Land UseSonoma County has made great strides in protecting our community's natural resources. In 1990, voters approved a 1/4 cent sales tax for the purchase of agricultural and open-space easements. Six of nine Sonoma County cities have voter-approved urban growth boundaries. Additionally the County has an ordinance that limits development of property between cities with urban growth boundaries. In 1998, voters approved Measure D, ensuring that we will maintain a greenbelt between Marin and Sonoma. Transportation and land use are linked in many ways. Where are jobs located vis-à-vis housing? How do people get from where they live to where they work? Is shopping close to both jobs and homes? What about other services?
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Key measurements of the transportation/land-use link include
Sonoma County does well by these measurements. This strategy should result in reduced vehicle miles traveled. People in Sonoma County travel approximately 12 miles to get to work everyday. 82% of employed county residents work in Sonoma County. We have the lowest in-commute and out-commute ratio of any county in the Bay Area. 4 Our vision for 2020 focuses on future opportunities - not past mistakes. We recognize that land-use policies can influence transportation patterns. We also recognize that land use problems cannot be solved by simply changing our transportation policies. There are other factors -- primarily housing availability and affordability -- that also influence land use decisions. Therefore, our vision focuses on those land-use issues that are relevant to transportation. We envision:
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