Bay Area open space under threat by sprawl, study warns

The combination of a sizzling economy and a shortage of housing has left hundreds of thousands of acres of Bay Area open space — from ranches in Antioch to scenic landscapes in San Mateo — in danger of being developed, according to a report being released Tuesday by a land conservation group.

The study, called At Risk, found that 293,100 acres of farmland and natural areas could be paved over in the next 30 years if suburban sprawl is not stopped.

[...] the open space under threat in the Bay Area has been reduced by 29,700 acres since 2012, when the last At Risk report was released.

The study, which has been produced every few years since 1989, took into account zoning rules, historic land uses, desirability and housing needs before assigning risk to each county in the Bay Area.

The proposal, called the Ranch, would plop the housing, a recreation center, a fire station and five parks in southern Antioch, where trails would link them to the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve.

The study is an attempt by the Greenbelt Alliance, which has long fought for the passage of urban-growth boundaries, to prevent development outside city centers, a challenge complicated by the Bay Area’s affordable housing crisis.

Madsen said the goal is not to stop new housing, but to persuade local governments to approve responsible development in populated areas, where businesses and infrastructure are already in place and driving can be kept at a minimum.

Kerry Fugett, executive director of Sonoma County Conservation Action, said her group has worked with the Greenbelt Alliance to push this type of project, including high-density housing around stations for the North Bay’s soon-to-open SMART train.

The flip side, he said, was seen in Palo Alto in 2013 when residents held a successful referendum to stop a 60-unit affordable senior housing plan, called the Maybell Project, near El Camino Real.