LandWatch State of Monterey County Report 1999
3.3 Urban Growth Boundaries

in the cities of: Cotati, Cupertino, Fairfield, Healdsburg, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Novato, Palo Alto, Petaluma, Pleasanton, Rohnert Park, San Jose, Santa Rosa, Saratoga, Sebastopol, Sonoma, and Windsor. Urban growth boundaries have also been established by a number of cities in Ventura County.

Planning professionals have consistently identified "compact urban development" as the best and most efficient way to build livable and sustainable communities. The opposite of such compact development is called "urban sprawl."

When new growth is focused within areas specifically committed to and set aside for urban development, a number of benefits occur. Public costs for infrastructure are reduced. The economic vitality of existing urban areas is maintained and strengthened. Impacts on natural resources and open space lands are minimized. Agricultural lands are preserved, and conflicts between urban uses and agriculture are avoided. Long commutes are shortened. Transit opportunities are maximized. Affordable housing is integrated within mixed income neighborhoods.

The pattern and practice of land development found throughout Monterey County and documented in State of Monterey County 1999, is more typical of urban sprawl than of the compact development that builds the strongest and most sustainable communities. The pressures that lead to sprawl are well understood. So are the techniques to avoid or minimize it.

No city in Monterey County has an urban growth boundary. To date, it appears that no city is even exploring this valuable and effective tool for good land use planning. Since the establishment of urban growth boundaries could address many of the most significant growth and land use problems confronting Monterey County, this failure is significant.