Low Density Initiatives: Are Richer Cities Smarter?

    Yorba Linda is the most affluent among the 15 cities in Orange County with populations over 65,000, according to census data used in an OC Register report last year.  Newport Beach is second.  Mission Viejo, third. 

    In fact, Yorba Linda was ranked as number one in the entire U.S. in median household income.  Newport Beach was third, with Mission Viejo coming in twelfth.

    The three cities have another similarity.  Yorba Linda and Newport Beach voters have passed low density intiatives which require voter approval for major changes to their cities’ low density building regulations.  Those initiatives are designed to prevent the corrosive effects that can occur when developers, public relations professionals, social engineers, city council members, and government bureaucrats team up to enrich commercial landowners and special interests by instead planning higher density under the guise of glitzy terminology like ‘new urbanism’, ‘walkable urbanism’ and ‘smart growth’.

    Mission Viejo is just starting down the road of gathering signatures for such an initiative, so its outcome is uncertain.  A MV initiative was recently filed that is virtually identical to Yorba Linda’s.  Both are similar to the one adopted in Newport Beach.  Are the citizens of these affluent cities more astute at understanding the perverse politics and economics that can negatively affect their communities?  Do their citizens have stronger backbones and greater stamina to restrain local officials?  Do they better understand no city council is immune from the collusion, and illusion, of grandeur that leads to high-density building schemes?

    The O.C. Register admits it has nothing against urbanization and high density; in fact it unsuccessfully opposed the Yorba Linda Initiative.  But yesterday even it condemned the “ideologues” who are “pushing policy-makers into adopting planning strategies that reduce consumer choice and increase coercion [toward urbanism].” Residents will have only themselves to blame if they fail to place restraints on their city councils.  

   Two South County cities, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, recently had to use referendums to stop developers from building high density housing units on portions of their golf courses.  In each case, by a 2 to 1 margin, residents successfully overcame expensive opposing campaigns financed by special interests who stood to benefit financially from the projects.  

    In the near future the Dispatch will describe the 2006 campaign in Yorba Linda.