Ruiz to attend smart growth conference

The event is set for February in Charlotte, N.C.
San Benito County resident and Gavilan College Trustee Tony Ruiz
is attending the 10th annual New Partners for Smart Growth
Conference in North Carolina in early February.
The event is set for February in Charlotte, N.C.

San Benito County resident and Gavilan College Trustee Tony Ruiz is attending the 10th annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in North Carolina in early February.

The event is set for Feb. 3 to Feb. 5 in Charlotte. The conference there features “12 tours of local model projects and numerous sessions on smart growth and sustainable communities, including financing and real estate development, affordable housing and green building, transportation, infrastructure, and schools and institutions.  

Ruiz stated that he is particularly interested in planned sessions on the challenges of smart growth in small towns and rural areas,” according to a statement from the New Urbanism Committee in which Ruiz is involved.

Ruiz has been active in recent years in promoting smart growth, or new urbanism, to local officials for residential and commercial development.

Part of that has been an emphasis on the economic benefits of higher density residential projects, mixed uses and lowered impact fees.

Ruiz has attended many sessions on smart growth over the years, including those dealing with financing real estate development, affordable housing and green building, transportation, infrastructure, and schools and institutions.  

Ruiz stated that he is particularly interested in planned sessions on the challenges of smart growth in small towns and rural areas.