I recently penned a column in the Santa Clarita Valley Business Journal suggesting that the key to our economic future is the fact that the SCV is slated to grow substantially in the next several decades. Last Thursday, FivePoint Communities announced a new vision for Newhall Ranch that can transform that idea into reality.
An ordinary news release posted by the California state agencies of Fish & Game and Air Resources announced the update to the Newhall Ranch environmental analysis. But make no mistake: there is nothing mundane about what is being proposed: a project that will provide new jobs in the Santa Clarita Valley and provide much needed housing for our growing population – all without any contribution to global warming. The net greenhouse gas emissions from the project will be zero. That’s right, zero.
Net Zero Newhall, as the initiative is being called, relies on innovations in construction, renewable energy, transportation, technology, and international investments. These innovations will set a new standard for development in California and the rest of the country.
This project shines a light on the Santa Clarita Valley, and demonstrates our long history of developing livable neighborhoods while fostering a strong business community. Net Zero Newhall will drive new innovations in how communities are designed, developed, and built. As cities across the country incorporate new technologies into their existing infrastructure, the SCV will be a leader in building smart and sustainable communities from the ground up.
Every day we hear about advances in intelligent transportation systems and clean-energy vehicles. Improvements in efficiency of buildings are combining with the onsite generation of renewable energy to make those buildings energy neutral, and even a generator of energy. Technology is re-shaping mobility and enabling people to share cars, rides, and bikes. Advances in batteries can electrify public transportation – even as buses climb the canyon roads of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Net Zero Newhall represents an unprecedented economic development opportunity. It will attract the leaders who share a vision of growth without impact on our global environment, and who are creating the technologies, products and services to achieve that vision. We welcome and embrace their innovations in the Santa Clarita Valley.
This post originally ran in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
http://www.signalscv.com/2016/11/07/holly-schroeder-ghg-free-development/