Residents and county officials are tired of seeing their open land disappear with little benefit going to the community at large, and as a result have begun holding developers to higher standards.
"Few residents ever get developers to walk away from an opportunity to turn fallow groves and pasture into pricey homes. But in Orange County, residents -- and, more importantly, their elected officials -- now are demanding more than ever from those who want to cash in on the county's remaining open land." Emerson International recently raised the bar for other builders in the area by pledging a unprecednented number of consessions. "Design standards spell out everything from "hooded" lighting to keep the skies dark to the type of trees to be used in a promised buffer between the 2,850-home golf community and its neighbors. The developer also agreed to restore some wildlife habitat and provide an equestrian trail connecting the rural settlement to a large preserve."..."The developer has agreed to just about everything we have asked for, except to go away," said one resident.
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: Developers face tougher time getting green light
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research