Developing a Sustainable Communities Strategy For the Bay Area Presented by Mark Luce, President, Association of Bay Area Governments Napa County Supervisor November 14, 2013 Plan Bay Area
Nov 01, 2014
Developing a Sustainable Communities Strategy
For the Bay AreaPresented by Mark Luce,
President, Association of Bay Area Governments Napa County Supervisor
November 14, 2013
Plan Bay Area
04/08/20232
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board
County Supervisors
David Cortese County of Santa ClaraJohn Gioia County of Contra CostaMark Luce County of NapaEric Mar County of San FranciscoKaren Mitchoff Count of Contra CostaDave Pine County of San MateoDavid Rabbitt County of SonomaKatie Rice County of MarinJane Kim County of San FranciscoLinda Seifert County of SolanoMike Wasserman County of Santa ClaraScott Haggerty County of Alameda Warren Slocum County of San Mateo
City Council members and Mayors
Desley Brooks, City of OaklandKansen Chu, City of San JoseMayor Pat Eklund City of NovatoMayor Leon Garcia, City of American CanyonMayor Pedro Gonzalez City of South San FranciscoMayor Bill Harrison City of FremontDave Hudson City of San RamonDan Kalb City of OaklandWayne Lee City of MilbraeSam Liccardo City of San JoseJake Mackenzie City of Rohnert ParkMary Ann Nihart City of PacificaMayor Julie Pierce City of ClaytonMayor Harry Price City of FairfieldMayor Jean Quan City of OaklandLibby Schaaf City of OaklandMayor Greg Scharff City of Palo AltoAsh Kalra City of San JoseJoe Pirzynski Town of Los Gatos
Other
Director Jason Elliott, Leg/Gov Affairs City of San FranciscoJeff Buckley, Office of the Mayor City of San FranciscoDep Dir Kelly Pretzer, Leg/Gov Affairs City of San FranciscoDirector William Kissinger RWQCB
Basic Questions
Should government plan…? Govern: Latin origin “to steer” as in guiding a ship. Elected leaders are given the authority to lead. We are expected to anticipate and avoid problems and
to identify and create opportunities. Governing is about delivering and that requires
planning.…and at what level?
At the most local level possible, that will encompass the breadth of a decision’s impact…where it is most accountable.
Plan Bay Area
Vision (understanding and moving toward the goal): Strategic intent. Know what is important and adjust.
What is important: Improve our quality of life. • Accommodating growth, reducing greenhouse gasses, housing
our population, and maintaining a vibrant economy, are strategic objectives. They are not an end to themselves.
• We are diverse and “improved quality of life” takes on different meaning in each community. Plan Bay Area is respectful of local government plans and directions. Mandating sprawl where it is not wanted is counter productive and disrespectful.
What is required: Comply with State law. It is difficult to make predictions, particularly about the future.
– Yogi Berra The best way to predict the future is to create it.
– President Abraham Lincoln
Plan Bay Area
Reality: 2 million more Bay Area residents in the next 20 to 40 years,
limited funds, aging infrastructure, diverse bay area values (urban/rural).
The Bay Area is not an island. We are a worldwide destination. Housing will always be expensive as long as we maintain our quality of life.
Beautiful and sensitive physical features (bay, river, wetlands, mountains, etc.) that contribute to planning complexity.
Healthy diverse economy. Plan Bay Area does not prevent local governments from
expanding their boundaries and zoning for more single family homes nor does it force them to do so.
Nothing gets approved unless local government supports it. Nothing gets built unless private developers believe they
can sell it.
What it says and does not say.
Plan Bay Area EIR; “The projected oversupply of single-family homes is expected
to reduce demand for other housing types by almost 170,000 units as some households that would otherwise choose multifamily units instead opt for single family homes made more affordable due to excess supply.”
Randal O’Toole; “Implementation of Plan Bay Area will require the demolition
of more than 169,000 single-family detached homes, or one out of every nine such homes in the region, according to table 2.3-2 of the draft environmental impact report. Any earthquake or other natural event that resulted in this much destruction would be counted as the greatest natural catastrophe in American history.”
