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A smarter way to grow? Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell John and Barbara Allman enjoy the front porch of their Nunan Square home in Jacksonville. Homes in this neighborhood are designed using smart-growth principles, which are intended to slow urban sprawl and make communities less dependent on automobiles. There's a trend in development: putting dense housing on small lots and combining homes with businesses. But skeptics say that 'smart growth' worsens the problems it aims to solve. By JESSICA SMITH JACKSONVILLE - John and Barbara Allman know their neighbors by name. They can walk to the post office and the market. Across the street, there's a park with playground equipment. The Allmans weren't looking for so-called smart growth when they moved from Southern California, but they say buying a home in Nunan Square, a 64-unit project near downtown Jacksonville, is one of the smartest things they've done. "I think the question is, why didn't we do it sooner?" John Allman said. "We really have been thrilled with everything." Yet a few doors down, Susan Walter is preparing to trade in her rented house for a custom-built home on 20 acres outside Jacksonville. There's plenty to like in Nunan Square, said Walter, a transplant from New Hampshire, but it's been tough adjusting to a compact living environment. Most of the houses in the project are just 10 feet apart. "We're piled right next to each other," Walter said. "We live right on top of our neighbors." People like Walter, local developers say, prove that "smart" development isn't for everyone. Smart growth - a trend that encourages open spaces and emphasizes efficient land use by combining housing with offices and shops - is touted by planners nationally as one of the best tools for managing population growth. Smart-growth skeptics, however, say the concept can aggravate some of the problems it attempts to relieve. For example, dense housing patterns can exacerbate traffic congestion, critics contend. And Oregon's restrictive land use laws - which control where cities can grow - have contributed to skyrocketing home prices around the state, even as cities apply smart-growth principles as part of those land-use policies. Given that, does it make sense to encourage smart growth in the Rogue Valley? Local builders and community leaders seem to think so, but they caution that development must be balanced and meet demands in the housing market. "We need to apply smart growth where it works," said Mike Mahar, a Medford builder who's taken a lead role in the city's ambitious Southeast Plan, where some 10,000 people are expected to live in the next 20 years. Dense, compact urban living is a primary focus of the Southeast Plan, which covers about 1,000 acres off Barnett and North Phoenix roads. The plan includes a 46-acre commercial center with close-in apartments, townhouses, condos and single-family homes on smaller lots. But the project will likely include larger homes as well, Mahar said. "There's room for everything," he added. "A big part of the market is going to be people who want their back yard. Livability to them is the floor plan, having a nice view from the yard. That can't get lost in this." Still, developers and community leaders say the valley must consider how best to use a limited land supply to meet future housing needs. Jackson County's population is expected to at least double by 2050, regional planners say. About 181,000 people live in the county today. Medford City Councilman John Michaels, a smart growth advocate, says the region must consider how much land is used for estate-sized homes. "Is there room for that lifestyle? Yes," he added. "But not much longer. We just don't have the land available to cater to urban mansions." There are some indications that fewer home buyers want houses on large lots. Judy Salter, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Pro West in Medford, said she's fielded countless inquiries from potential home buyers who are looking for the kinds of housing options created under smart-development principles. "They want the amenities: homes close to shopping and parks," Salter said. "I can't find houses for people who want that." Salter said the valley is "a little behind the times" when it comes to meeting housing needs for a growing demographic - one- and two-person households. "Ozzie & Harriet"-type households are becoming increasingly rare, said Pamela Kamber, an outreach coordinator for the Transportation Management Program, a state-sponsored smart-growth program. State officials estimate as many as three-quarters of Oregon households are made up of one or two people. "Things have really shifted," Kamber said. "People don't have children at home. They're not interested in traditional suburban, large-lot development. They're looking for traditional neighborhoods that remind them of growing up." Nunan Square is one of a handful of developments locally that incorporates smart-growth concepts - such as smaller houses with traditional designs - to create a sense of community. "It's not supposed to be an isolated neighborhood," said Bill Earl, who heads up the Nunan development. "It's supposed to be woven into the fabric of Jacksonville." Like other smart growths, Nunan Square will include a commercial component that is intended to eliminate the need for residents to drive to offices, stores, restaurants and other services. The concept is intended to create neighborhoods that invite people to walk and spend time outside talking with neighbors. "People are returning to this lifestyle," Earl said. Though Barbara Allman and her husband, John, didn't start looking for a home in a "smart" development, she said the Nunan project fit their idea of home. "I was looking for something with this kind of atmosphere," she added. "It seemed like what we were looking for." Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] What is 'smart' development? Development is "smart" when it uses resources efficiently to attract people, land use officials say. Some of the principles of "smart" development include: - Mixed uses - Combine housing with commercial, retail and recreational land uses to discourage residents from driving to the places where they work, shop and play. - Compact building - Put houses and other buildings closer together and on smaller lots; reuse existing structures when possible. - Transportation choices - Provide direct links from existing roads, sidewalks, and bicycle paths to housing, employment centers, commercial services, schools, parks and public transportation. - Detailed design - Use local architectural themes to reinforce a community's identity and make people feel comfortable. Source - Livable Oregon, an agent of the state Transportation Growth Management program Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.