Elements of Urbanism: Coronado, CA

[vicupstate]

I'm not saying I even like it (it kinda looks sterile!), but sheesh, why do Californian cities always look so damn clean/cookie-cutter/put together???

It's because they took out all the benches and chess tables.

[fieldafm]

You don't need to have all the money in the world to create a vibrant urban community.  The communities that value these things choose to allocate their resources in such a way to encourage this goal.

Also, the tax RATES don't have to be high, if the PROPERTY VALUES are already higher than average.

You missed the point, but to counter your assertion Sarasota County is certainly not lacking in property value compared to Coronado/San Diego County.  You also heavily discount Prop 13 and its affects on property tax revenue in California. 

Have you been to either communities?  They are both former resort towns that place a high emphasis on quality of life, the art community and pedestrian-scaled commercial districts.  With all due respect, the comparison is actually pretty spot on.

[vicupstate]

I've been to both places. You can't compare a CA city to a FL city, as there are too many variables involved.  The services provided and paid for by the state versus localities, differs greatly from one state to another.

I seriously doubt Corondo, or nearly any CA city of substance has a low tax rate compared to the US average, or the FL average.   Does Sarasota County have low taxes by Florida standards?   If they do, it is most likely due to higher property values versus the state average.

Revenues lost to Proposition 13 were largely replaced by state appropriations.  Fidelity left CA for FL because of lower taxes.

Allocation of resources and efficiency DO matter, but to have 15 museums in a gigantic park (Balboa) doesn't happen on the cheap.   

[dougsandiego]

I have to ask who does the planning in Jacksonville? Is it handed down from "on high". or are citizen groups responsible for creating the plans for their neighbourhoods? It is dispiriting to read the many laments and disappointments that accompany almost all the excellent articles on this great website. There are obviously many citizens in Jacksonville who care and love their city. To them I say: Organize and take back your hometown!

Since San Diego is cited several times on this site, I hope you will indulge me a few comments that may help you understand why San Diego is the way it is to-day?

Good community form does not occur because a region has wealth or spends lavishly. In California, San Diego is considered a cheapskate region. I believe that healthy communities have to have an activist citizenry.

Coronado to-day is a wealthy town, but  it, along with much of San Diego, was in decline in the 1970's and early 1980's. At that time, there was a sort of revolution in our region. Citizens in the City of San Diego went to court and won the right to hold district elections because they were not happy with the declining quality of life in their neighbourhoods. Overnight, the old Republican establishment and their developer cronies were thrown out, and citizen planning came to the fore. There are still Republicans in government, but not so many, and they are "San Diego" Republicans, the kind who like open space, support public transportation etc.

At the same time, large areas of coastal and inland North County voted to form independent towns because the County of San Diego had plans to build a grid of Orange County (California) style super streets and massive office and apartment complexes that would overwhelm long established towns. When the towns formed, the County of San Diego lost great amounts of tax revenue and was stymied in its plans.

Redevelopment was being pursued in Centre City San Diego, and the San Diego trolley was conceived and built after authorizing legislation sponsored by a San Diego State Senator was passed. Old, long stable neighbourhoods surrounding the downtown began to flourish. Many battles were fought with developers for many years, but the residents won. I was part of it, and I am proud of it, but there is always more to do. The work never ends.

All these things, along with the birth of community and regional planning groups throughout the county occurred over the course of a few years because people were afraid of losing their quality of life. It is because of this commonly held concern and relative unity of purpose that we are seeing the rebirth of the region.

There is now a region wide effort underway on-line to envision the region we want to become over the next 50-100 years. It is neither  being orchestrated nor funded by the government. The current $5 million budget has come from a concerned citizen. The effort can be accessed at: OurGreaterSanDiego.org. It is an interesting project.

Good luck Jacksonville!

[vicupstate]

^^ I wonder if the 'old republican establishment and their developer cronies' in San Diego moved carte blanche to Jacksonville after losing control there?

[tufsu1]

another thing San Diego has recently done....merged their Planning Department into another agency...Jacksonville may be on the same path.

[fieldafm]

Thanks for your insight Doug, exactly what I was saying... but obviously much more eloquently and from a resident's point of view.