1999 Grant Recipient Information
California

Lee Vining Community Planning Project
Lee Vining, California

Abstract

The Lee Vining Community Planning Project will create a consensus-driven vision to provide transportation and land-use planning guidance to a small town that serves as a main gateway to one of the nation's most popular National Park, Yosemite. By involving all stakeholders in the decision-making and policy development, the vision will be able to guide the many competing interests that are placed on the community. This consensus- building and participation will enable the entire community to impart vision, character, and safety into land-use and transportation projects that are already approved and funded. The Project will also serve as a model for rural areas struggling to balance the pressures of tourism and growth with the protection of natural resources and quality of life. Specifically, the Lee Vining Community Planning Project will seek to find broad-based and replicable solutions to the following issues:

• The appropriate role of communities who serve as gateways to national parks and recreation areas seeking to balance the need for tourism with the preservation of community character and quality of life.
• Balancing the multiple needs and users that depend on a major state highway facility (U.S. 395) that must also serve as a local town's Main Street.
• Opportunities to mitigate seasonal traffic impacts in and around Yosemite National Park; particularly focused on the proper integration of a proposed public transit system (YARTS) with Lee Vining and other communities bordering the national park.
• Provide a model for intergovernmental cooperation and pubic involvement for unincorporated rural areas struggling with transportation and land-use issues.

The results will be a comprehensive Community Plan that will guide state and local planning decisions to revitalize a town that will be able to increase the strength of its local businesses, including tourism and recreation, while also protecting the valuable environmental resources of a fragile area.

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