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Vision of Forestville in the Year 2013 |
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Four months after the first Town Meeting in September 2002, the FPA’s volunteer committees translated the citizen comments into a comprehensive Vision Statement about the future of Forestville.
The references to groups after some paragraphs refers to the input from the six groups that were formed at the September 2002 meeting. The community of Forestville is located among the rolling hills and redwood forests of the Russian River area of Sonoma County, California. Forestville has managed to grow at a very modest rate while remaining small and semi-rural, with a tradition of strong community spirit. There are no “big box” stores, strip malls, large apartment complexes, huge parking lots, or big housing developments in our community. Forestville is clustered around a town center with landscaping befitting its name. Its architecture engenders a strong sense of place. Like the town plazas of old California towns, Forestville’s town center functions as a gathering place for local events, arts, entertainment, and just meeting friends for picnics or dining out. Our town is still surrounded by wooded hillsides, quiet country roads, and an endearingly eclectic variety of residential housing. People like to visit our friendly local businesses and to experience the ambience of a town that is still small enough to have a community spirit. Forestville’s safe, quiet, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets attract a wide variety of people, from local residents to West County Trail travelers. One of our town’s jewels, Solak Park, greets trail users entering Forestville. The park’s peaceful surroundings and natural habitat supports picnics, families, music, and art, exemplifying the nature of our town. At our town center, reliable and convenient public transportation is readily available to other parts of the county. The spirit of our community is evident in the availability of community services for all of our residents, from our young people to our senior citizens, and includes a local health center with its own doctor. Our community is also environmentally alert and active. Efforts to restore and maintain our clean water, air, and open spaces have become a model for other communities to emulate. We are a community that supports energy sustainability, and we strive to rely on environmentally friendly guidelines to address our growth, development, and preservation issues. These conditions are made possible by a community that cares enough about its collective future to do the hard work of organizing itself around a set of shared values in order to be a strong, vigilant, and proactive voice against the forces that would impose unwanted conditions upon it. The non-profit Forestville Planning Association (FPA), incorporated in 2003, with an appointed/elected board of directors that speaks for the entire community, has been and continues to be a major part of that ongoing effort. Downtown (Look and Feel) Small! Forestville remains small and semi-rural with limited development, including agricultural, commercial, and residential. We see ourselves as continuing to grow sensibly while maintaining the small-town feel that we all want to preserve. (Six groups.) Forestville has no large chain stores, strip malls, large apartment complexes, huge parking lots, or big housing developments. Our citizens have strongly opposed and continue to oppose the introduction of such developments. (Five groups.) Town Center/Central Plaza. Forestville is the location of a unique town center that is relatively new yet functions like the plazas of the older towns in California. It is pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. It is a focal/gathering point for our citizens. It is a place to gather for special events, small musical gatherings, and spontaneous meetings with one another. The timeless, cohesive architectural style is based on appropriate historical elements. (Five groups.) Trees. Our downtown area matches the name of our town! It provides areas of green for a park-like atmosphere. It is tree-lined, with a feeling of open space about it. The impressive landscaping features a variety of native and drought-tolerant plants. (Five groups.) West County Trail. A beautiful small park greets travelers at our end of the West County Trail. Our community appreciates and supports the West County Trail passing through our town. The park’s peaceful surroundings and natural habitat supports picnics, families, children, music, and art, exemplifying the nature of our town. (Three groups.) Local Business We Support Local Businesses. The community of Forestville strongly supports businesses that are small and locally-owned. A large percentage of the revenue generated stays in the community. (Four groups.) West County Trail Tourism. As a stopping-off place along the West County Trail, we have a number of small businesses that provide services for hikers and cyclists – bike rentals and repairs, picnic and gourmet food shops, good restaurants with healthy food, breakfast places, outdoor cafes, bakeries, and ice cream parlors. (Three groups.) Traffic Safe! Traffic noise, congestion, and safety have improved dramatically. Industrial and construction trucking has been minimized. (Six groups.) Pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. Our downtown is designed to be safe, and encourage and support pedestrians and bicycles. (Six groups.) School Crosswalk. A safe way for elementary school children to cross Covey is in place. Public Transportation. Public transportation makes it easy for people to come and go without worrying about cars and parking. (Three groups.) Parking. There is adequate parking on the periphery of the downtown area that doesn’t impact our vision of a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly downtown. (Two groups.) Quarries. Quarry operations, if any, will not negatively impact our environment, traffic, safety, or our vision for Forestville. (Five groups.) Housing Diversity. The larger Forestville community is economically diverse and intends to maintain an economic balance of low, middle, and higher-cost housing. (Three groups.) Variety. Mixed-use housing is supported in our community, including granny units, live-work units, co-housing, and cooperatives. (Four groups.) Community Services Youth. Forestville is a family-oriented community with great interest in and support of its youth. The community continues strong support of its excellent school district, has a skate park, recreation and art center, and creates local job opportunities and activities for its youngest citizens. The community is also the location of a unique youth park, the work of many people over the years. (Four groups.) Seniors. Forestville also values its older members, who help all of us with their experience and wisdom. The community strongly supports services for its senior citizens. Community Center. We have an active community center that serves the needs of all of our residents, from young people to senior citizens. (Four groups.) Healthcare. All of our community benefits from the creation of a Forestville Health Center that helped us to attract a local doctor of our own. Our citizens have access to a variety of local health services that include alternative and preventative services. (Four groups.) Environment We Value and Preserve Our Environment. The citizens of Forestville see themselves as stewards of the environment. We are a community where a clean and healthy environment is preserved for present and future generations. (Five groups.) Clean Water. We have restored and intend to protect our river and our creeks, and we preserve our healthy ground water systems, keeping them clean for future generations to enjoy. (Five groups.) Open Space. We are a community that values protecting and preserving our open space, waterways and native flora and fauna. We have created and intend to protect our urban growth boundary. (Four groups.) Clean Air. The air we breathe is free of pollutants. We monitor and regulate all development and agricultural activities involving pesticides, resources, and land use. (Four groups.) Sustainability. We are a community that encourages and supports energy sustainability, and strives to rely on environmentally friendly guidelines to address our growth, development and preservation issues. (Three groups.) Noise. The streets of our community are quiet and peaceful. (Six groups.) Forestville Planning Association Voice of the Community. Forestville has an active and effective voice in its future that is attained through regularly-scheduled and well-publicized town meetings in conjunction with a proactive FPA that is comprised of an elected/appointed board of directors, a number of active committees, and a network of neighborhood groups. The board of directors is empowered to speak for the community before a variety of local boards and commissions, many of which have the authority to make decisions that impact Forestville citizens. The FPA is a clearinghouse for citizen concerns and in turn keeps them well informed of the issues. The FPA is inclusive and represents all the diverse members of our community. (Six groups.) Back to Top Back to About FPA Page |