Valley’s Edge supporters ignore or minimize the disruptive effects of growth-induced sprawl. In 1961, I moved from the east coast to Phoenix – at the time a small, attractive, city. Look at the mess it is now, having grown to unmanageable proportions. Its 1,680,000 inhabitants exist with a tenuous water supply. It takes hours to get from one end to the other. Same with LA, a city that, once the indigenous were subdued, started as a small village. Growth was stymied until water from the Owens Valley was captured, allowing eventually for the sprawling mess that is LA today.
In my 78 years, I’ve noticed that growth advocates, normally those with a monetary interest, repeat the same tired arguments year after year, development after development, to promote growth, growth that inevitably induces sprawl. The growth advocates get what they want – expanded customer bases, a reprieve that lasts until the next large scale development plan comes along, then those same old tire arguments favoring growth are dragged out, and the alarm is sounded that “our economy will stagnate if we don’t support more growth.”
Sadly, too much growth is never enough, because businesses always seek to expand, and the way they do it is by expanding the customer base through growth. Before you vote on the Valley’s Edge plan, think long and hard about your wishes for the Chico that will be, 50 years from now. If not for you, for your children.
— Steven Thomas Schoonover, Chico
