a not-for-profit corporation    PO Box 424    Kinderhook NY  12106    518-758-2646

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GOOD GROWTH   WHAT IS GOOD GROWTH?  Good growth in Kinderhook is an approach that seeks to sustain a high quality of life for residents living in the rural areas and developed villages of the Town. Good growth will provide an alternative to wasteful sprawl and prevent loss of the Town’s unique and distinctive characteristics. Good growth is the process by which the Town, rather than outside developers, determines its future - by clarifying goals and creating specific criteria that can create a process that makes development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective. Good growth encompasses an array of aspects. EXAMPLE:  Good Growth for the future is the Route 9/9H Corridor Study. Encourages appropriate development: Encourage redevelopment in existing sites, and new development  in appropriately determined areas to support the tax base in a manner that builds upon Kinderhook’s traditional development patterns. For example, when John Knott moved his New York Designer's Fabric Outlet to Kinderhook, he did not build another big box.  He moved it into the already existing Empire Homes Building on Route 9.  Infrastructure Consider existing and needed infrastructure as required for residential and commercial development; propose infrastructure construction or modifications efficiently installed to ultimately save tax dollars. Transportation Focus on creating safe transportation options, including walk-able links, between educational, commercial and residential areas. Housing Explore appropriately located housing opportunities and choices, developed in a pleasant and efficient development pattern. Protection of Our Resources Save the town’s most valuable natural, historic and rural resources before these are forever lost. This includes protection of open space, farmland, natural beauty, critical environmental areas and historic sites. Smart Growth is a term often used in place of "good growth." The Encarta World English Dictionary defined "smart growth" as "economic growth that consciously seeks to avoid wastefulness and damage to the environment and communities." by Marilyn Kaplan, Historical Architect, Valatie New York, November 2002    WHAT'S NOT GOOD GROWTH? Sprawl Big box buildings Routes 4, 9 and 20 in East Greenbush NY Route 9 in Greenport NY Converting good farmland into sprawl Not taking advantage of unoccupied buildings Most Wal-marts, Sam's Clubs, K-Marts, Home Depots, Targets, Hannafords, Price Choppers, Stop 'n' Shops, Grand Unions, Berkshire Mall, Colonie Malls, Fairview Plaza, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, Burger Kings, Roy Rogers, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. proposed  Widewaters Commons, Kinderhook NY Sprawl Disables Everyone Four years ago, United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan and the Michigan Land Use Institute began collaborating on a transportation project funded by the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council. We teamed up because UCP and the Institute strongly support greatly improved public transportation, a critical need for people with disabilities who don’t drive. But we now realize that our commonality is even greater: Land use policy itself is a disability issue. Sprawling communities, automobile dependence, a lack of curb cuts on sidewalks, and strip mall stores separated from bus stops by oceans of parking: All form significant barriers to basic mobility for many people with disabilities. Worse, sprawl’s rush to the suburbs is decaying the urban core, often the only place people with disabilities can find affordable housing. This raises significant safety issues for people with certain kinds of disabilities. It raises sizeable employment issues, too, as jobs move to the suburbs, where they are out of reach of people who cannot drive and lack access to good public transit. The sheer cost of sprawl is also crucial to the disability community. Soaring infrastructure costs draw critical dollars from programs like transit and accessible housing that help people with disabilities live more independently. We need communities that are compact and equipped with readily accessible sidewalks, public transportation, and affordable housing. A community that works well for people with disabilities works extraordinarily well for everyone. It is a goal we must all share and work towards. Michigan Land Institute, January 2005 http://mlui.org/index.asp *  *  *