BY ALEX CANTATORE
According to projections drafted by Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners, the 70,000 strong City of Turlock could balloon in size by 30,000 to 50,000 additional residents over the next 15 to 20 years. All those new Turlockers will need a place to live-and to work, should Turlock maintain its balanced jobs to employees ratio-and for that reason the City of Turlock has begun a two and a half year long project to update the city’s General Plan and Housing Element, which is set to expire in 2012.
The Turlock City Council and Planning Commission held a joint meeting on Thursday to discuss the General Plan Update process, still in its early stages, and work out a vision for the Turlock of 2030. Fortunately for planners, the Turlock of 2009 presents an exceptional foundation to build on, according to Leslie Gould, principal with Dyett & Bhatia.
“We want to use this opportunity to look ahead to the next 15 or 20 years,” Gould said. “(The goal is) not to rewrite the General Plan, but to build on what came before and plan for future growth and also for improving the existing city.”
During preliminary community outreach, during which planners interviewed 36 local people, accomplishments such as Monte Vista Crossings, the Westside Industrial Specific Plan, downtown improvements, and Master Plans were universally lauded. However, looking to the future, Turlock faces significant challenges in the fields of economic development, continuing quality of life in the face of growth, and in particular improving the city’s transportation infrastructure to deal with increased traffic
Turlock is lacking in east/west connectors, according to Gould, which would be necessary for some growth scenarios. Her suggestion of making better use of existing routes such as Canal Drive was met with laughter from the audience, based on the poor status of the street.
“It’s cheaper to repave a road than it is to build a new one,” Gould said, as she spoke of opportunities for improved bike lanes and trails throughout the city to ease vehicle traffic.
More than 3,800 acres of “vacant or almost vacant” land are available to accommodate Turlock’s future growth, including areas to the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest of Turlock’s current city limits. Additionally, land within the city, such as the Northwest Triangle, Golden State Boulevard, Lander Avenue, and Geer Road all represent opportunities for infill development that could create a denser, rejuvenated Turlock.
“It’s never a matter of an easy choice,” Gould said. “… It never works out that one area meets all the criteria that you’re hoping for.”
One major concern before planners is the potential eradication of vast swaths of prime farmland. Every area currently available for Turlock’s growth is classified as such by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the proximity of some land to the WISP could lower its agricultural standing in the years to come.
“When you have industrial land all around you, when you have to farm next to that, it’s not prime ag land anymore,” said Councilman Kurt Spycher, who farms for a living.
Regardless of the value of farmland, the thousands of workers that could come to Turlock as a result of the WISP will need places to live, as will the 5,300 new students that California State University, Stanislaus expects over the next 20 years. Despite these growth projections, however, not all in attendance were in favor of Turlock’s continued expansion.
“I think that Turlock is going to be what we decide to make it,” said former City Council Candidate David “DJ” Fransen. “If we’re just assuming we’re going to grow 30,000 to 50,000 people, we could also not grow at all if people in this room make that decision. … I think we could redevelop a lot of Turlock instead of paving over a lot of valuable ag land.”
Planning Commissioner Soraya Fregosi echoed Fransen’s concern, using the metaphor of needing to fix a house but putting in a pool instead.
Different growth scenarios will be prepared over the next two years as a result of feedback received from the City Council and a pending series of community meetings. Citizen input is likely to have a major impact on how and where Turlock grows.
The first community meeting to discuss the General Plan Update is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on March 26 in the Turlock Senior Center. For further information, visit the General Plan Update Web site at http://www.gpupdate.turlock.ca.us/
To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.
Originally published in the Turlock Journal 2/20/2009.
Retrieved from the Turlock Journal Web site.