Greenbelts / Community Separators / Open Space

By John R Beckman

My proposal.

There is a lot of talk about the land between Stockton and Lodi + will we grow together and become one big metropolis or will we find a way to keep Lodi and Stockton separated?

Because I place private property rights as one of the highest values we have here in America it is difficult to find a means to keep Stockton and Lodi apart while respecting the rights of the landowners in between the cities.

The proposed General Plan for Stockton and with the 2% growth ordinance in Lodi, the General Plan for Lodi ultimately will show a 25-year growth pattern that will take both cities to within ½ mile of Armstrong Road. Roughly 25 years from now the two cities will be looking at updating their General Plans and at that time there will be a scant one mile wide strip of land between them. By then, the growing demand for separation may be so strong that voter approved initiatives may determine the fate of the land between the two cities.

I propose that instead of waiting a decade or more to determine what will happen to the AG40 land between Stockton and Lodi, that today, the County rezone the entire strip as AL5. This would give the landowners there the option TODAY if they wish to subdivide down to five acre parcels. But, if they want to keep their land as is and continue to farm they have that option also. With AL5 zoning the landowners could sell of five acre parcels for a variety of uses including the continuation of farming operations or for wineries, bed & breakfast resorts, wine tasting shops, large private estates, or small ranchettes/vineyardettes. Under this proposal the destiny of the land still belongs to the landowners themselves.

Over the next 20 years or so the natural market forces and free enterprise will cause the area to be divided down to five acre parcels and then enhanced in such a way that no one who owns one of the prized five acre parcels would dream of allowing the land to be annexed or changed from it's use. The land would forever remain in the County and outside of each City. Thus, a community separator will exist in perpetuity and would be a benefit to the whole region including the current and future landowners.