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<br />CONS OF BIG BOX <br />* Aesthetic concerns of big boxes <br />* Jobs produced are relatively low paying <br />* Costs infrastructure <br />* Impacts to existing businesses <br /> <br />There are four ways to maximize the quality of development in a community <br />1. Define and strengthen the master plan. <br />2. Create strict guidelines for slow and balanced growth, <br />environmental protection, and prevention of leapfrog development. <br />3. Strive to enhance your community's uniqueness. <br />4. Market only to those select firms that "fit" the plan. <br /> <br />PROTECTING WILDLIFE HABITAT AS CITIES GROW <br />This session addressed the issue of the shrinking habitat that tends to <br />accompany other problems faced by a growing communi ty. This speaker <br />suggested that you plan now to set aside large intact areas of vegetation, <br />and try to protect rare landscape elements. To maintain the natural <br />status of habi tat areas, you need to assure a buffer between human <br />dominated activities and wildlife movement. Identify wildlife corridors <br />early in development. A decision to put in a road is a decision to <br />compromise a habitat area. <br /> <br />The speaker felt that the clustering techniques being used now is a step <br />toward saving larger tracts of habi tat. He also fel t that whenever <br />possible, native plants should be used in landscaping. In urban areas <br />where habitat has been destroyed, you can still "enhance" the habitat. <br /> <br />OVERALL EVALUATION OF THE CONFERENCE <br />I believe the national conference is a very important learning experience <br />provided to all planning commissioners. I hope that each commissioner <br />will get a chance to attend at least one national conference in th~ir <br />term. As citizens, it gives us insight into the issues being addressed by <br />our city each year, and allows us to hear how other cities are resolving <br />the same issues. <br />