CEDC’s Community Building for Smart Growth outreach helped organize local residents in Santa Paula in support of Smart Growth planning practices. As a result, Centex Homes and the City of Santa Paula sponsored a community planning Charrette facilitated by Steve Coyle AIA, a nationally recognized architect and urban planner from the National Charrette Institute. The Community Plan that came out of the Charrette featured a traditional neighborhood design, with over 2,100 housing units planned for the Fagan Canyon area.

The Charrette community design process provides a structure for increasing community participation in the early design stages of a project, so that issues are resolved and consensus is sought, resulting in a plan that is supported by the community.

The Santa Paula Charrette process had three stages. During the first part, Centex undertook a series of outreach meetings to introduce the developer and the proposed project to both the surrounding and general community. Second, a series of educational workshops were conducted so that residents could learn and discuss development options and constraints. Topics included housing choices, circulation, parks, schools, services and environmental issues.

Mayor John Proctor stated, “Centex deserves recognition for opening up the planning process."

The preliminary design plan calls for a mix of housing types and affordable levels to address Santa Paula’s housing needs. The traditional neighborhood design element makes for walkable, inter-connected neighborhoods with identifiable centers. The community responded to the opportunity to participate and the process made for a better plan. The plan is a great start.

The Charrette planning process can serve as a model for communities who are looking for a workable model to engage the public in the formation of a development plan along traditional planning design principles.

For more information contact Mike Miller at 805-659-3791 ext.27 or by email at mmiller@cabrilloedc.org.

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