Editorial: Grapevine can be remarkable; let’s insist on it

By The Bakersfield Californian

Generally speaking, we fare better when new development is contiguous to existing development, or, better yet, replaces blighted, out-ofplaceor inefficient areas within an established urban footprint. The infrastructure is already in place, water needs are somewhat accounted for and farmland or other resources are not diminished.

Tejon Ranch Co.’s proposed development, known simply as Grapevine, could be an exception to that infill ideal — but only if the Kern County Board of Supervisors demands it. Done right, the company’s plan to build 12,000 homes and apartment units on 8,000 acres at the southern base of the valley floor — on rural land 30 miles south of Bakersfield — could have some advantages.

View the full article