Morning Report: In Vista, ‘Mixed-Use’ Is Not
- Jan 11, 2017
- 1 min read
In North County, the city of Vista decided not too long ago to energize certain neighborhoods by embracing a “mixed use” of homes and shops. The thinking goes that this kind of development can get people out of their cars and onto their feet, helping the environment through less driving and less pollution.
How’s it going? Our contributing writer Ruarri Serpa checked into things and found that “mixed use” ended up not being mixed at all. “Most cities define ‘mixed use’ as a combination of residential and commercial development,” Serpa writes. “Vista officials, thinking more about how to kick-start development downtown, allowed developers to decide how much residential or retail they would build, including none.”
Critics say the city fumbled its future. A city official says Vista was coming out of the recession “and wanted to see things happening.” Now, the City Council might take a different path.
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