The coastal communities in the San Diego County portion of the study area are expected to receive about 110,000 new residents by 2010. The coastal communities of the Orange County portion are expected to receive about 12,000 new residents. Due to relatively high land prices and existing development patterns, design strategies in these areas focused on open space protection, community definition, high density infill, and concentration of commerce.
The Temecula Valley communities in Riverside County are predicted to receive the majority of new residents, an addition of around 317,000 people. To encourage this potential development within areas appropriate for urban development and away from areas critical for biodiversity, the design team proposed a location for a new single center that would incorporate existing urban areas as satellite communities. This became the focus of the proposed New City alternative.
An analysis was made to identify appropriate land for this major development. Consideration was given to the presence of transportation, sewer and water infrastructure, and avoidance of steep and flood prone areas. Conservation focused on protecting prime agricultural soils and species richness, as well as maintaining the existing landscape ecological pattern.
Since an overarching goal of the design was to maintain biodiversity, currently protected areas and areas identified as most critical for conservation were immediately eliminated from consideration for development. Large areas identified as important for conservation and unsuitable for development were not at issue and were also eliminated from consideration. Areas identified as least ecologically significant and suitable for development, which are concentrated west of the East Side Reservoir project in Riverside County, became the location for the New City.
The New City is shown in figure 129. The city center is located between the East Side Reservoir currently under construction and Lake Skinner, providing major recreational facilities for residents and tourists. The canal that connects the two water projects is expanded, creating an urban water body and linear park, which will be the major cross axis of the city.
To begin creation of an employment center, a primary commercial zone is located adjacent to the major conservation and recreation areas. Locating the center in this position would create a growth magnet in the region, taking advantage of existing excess supply in housing in the short term. New housing is located towards the core in increasing densities in order to provide housing opportunities close to the employment and amenities. A commercial core would include mixed-use commercial and residential development. Cultural and economic amenities like a museum, concert hall, theater, athletic stadium, and convention center would be created and located in the city center, as would a new regional university.
A major element of the economic strategy is the location of additional new industrial areas designated for advanced industry with clean production and zero waste. These would be located close to major transportation networks (I-15, Santa Fe Railroad, March Air Force Base) to facilitate the shipping of materials and products.
Efficient public transportation, such as light rail or electric bus, will connect areas within the city and extend to existing rail lines and public transportation for access to Los Angeles and San Diego (and beyond). An interstate and secondary surface road system will connect the surrounding communities to the city center and the larger region.
The residential satellite areas, some of which already exist, would consist of single family home communities with public amenities, local services and transit stops. Public transportation and greenways would link communities with the city center.
To use conservation funds efficiently, the alternative focuses on threatened areas essential for the entire region and critical for the use of the New City. Though identified by the evaluation process as important for conservation, undeveloped land in the eastern portion of the region is currently less threatened by development. Therefore it was assumed that the decision to conserve open space in the east could be delayed beyond 2010.
Surrounding the city and supplementing existing protected areas, large areas of natural vegetation were designated for conservation. Based on priority, additional conservation areas were created to increase the connectivity in the open space network, especially between Lake Skinner and the Palomar Mountain area. These also define development limits of the center. Landscape corridors and isolated patches of natural vegetation continue this open space network throughout the urban pattern, as do recreation areas, public parks, and greenways. These buffer conservation areas, define communities, protect water systems, provide for species movement, and allow access to recreational amenities, thus integrating the city into the landscape pattern.
The city would be designed to work in a cleaner, more efficient manner. Strategies include total water catchment management, gray water and tertiary treatment systems, water recharge, waste management, and recycling. When combined with clean industry and true-cost economic analysis, the New City alternative could be a model for the development of future large communities.
The first phase of this alternative, development of the New City by 2010, is seen in figure 130. The proposal carried to build-out, with additional conservation, is seen in figure 131.
While no one underestimates the complexities of implementing such a concentrated and coordinated proposal, these are some advantages to the New City strategy.
Through concentration of development, the costs per unit for land and infrastructure are reduced, thereby reducing the cost to the average home buyer or commercial/industrial investor. Both concentration and an efficient public transportation system reduce automobile reliance, thus reducing the number of automobiles required per family, the distance traveled for employment and services, and regional air pollution. In addition, the concentration of development allows for greater control over the impacts of that development through zoning, regulation, technology, conservation, and education. By creating a new employment focus distinct from Los Angeles and San Diego, commuting will be reduced, reducing pressure to develop new inter-regional highways and other extensive infrastructure programs.
The location of the New City directs a significant portion of new development out of the Santa Margarita watershed. To the degree that the city can capture development, it may lessen the need to mitigate on-base flooding, or even to relocate the MCB Camp Pendleton airfield. However, long term development in the Santa Margarita basin at the planned rural residential densities will also need to be limited.