind
the growth; the
construction provides
great tax revenues
• Long term residents
are less enthusiastic
Change comes
quickly to a cherry
orchard at Hammer
and Hwy 99
Spring 2005
This shows the start of a new
interchange that will widen an
overpass as well as the on- and
off-ramps for motorists in
Northeast Stockton.
With the recent addition of a Super
WalMart, Lowes, and new housing
subdivisions, longtime local
residents are unsure whether to
cheer a wider better road system to
handle the heavy increase in traffic
or cry for the loss of surrounding
orchards and farmland.
For more information on highway
“improvements” in the area, go to
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist10/stip_shopp
e_maps/San_Jo_%20Stip%20copy.pdf
Spring 2006
What does the scream of a cherry tree sound like?
This will be part of the new Highway 99
interchange discussed in the previous slide.
Morada, CA
Once located on the
far edge of the city,
this community is
soon to be overrun by
Stockton’s growth.
This farmland is just around the corner from the cherry orchard pictured
on the previous slide. It was recently “acquired” from San Joaquin
County by the City of Stockton and is soon to be home to approximately
2,100 new houses. Residents of Morada question the wisdom of such
growth when tax revenues are placed above community cohesiveness
and sound urban planning practices.
The southern tip of Morada with endangered cherry
orchards and fields, soon to be a 2100 mass of
homes and commercial space serving the
City of Stockton
(See next slide)
Highway 99
Cherry Orchard
Productive Field
Hammer Lane
Another Cherry
Orchard
What the City of Stockton Envisions. . .
replacing those cherry trees and fields with a
“village”
In their words, this will be. . .
•A walkable, comfortable and
interconnected community that is easy to
get around
•An interesting, distinctive and visually
appealing place to call home
•A community that is functional
convenient and offers more than just the
“basics”
For more visit
http://www.stocktongov.com/CD/PlanningDivision.cfm
The people of Morada have been very
vocal in their opposition to this prettified
rendition of tomorrow’s urban reality
(drawn by the Dahlin Group)
Residents to the south of this
development are also beginning to stand
up and say no.
Farms and orchards throughout the valley are being broken up and sold as
housing lots. The eastern edge of Morada (just down the street and across
from the farm shown in the previous slide) is witness to this phenomenon.
Any guess as to how much these empty, barren 2-acre lots are going for?
Each of these 2-acre lots is going
for well above $500,000.00. No,
that’s not a typo.
Yes, just the empty lot.
There are five 2-acre
sites available here
Small farms are often split up into 2 to 5 acre lots, allowing buyers
to build large sprawling homes on their estates or pretend they are
“gentleman farmers.” Reality being what it is, most of what is built
in California is “the box” on tiny lots.
Robert Frost would not be happy. . .
Walls are a common part of new
developments. Even along twoland side-streets, the new homes
are walled-off from existing
developments. You can walk
miles down quiet side streets and
never see more than the roof of a
house and entrance (only rarely
gated) to the cookie-cutter but
cutely* named subdivision.
Note that even on very wide twolane side streets lining the walls,
parking is not allowed.
* Oak Grove, Lone Meadows, Hesperion, Cinnamon Bar, etc.
On the northern edge of Morada, a new walled-off housing
“community” grows in the middle of a field.
Morada Market
A small, family run business and an important part of the Morada
community. For more on Morada, contact http://www.moradacal.com/
While more people could mean more business for the market,
the sprawl of Stockton has also brought in a Super Wal-Mart and
another national grocery chain claiming 11 acres of farmland down
the street. If you hate big boxes, try visiting this site: http://www.sprawlbusters.com/victoryz.html
This cherry orchard is located at the newly expanded east
end of March Lane. The end of the road, like the edge of
this new subdivision, is only temporary. Plans are
underway to “punch through” the orchard and link this main
thoroughfare with Highway 99
One of the perks of living in Stockton is the fresh fruit
and produce. The Oregoni family staff their own
roadside cherry stand near the corner of Hammer and
Highway 99. The following slide shows the same
location as spring 2005 turns to summer.
A few weeks after the photo in the previous slide was
taken, construction began in earnest to replace much of
the Oregoni cherry/walnut orchard with highway access
roads and commercial development
Spring 2005
Another part of the Oregoni orchard making way for another
access road and more square feet of commercial space. This
particular (soon to be) road is located just behind the Home
Depot on Hammer near Highway 99.
