Quay Valley, California

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Quay Valley, also referred to as Quay Valley Ranch, is a proposed planned community consisting of about 12,000 acres (18.75 square miles) in unincorporated Kings County, California, located approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco,[1] and about two miles (3 km) east of Kettleman City.[2] It is planned to be a new, sustainable, solar-powered, model town of about 150,000 people in which residents will not have to pay an electric bill.[3]

Contents

[edit] Project proponents

The planned community is being organized by Kings County Ventures, LLC, a limited liability company incorporated and registered in California. [2] Its chairman is Vince Barabba of Capitola, California, a two-time director of the U.S. Census Bureau and retired head of corporate strategy for General Motors, but the primary person spearheading the project is 50-year-old entrepreneur Quay Hays.[4] Among the other partners include California Democratic Party Chairman and former State Senator Art Torres; retired Sacramento lobbyist Don Brown; Hollywood entertainment lawyer Michael Barnes; and Jonathan Kieswetter, the president of a real estate financing firm in Orange County, California.[3]

[edit] Proposal

According to Quay Hays and Kings County Ventures LLC,[2][3], the goal of Quay Valley is to build a model, self-sustaining community that combines both the best features of New Urbanism and the small rural town traditions of the San Joaquin Valley, while at the same time preserving the natural surroundings of the area.[1]

The town's energy would be provided from three 100-acre (0.4 km²) solar arrays, producing 600 megawatts of power.[2] Commuters would drive energy-efficient cars,[3] or water taxis that would travel through a 300-foot (90 m)-wide stream connecting the community's neighborhoods.[2]

According to the Notice of Preparation of a Program Environmental Impact Report issued by the Kings County Planning Agency on January 31, 2007, Quay Valley would include the following major features:[3]

  • A 579-acre (2.3 km²) speedway complex located in the southern portion of Quay Valley west of Interstate 5. It would consist of a one-mile (1.6 km) oval track, an open course racetrack, a motor drag strip, and a boat drag strip. There would also be parking lots and a grandstand that would seet about 50,000 people.
  • An 116-acre (0.5 km²) automobile-themed commercial center known as "Carworld".
  • Approximately 473 acres (1.9 km²) for a regional family entertainment center, including a convention center and hotels.
  • An 184-acre (0.7 km²) "University Research Park" that could potentially house a public or private university or similar use.
  • Approximately 367 acres (1.5 km²) for an industrial park and transportation center located next to Interstate 5.
  • A 226-acre (0.9 km²) town center comprising of the community's civic and public facilities.
  • Approximately 985 acres (4.0 km²) of mixed-use development that would combine high density residential units with office, commercial and hospitality use.
  • There would be a maximum of total 75,000 residential units. Up to 50,000 of these units would vary in density, range, and type, while up to 25,000 high density units would be placed in the mixed-use development
  • Approximately 288 acres (1.2 km²) would be designated for general commercial use, including 56 acres in the village center and 237 acres (1.0 km²) near the highway.
  • Approximately 1,508 acres (6 km²) of public parks and open space. The open space would include active and passive parks, golf courses as well as other open space areas, streams and other water features and undisturbed natural open space. There would also be potential areas for oil extraction too.
  • Approximately 225 acres (0.9 km²) would remain for agriculture use.
  • An infrastructure would have to be built for the new community, including roads, schools, water systems, police, medical, fire protection and other municipal services. The solar power system and extensive water conservation processes also have been proposed.
  • Up to three new freeway interchanges along Interstate 5 may have to be built, and the existing Utica Avenue Interchange may need to be upgraded.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Quay Valley website - Facts. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  2. ^ a b c d Polakovic, Gary. "For now, it's a city only in his eyes", Los Angeles Times, 2007-03-26. 
  3. ^ a b c d Hoge, Patrick. "Entrepreneur has big, green ideas for a new little town", San Francisco Chronicle, 2007-03-11. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. 
  4. ^ San Francisco Chronicle, March 11, 2007 [1]

[edit] External links

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