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Our local government recently commissioned an independent study of projected growth in the Grand Valley to assist in their preparations for that growth. They are now busy trying to plan for an additional 250,000 people by 2035. In the attempt to find places for more than 50,000 new households, they have decided to expand the Persigo Sewer District so housing in the northwest area can go from the current one home per five acres to 40 homes per five acres.
I attended one of the public meetings and do not recall hearing any mention of where the new businesses hiring these people would be, nor where all the new filling stations, fast-food restaurants, clothing stores, grocery stores, schools, churches and hospitals will be located. Nor was there any mention of the projected traffic congestion or air pollution. I suggest that they should have commissioned a study to determine how many people could live in the Grand Valley without significantly degrading the quality of life here, and then plan how they could stabilize the population at that level.
Certainly I think that the citizens of this valley deserve to hear why we have to accommodate this many new inhabitants, and deserve to be given an opportunity to participate in the decision process.
Perhaps the issue should be taken to the people for a vote rather than be decided by a relative few in what appears to be a rush to decision. Certainly no one’s mind will be changed during the public commentary portion of a single meeting.
DARREL SARTIN
Grand Junction
One Response to “Managing growth in the valley”
Posted February 19th, 2008 at 7:51 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Owner of Land Acquisition Investment Groups, I look for land for Developers, and builders. In keeping with what some (me included), have come to like about our valley and its the wide open spaces, are loosing them. Growth can occur and we can keep our open spaces, but we’ will have to build together and compromise together on both sides.
Revitalizing downtown, Great idea! But, there are more visible areas of town that should take priority. But what priorities one area over another? Need? Aesthetics? City, or County counsel/commissioners? Locally, it seems as if it’s the ladder. The City Counsel and the County Commissioners boast of this change or that change, and we the people find out about it at a much later date. We, who make up the Grand Valley residence are not in this alone, neither is local government there are opinions on both sides of the fence, a more democratic process is expected to be utilized rather then continuing with an “us against them” mentality.
North Ave. from 20 Rd. down to its end needs to be revitalized (in my opinion) more than the downtown area, it looks over all like trash. At the new river crossing at 29 Rd. The aesthetically enhanced entrance at I 70 and Horizon Dr. is bringing up the rear, but the middle of Grand Junction needs work and it is being ignored. In part North Ave, looks like slum-lords have moved in and their having a day of it. We are creating a great looking gift box but the gift has little to be desired.
The two or three mobile home parks on North need to go, the worse being La Master and the Grand River.
This is our condition. Growth is spurred in one direction or another. We are at one end of town (at the Mall) or we’re at the other end of town in Clifton but it is the middle that gets a lot of use and it is also getting the least amount of consideration.
Residential growth is another matter, but we are having the same consequences, to much growth, to much density in one area of the valley when other areas need it more.
The main-line running through it all is this; whomever can do the most to generate the most growth in one particular area over another is doing so without regard for the social good or climate. This is where we are having our problems, we should all be able to grow together in the Grand Valley, but we will not if this “old-school” way of building up a town stays in place.
Growing up takes compromises.
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