You mean after all the brew-haa-haa over the current roads because of over development they might APPROVE another building project???  Somebody ask each of these people to bend over and pull their collective heads out of their collective arses!!!!!  Or do they plan on the "rural" feel of DIRT ROADS?????

Roads Commissioner Craig Pope is talking about roads now. He said the projects will be able to create decent circulation in the "immediate area" they are developing.

But the larger area will remain a conglomeration of dirt roads and narrow asphalt and neighbor-owned routes.

"The road network is rural," Pope said. It will be, "20 to 25 years before it becomes anything else."

Jon.   

The comments from Mr. Pope that surrounding private dirt roads will generate a country feel and that expected growth is a minimum of 2 decades away is speculative at best.  It just an opinion but Mr. Pope is telling the public what he thinks we want to hear.  A quarter acre of land converts to 10,890 square feet.  That's not much more land than an average urban tract lot and is probably zoned R-1.   It's no wonder the residents living adjacent to the planned development are pushing back.  They're upset about the chipping away of their peace and serenity, and inability to fully enjoy their property.  Eventually those future neighbors will begin complaining about livestock smells and orchard noises and they'll be either forced or bought out.

Bakersfield  is in the top ten for loan defaults and smog.  More development means increased air pollution and consequentially more health related problems for us all.  The smog layer is readily noticeable when I drive down the hill from the Tehachapi area to Bakersfield.  It's a wide area brown layer hovering over the greater Bakersfield area and into the surrounding mountain communities.  More growth will increase poisonous petroleum byproducts along with all the other carbon and toxic materials polluting the air we breathe.  

The fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and meats purchased at our markets are grown in the agricultural belts that are being replaced with housing tracts and strip malls on a massive scale without any regard for loss of agricultural land and the future ability to generate food for a steadily rising human population.  Hmm. Water is an issue too, as is global warming and disappearance of bees world wide.  Based on uncertainty due to these factors the future of farming may change.  Perhaps we should be identifying ways to protect our food sources and land.  Future survival of our ecosystem and man depends on stewardship now, not waiting for a meltdown like the country's current financial situation.  We can't eat concrete and asphalt.

There is no such thing as a rural feel within Bakersfield, anywhere.  It's urban now.  Downtown Bakersfield reminds me of a junior Pasadena, located the Los Angeles area and home of the Rose Parade.  Old Town Pasadena has already reinvented itself into a profitable and sustainable area for international dining, unique shops and live entertainment.  Pasadena and surrounding areas are safe, wholesome places to live. Similarly, downtown Bakersfield ha s begun attracting businesses to the the area around Truxton and Chester.  The old homes like around Mercy Hospital on Truxton have been renovated and converted from residential estates to high end professional businesses.  The area attracts the finest doctors and medical professionals. Mercy and San Joquin Hospital are both 5-star. 

Until 4 years ago I lived in large cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.  Rural living, in my opinion, is in direct contrast to city life and the two lifestyles don't mix well.  Most city folks have not experienced the distinct sound of silence because there is constant noise pollution 24/7 from helicopters, planes, ambulance/police sirens, vehicles/buses, tree service equipment, trains, TV and lots more.  City light pollution interferes with the ability to look up and appreciate the breatht aking night skies.  I'm still awe-struck at clearly seeing the Milky Way and Orion's Belt year around.  The night sky is getting lighter in the direction of Lancaster/Palmdale.  My land in the Mojave Desert is my Garden of Eden and the encroachment of urban sprawl is already bringing more traffic and air noise and development. 

Anyway, that's my 2 cents.