Just across the street from the previous photograph are
new homes and, of course, commercial space.
Part of the Oregoni orchards has been taken over by a large high
school, newly opened and attended by approximately 1800 students.
Although the school pictured in
the previous slide is vital to the
community and its children, John
Oregoni worries that the rights of
the students will outweigh his
right to care for and harvest from
a large portion of the remaining
orchard.
The Oregonis have largely come
to accept the inevitable paving of
their family heritage, trying to
maintain some control over what
does happen to the land while
investing in orchards further
from the reach of the City of
Stockton.
Another high school being built on West Avenue near
Eight Mile Road. A middle school is soon to follow.
These facilities are coming too slow to meet Stockton’s
growing population, yet it’s the surrounding farmland
that suffers as it disappears under the pavement.
Eight Mile Road
Grapes, corn, strawberries,
and alfalfa are common sights
driving down Eight Mile Road
For Sale signs seem to be
the latest money crop
Eight Mile Road is a dividing line north of Stockton,
a two-lane corridor that used to pass through
endless fields of corn and grapes, separating the
town of Lodi from Stockton.
No more. Here we see the beginning of a
widening of Eight Mile Road into an eight lane
super-conductor for trucks and commuters.
A major industrial development and housing
complex is planned for this area of Eight Mile
Road near Highway 99
This old cannery, a
Stockton landmark,
used to provide
hundreds of fulltime and seasonal
jobs tied to our
agricultural
heritage.
More of the future on Eight Mile Road
Signs of the times in rural Stockton.
A crop of hay
turns into a crop of houses
This road connecting Stockton and Lodi is being widened in
response to the increased traffic between the two cities.
The present greenbelt that separates these two urban
areas will probably be nonexistent in twenty years.
The Eastern end of Eight Mile
Road, as it crosses Highway
99, is already coming under
the bulldozer rather than the
plow. Apart from the continued
loss of high-quality farmland,
the homes, gas-stations, and
strip-malls that will cover this
land will also affect the
previously isolated community
of Morada that is just across
the (for now) two lane
overpass.
Northwest Stockton, showing areas for development now and
into the future near I-5 and the west end of 8-Mile Road
This area is now fully
developed with superstores and condos. The
growth continues to
expand outwards into the
delta, farmland, and
existing communities.
I-5
Eight Mile Road
At the west end of Eight
Mile Road, just south of
the previous slide, a
newly proposed
development will
continue this expansion
of Stockton into what is
presently 1300 acres of
farms and wetlands.
This includes more than
7,500 housing units as
well as retail and office
space.
Just North of the Spanos Site, At
Hammer Lane and Interstate 5
• In May 2005, Grupe
announced plans to
develop the 1,700-acre
Shima Tract, a Delta
island west of Interstate
5 at Hammer Lane, into
a 7,000-home
community. The $3
billion project is planned
to unfold over the next
18 years.
This is just south of the previous two slides
South and West of Stockton
. . .are bedroom communities sprouting up to serve the
San Francisco/Bay Area
• Situated on prime
farmland, the new
homes will serve the
needs of local valley
residents as well as
Bay Area commuters.
The homes are large,
upscale, and too
expensive for the
local median wage
earner.
Lathrop . . .
Just south of Stockton
Housing developments
totaling more than ten
thousand homes are
replacing agricultural
land along river-front
property.
Further developments are
expected until
something finally floods
or profits fall
Mossdale Landing
A New Master-Planned, Riverside Community in Lathrop, California
(As you saw in the previous slide, more are on the way)
This agricultural floodplain is slowly
being filled in by new homes
A 300,000 sq. ft. commercial center
is planned for this corner of the
pictured housing development.
Map, logo, and homes courtesy
of Pacific Union Homes, among others
As of 2006,
Lathrop is growing
faster than
Stockton.
Many of these new
residents are
commuters to the
Bay Area.
This graph is from the Stockton
Record
Are these photos of disappearing farmland or a robust economy?
• Just a mile down the road
(closer to SF) from the
previous photographs sits
farmland on the edge, still
producing but awaiting its
inevitable fate.
At the I-5/205 cutoff to
SF, developers have
plans for thousands more
homes and some
commercial development
to cover this historic
riverfront floodplain.
