For decades, Yolo County has resisted growth pressure from Sacramento and the Bay Area, remaining true to its agricultural heritage and small-town values.
But what about the Yolo County of 2030?
County supervisors conducted a public workshop Tuesday and Wednesday in which they looked to the future and fine-tuned a document to guide the county the next two decades.
The draft general plan, a blueprint for land use, has been five years in the making. It envisions moderate growth of residential and commercial, primarily in the faded hamlets of Dunnigan, Knight's Landing, Madison and Esparto.
It also encourages development of businesses that complement the county's farmland and open spaces, including wineries, food processing and tourism.
Like the two prior general plans in 1958 and 1983, the current version emphasizes the preeminence of agriculture.
"We actually think we had it right years ago when we decided not to suburbanize and urbanize most of the county," said Supervisor Mike McGowan. "Our landscape is a good one."
He admitted the "price we paid for that is a bit of a vow of poverty."
Lacking tax revenues from business and residential development, the county faces a $19 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year.
A major struggle for the county will be to encourage economic growth without sacrificing the county's values, McGowan said.
He said he would like to see a large winery near Clarksburg, a major grape-growing area. The olive industry also is ripe for expansion, he said.
Others have proposed a processing plant for grass-fed beef and other specialty meats.
Supervisor Matt Rexroad said one of his goals is a Davis-to-Woodland bikeway.
Dunnigan, a small community along Interstate 5, is slated to become a town of thousands with homes, shops and offices.
Housing is also planned for the unincorporated communities of Madison, Knight's Landing and Esparto.
During the two-day workshop, supervisors heard from the public.
Carla Phillips of Madison asked how a state re-entry prison proposed near Madison would fit with the supervisor's vision of bucolic farmland.
She also took issue with plans for hotels along Highway 16, which she described as a flood-prone area that falls under a state farmland-protection act.
A proposal to expand the Clark Pacific concrete fabricating facility near Woodland – which was hailed as an economic boon by supervisors when it opened last year – was criticized by one neighbor.
The general plan process started in 2003. An environmental review should be completed in March, with public hearings in the spring and summer.
County officials are hoping to have the general plan finalized by September, he said.
Call The Bee's Hudson Sangree, (916) 321-1191.
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