We can create affordable and green communities

We can create affordable and green communities

By Alice Dickinson and Simon L. Gruber

Doug Cunningham's recent column rightly emphasizes the pressing need for new initiatives to develop homes that are within the economic reach of all Orange County residents. But he doubts the wisdom of the county's plan to protect open space and preserve "our way of life. Our rural heritage as a breadbasket to New York City. Our bucolic, quiet lifestyle." ("The housing crisis is what needs action," The Record, Aug. 8.)
It's true – the housing affordability crisis is an issue that calls for strong leadership and it should be on the agenda of every elected official. However, we don't have to choose between attainability and sustainability – we can have both.
State-of-the-art architecture and building principles, innovative land-use planning, and environmental technology should be used to create homes and communities that combine affordability, sustainability and environmental quality. Following the age-old model of traditional villages, new housing can be sited in compact areas instead of sprawling lots. Homes of varying designs, sizes and selling prices can be accommodated in attractive, efficiently organized areas, while large parts of each site are preserved.
Smaller lots, shorter roads and driveways and smart building design can reduce development and operating costs, leaving room for watersheds and wildlife. Neighborhood-based commercial, retail and recreation can be designed to include housing. Pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use designs located in close proximity to existing services can reduce the amount of time people must spend in their cars. Locating housing near existing communities, workplaces and public transit will allow tomorrow's families to own fewer vehicles, reducing costs and air pollution.
Agriculture, Orange County's largest industry, is part of our local heritage, and the county's open space program supports the agricultural economy and the jobs it generates. Protected open space provides many key benefits that can be lost, particularly if land is developed in typical large-lot fashion. Unless development is carefully designed, for example, it can lead to loss of groundwater recharge areas and natural habitats, increased runoff and a gradual decline in both water quality and supplies.
Innovative architecture, including passive solar and renewable technologies, decreases fossil fuel consumption, providing long-term affordability at minimal additional up-front cost, along with a better environment. These benefits will last for decades – a long-term investment in the economic and environmental sustainability of our new communities.
We can, and must, provide affordable and green communities – development that is attainable and sustainable. If we do, our children and the generations to follow them will thank us. Just as importantly, our own quality of life and the economic vitality of our communities will be much the better for it.

Alice Dickinson is executive director of Orange County Rural Development Advisory Corporation; a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to housing, land use and economic development issues for 22 years. Simon L. Gruber is an environmental planning consultant based in Cornwall, who works with municipalities and non-profits on water quality and sustainable site design. They are members of the Take Me to the River development team that was recently selected as one of five finalists for redevelopment of the Newburgh waterfront.