Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper and council member Gary Davis are responding to the Feb. 3 Viewpoints article "Elk Grove plans to grow in wrong direction." The commentary said, "The December 2010 Elk Grove market study, an analysis prepared by independent consultants, undercuts the contention that the city needs more land to accommodate growth."

As the city of Elk Grove prepares for the future, it is imperative the past is not repeated. The era of big box strip malls and an endless sea of rooftops is over. It doesn't work. Strip malls expand, houses sprout up, precious resources are wasted and the bubble bursts. This has been a repeating pattern in suburban America, and it is time to make a change.

As Elk Grove moves forward in its effort to plan a better future, looking forward 50 years, it is imperative that all development meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. To do that, we must fix a major discrepancy in our jobs/housing imbalance, while protecting our environment.

Elk Grove has the greatest jobs/housing imbalance of all cities in the Sacramento region. With 153,000 residents and fewer than 30,000 jobs, our residents are forced to commute elsewhere for work. We can reduce congestion on our freeways, improve air quality and eliminate wasted time for our residents so they can invest positively in our collective future.

Elk Grove is aggressive when it comes to cutting red tape to provide economic incentives for good jobs to locate in our city. The problem is we don't have enough land within our city boundary to fix this imbalance and build an Elk Grove that is environmentally and economically sustainable.

It is with the goal of creating a sustainable community with a significant base of jobs that we move forward with expanding the city's "sphere of influence." This will enable Elk Grove to create a comprehensive community plan, instead of relying on piecemeal planning with an artificial urban boundary that is inevitably moved when enough pressure comes to bear.

People against this move make the argument that the economy has slowed and there is no need to expand. We fundamentally disagree.

The right time to put in place a long-term plan is when the economy is recessed, enabling us to focus on prudent planning and not just react to market demands. And, frankly, it is much easier to craft a plan that puts residents' interests first when there aren't as many developers pushing their own agendas.

If we aren't able to plan now, we fear the future will bring more of the past. The Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission needs to approve our requested boundary adjustment so that comprehensive planning can take place. It is the smart way to proceed.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Elk Grove Mayor Jim Cooper and council member Gary Davis are responding to the Feb. 3 Viewpoints article "Elk Grove plans to grow in wrong direction." The commentary said, "The December 2010 Elk Grove market study, an analysis prepared by independent consultants, undercuts the contention that the city needs more land to accommodate growth."