Workshops target growing pains

Frustrated commuters, NIMBY-ites, eager developers - they're soon going to have the chance to put their own stamp on Sutter and Yuba counties, on computer at least.

Two upcoming workshops will look at growth patterns, land use and transportation alternatives to see if there is a way of growing that will result in a better future.

"We've done upwards of 40 of these workshops, and I think the citizens have enjoyed each and every one of them," Mike McKeever, project manager for the Sacramento Region Blueprint, said. "It's fun, but it's serious."

The Sacramento Region Blueprint offers area residents the chance to chart their county's growth patterns, and the county's population increase. The high-tech, interactive workshops will feature the use of computers hooked up to an online program. The computers will crunch the numbers for whatever the workshop participants dream up, spitting out some of the results at the workshop.

During the session, residents will be able to discuss how much growth should occur in their counties. As one example, participants could discuss how much growth should be the result of a locally-grown job base, or from people who live in the counties and commute to Sacramento.

The free workshops are open to county residents or people employed here. Sutter County's workshop will be held on Jan. 24, Yuba County's workshop on Feb. 7. The workshops are a joint effort of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and Valley Vision.

The council is in the midst of holding workshops as part of its study of growth and land-use patterns.

One of the council's tasks is to come up with a Sacramento regional transportation plan. The last one, adopted in 2002, was disappointing when planners ran it through computer models. The program spit out results that showed lots of congestion, slow traffic, and poor air quality, McKeever said.

"They kept seeing a not very pretty picture of the region's transportation picture," McKeever said.

The council is now looking at growth patterns as a way to figure out the region's transportation puzzle.

Results of the workshops will help the council come up with alternative scenarios for regional growth in the six-county Sacramento region.

Dan Silva, a council board member and Sutter County supervisor, said the workshop will give the board an overall view of what the public thinks, though ultimately, land-use decisions will remain in the hands of county supervisors and planning commissioners.

"This is still a land-use planning decision that will be driven by supervisors," Silva said. "But will we use it as a tool? Sure."

Silva, who will be the forum's moderator, said it will be interesting to see how growth is mapped out. The workshop will present four growth and land-use alternatives. He hopes that a good cross-section of the community makes it to the workshop.

"I think it'll be interesting to see how do they pick on Sutter County, and lay this out to be looked at," Silva said.