While city planners are trying to incorporate certain priorities into the five expansion areas — affordable housing being at the top of the list — they're also trying to avoid clusters of developments like the ones that grew up in the last expansion area in the 90s.
"We need to get away from the old paradigm of big chunk of residential here, big chunk of commercial here, big chunk of industrial here," Wu explains.
Instead, drafters of the master plan, released a few weeks ago, are aiming toward more independent communities with their own mixed-use downtown-like area. And though the plan is still a first draft at this point, Wu says he sees promise in the idea.
If you want a comparison, think "the Southlands, the Meadowthorpes, where commercial and office and residential are kind of integrated, which means better walkability, better access to all the resources, all the amenities that residents can have, and I think just overall a better design concept."
A public hearing on the draft master plan for the expansion is set for October 17.
