Published Marin IJ February 15, 1995

Marin Voice

Marin, why not think ‘regional’?

Dwayne Hunn

Everyone’s knocking government. From Rush Limbarf and Orphan Newt’s cat calls to Gaebler and Osborne's Reinventing Government advice -- everyone's ripping or reinventing it.  But you know, some public sector ideas are worth a private sector pick up.

In the early 90's Sacramento and the Bay Area were abuzz with "regionalism." Transportation, housing, pollution, employment and local revenue needs required a more relevant, comprehensive approach.  By the 90’s Minnesota’s Regional Fiscal Disparities Act had decades of experience addressing 9 counties 'regional'   needs through sharing a small percentage of sales taxes from each county. Why not does creative stuff like that in California?

That vision/goal brought together some high-powered Bay Area leaders. Unfortunately, in their pursuit they didn't hear the warnings that their power profile and media pitch wouldn’t sell parochial locals on the vision. Too many local politicians saw 'regionalism' weakening their authority, and its benefits too difficult to convey to constituents. Given the choice of spreading more common   good   through regionally confronting problems or re-electing themselves. Through simplistic NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) - oriented needs analysis, these politicians opted for the well-worn, yellow political brick.

Unfortunately, the supposedly smarter entrepreneurs also didn't, and still don’t, see the benefits and inevitability of regionalism.

Take Marin, for example. Whether developers propose projects, which include affordable housing, office complex, light industry or pedestrian pockets, Nimbys turn out in droves   crying: Traffic! Neighborhood Character! Cut Trees! Open Space!  Property Values!  The Environment!……….A Bombay Slum Is Falling From The Sky!

Result?  Each developer succumbs to putting up fewer, more expensive homes or spaces. The middle class, whom all politicians support, commutes longer for an affordable home, workspace, childcare, or community atmosphere.

In Marin this happens to every noteworthy development. Hamilton Air Force Base could’ve been a large, rail oriented, affordable pedestrian pocket instead of an expensive suburban sprawl community.  Bel Marin Keys could have provided a significant number of affordable homes through innovative financing. St. Vincent/Silveira could’ve been another affordable rail and pedestrian oriented community whose development could provide Catholic money to keep kids out of trouble and orphanages. (It is still in the  "thousand cuts” stage, as the so-called environmentalists fight to boost Marin’s meager 88% protected space, and lessen reasons for a railway.)

Only benefits would accrue if the major landowners in any region sat down together and said, "How can we cooperatively structure each of our plans so that our land, effort and profit will address the region's pressing economic and social needs?  How can we educate the public and politicians so that they will understand the benefits? Can we do this as a united front, so we don't suffer a thousand slashes from environmental guerrillas?"

If they did that as smartly as they are supposed to be, middle America might find time to break out of their freeway chains, bring their latch key kids to project approval meetings, and break the strangle hood 'naysayers' have in throttling progressive developments.

Result?  The private sector would have profitably answered huge, pending public needs.  There would be less government maligning.  A fresh public-private chapter would be opened in America's New Covenant.

The Renaissance Faire space, planned as a pricey housing mecca with a golf course mural shining through its windows, after cutting its project in half, still got slashed and burned. All developers should learn from Robin the Regional Hood.  Robin gatherer a regional band of the weary addressed their needs and became loved leader of an improved hood.

Dwayne Hunn, a freelance writer, has consulted on affordable housing, land development and transportation issues.

(Uncut version. Boxed text includes text not included in published IJ edition.)