SMART GROWTH
Strategic Goal
More than Standard Commit to excellence in design standards. Contrary to popular belief, design standards are not anti-business. If they were, Santa Barbara would be a ghost town. Instead, communities with good design standards flourish as tourist destinations and their property values reflect people’s desire to live in them. Design standards can protect a financial investment in an area, by assuring that all new development will be at or above the community standard. It takes selfesteem to say “No� to some projects, if they are not improving our overall quality. Design standards can be specifically helpful to older neighborhoods which have been over-run with cheap apartments, low-income housing that drags down the neighborhood, unfortunate degradation of historic homes, and new commercial buildings which are designed to look like bunkers. Fresno has a design community that can be utilized to help us achieve higher standards. Most design professionals would be honored to be included in the processes of improving the quality of the built and landscaped environment in Fresno. They are an incredible resource. There is a reason that new housing developments have design standards. People are somewhat limited in their individual expression, but for the greater good. People in
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Photo by John Dahlberg
our older neighborhoods deserve the same protections.