In the current scheme of things, growth is how local government, without independent wealth, survives and with the growth surrounding it, Galt will find it difficult to not respond.
Though if it can develop a boutique village or high-end rural agriculture—organic products mix/eco-tourism—concept, which it has some of the bones for, it may find a way through the growth imperative.
Protecting an identity
Galt has rejected big growth plans to preserve its small-town charms - perhaps risking its future
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, March 26, 2007
With a wary eye on Elk Grove, its mushrooming neighbor to the north, the little city of Galt is trying to figure out how to preserve its small-town identity without going broke.
In November, two newcomers were elected to the Galt City Council, supplanting a majority that had pushed a major expansion to the north to accommodate a Sun City-style golf course development. The Del Webb project would have abutted both the city's sewage treatment plant and the Nature Conservancy's Cosumnes River Preserve.
The new council majority has since eliminated the Del Webb development from consideration and pulled back the city's expansion plans on other fronts as well.
"It didn't seem logical for a city of 24,000 people to expand the way the previous council was planning on expanding," said Andrew Meredith, one of the new council members. "This community still has an identity that hasn't gone away. I think you have a strong sentiment in the community that people want to keep it that way. It's a rural community focused on agriculture."