South and to the East of Stockton:
Prime farmland along Highway 4
A public ballot measure approved the commercial
and residential development of a large chunk of
agricultural land between Hwy. 4 and Mariposa Rd.
This slide shows land at the Highway 4
and Highway 99 interchange, ready for
commercial development.
This farmland further east up Highway 4
is considered by the City of Stockton as a
perfect place for new homes, but
plans have not been finalized..
Just south of Hwy. 4
more development is planned,
but without thought of it’s
impact on existing businesses
and activities.
Here, 2500 residential units are
to be built, some just under a
landing pathway for jets using
the Stockton airport.
Thanks to the Stockton Record
for this graphic.
The developer is sure
homeowners won’t mind the
noise or pollution.
The town of Linden
is located just east
of Stockton. A
small community
framed by its many
fruit orchards,
locals are worried
about what
development may
bring to their way of
life.
This is greater downtown Linden, an unincorporated town with
an unofficial population of about 1,500 people. Though it looks
like a sleepy little burg, it is actually the center of an agricultural
gem, growing some of the finest walnuts and cherries America
has to offer. It”s orchards and farmland are dissected by
Highway 26, linking the foothills to the Central Valley.
A Bird’s Eye View of Linden
A 76 home subdivision is being built
on this lot (with no cheers from the neighbors)
Jay Colombini is a third generation rancher in the Linden area
and member of the school board. He was happy about some
economic revitalization in the Linden area but noted that locals
are wary of development, especially any large housing projects
that may change the area’s economy or sense of uniqueness.
The Dasso cherry and walnut orchard has been a part of the
Linden community since 1910. Here Andrew Dasso discusses
some of the machinery used in his orchards.
Dasso Farms relies upon
diversifying (like growing basil
on the side and selling it to
tomato packers), exporting
their cherries to Japan, and
most especially controlling the
processing and shipping of
their cherries and walnuts.
Though worried about future
population growth and
suburban sprawl, Mr. Dasso
feels confident about the future
of his orchard and hopes his
sons and daughter will
continue the family tradition.
Across the U.S., rural communities
like Linden have found modern
transportation systems, such as a
good highway, both a boon and a
curse.
While a good road like Hwy 26 helps
in getting produce to market, an
increased speed limit and climate
controlled cars make the cheaper land
and rural surroundings attractive to
out of town gentleman farmers and
big city professionals.
Tree lined rural roads draw
commuters and developers to
Linden, but such attention has
negative impacts on long-time
locals. Higher land prices and
taxes have led many small
farmers to sell out to their
neighbors and has forced
children to choose a different
way of life outside of the
community.
Demands from newcomers to
stop spraying insecticides and
complaints about slow tractors
blocking traffic have led locals
in Linden to maintain a less
than favorable view about
future growth.
Close to the Dasso orchards, along Hwy 88,
development continues to take large chunks out of our
farmland and influence the social life of small towns
They may seem to fit better
in rural areas, but these 2 to
10 acre housing lots are
eating up more of
California’s farmland than
the ugly suburban sprawl we
normally complain about.
Newcomers bring more
traffic, complaints about
tractor noise, and demands
for more (expensive)
services.
Locals are getting tired of
putting up with this.
Sprawl in San Joaquin County
is being challenged, most
effectively through local
protests and the Sierra Club.
Recent court decisions have
forced Stockton developers to
pay $17.5 million to preserve
farmland elsewhere. Developers in Manteca, Tracy, and
Lathrop will also have to pay fees that will go towards
preserving farmland. Unfortunately, the preservation is
elsewhere and these cities continue to see nearby farmland
as empty, wasted space.
More than farmland is
lost when we focus on
economic growth.
Community, diversity,
and even that odd bit of
local flavor and culture
becomes “grobalized”.
Morada’s own
Pollardville is soon to be
razed (April 1, 2007) and
replaced by a strip mall.
While growth can be a good if
not inevitable process, it can be
argued that we have lost
respect for open space and a
slower pace of life.
A nature hike at Cosumnes River Preserve
A hike in the foothills
For all the joys of living in a
city, of bright lights and fast
cars, our modern lives are
surely grey and tasteless
without a walk in the woods,
the sight of a bear, the taste of
a freshly picked apple.
If we do not protect these
treasures, who will?
Some good information on the present and future California can
be obtained from the Public Policy Institute. www.ppic.org
Remember that your voice and opinion
matter. Thanks for viewing this slideshow.