Plan Bay Area
Discipline Accomplished through plans and programs that achieve
our objectives consistent with our goal. Prioritize areas for higher density development near jobs and transit that LOCAL GOVERNMENTs have volunteered as welcomed and appropriate. Reward those plans with economic and policy support and eliminate obstacles.
Courage People coming together to move forward, refusing to
compromise our future to the voices of fear and futility.
AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
AB 32 establishes the first comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms in the nation to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions AB 32 sets GHG emissions limit for 2020 at 1990 level
Acknowledges that 2020 is not the endpoint
Points way towards 80% reduction by 2050
Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted a Scoping Plan to achieve AB 32’s GHG emissions reduction target
California’s Three Pronged Approach to Reducing Transportation Greenhouse Gases
(with AB 32 Scoping Plan estimates for GHG reductions in 2020)
Cleaner vehicles (Pavley, AB 32) - 38 tonsCleaner fuels (Low-Carbon Fuel Standard) - 15 tonsMore sustainable communities (SB 375) - 5 tons
SB 375 Basics
Directs ARB to develop passenger vehicle GHG reduction targets for CA’s 18 MPOs for 2020 and 2035
Adds Sustainable Communities Strategy as new element to RTPs
Provides CEQA streamlining incentives for projects consistent with SCS/APS
Requires separate Alternative Planning Strategy if GHG targets not met
Coordinates RHNA with the regional transportation planning process
ARB Adopted GHG Targets — September 2010
Percent Reduction in Per Capita Emissions from 2005 to Target Year
2020 2035
Bay Area 7% 15%
Sacramento 7% 16%
San Diego 7% 13%
Los Angeles 8% 13%
Central Valley 5% 10%
Location Matters
Compared to sprawl, compact development results in a 20 to 40 percent reduction in VMT and hence in CO2
Strategy for Growth
What this means:
The growth we are planning for over the next several decades will be very different from the outward expansion over the last few decades.
With the demands for environmental resource conservation and infrastructure efficiency, infill development with streamlined permitting and financial support will be primary strategies.
Building on an Existing Framework
The region already has a local-regional partnership to support growth in sustainable Priority Development Areas and to protect important natural resources identified as Priority Conservation Areas.
SB 375 is structured as a voluntary, incentive-based program.
Priority Development
Areas
Resources to Local Government Are Key
State and regional capital grants
New federal funding models(e.g. joint HUD/DOT/EPA programs)
Self-help tools(e.g. value-capture such as tax increment financing)
PDA Capital Funding Shortfall
Category $ billions
Transportation Infrastructure
6.3
Affordable Housing 2.0
Parks 1.4
Utilities 0.9
Other Public Facilities
0.9
Pre-Development Activities
0.6
TOTAL 12.1
17
ABAGLand UseHousingJobs
MTCTransportation
SCS Implementation: Regional, County, and Local Coordination
CMAs
Local Jurisdictions
Implementation Focus Areas
PDA Implementation
Open Space and Farmland
Economic Development
Housing Production and
Affordability
Research & Communications
PDA Implementation Transit Corridors
Regional Rail
PDA (not exact size)
Regional Center
Corridor
Inner Bay Area Corridors and Regional Centers
Transit Corridors: Grand Boulevard Initiative
• Development coordination among 21 Jurisdictions
• San Mateo and Santa Clara County
Transit Corridors: San Pablo Ave and East Bay Corridor
Entitlement Efficiency
• SB 375 and 226• SB 743 [Kings
Arena]• CEQA Streamlining
IF projects are:
-Consistent with SCS-Meet density/transit
requirements-Located in areas with already
adopted programmatic EIRs
Entitlement Efficiency
THEN some projects in PDA’s:
-Won’t require add’l CEQA analysis,
or-Have fewer issues to analyze in
EIR
Entitlement Efficiency
ABAG/MTC to develop advisory guidelines to help determine if:
-Local programmatic EIRs meet SB 375 thresholds for these benefits, and if not
-What add’l CEQA analysis would be needed to meet thresholds?
Entitlement Efficiency
Regional PDA Planning Grants
Previous Grants:• Supported 52 plans• Supported planning
for 40,000 new housing units and 60,000 new jobs
New Grants:• $8 Million (2014-17)
• Consult with local jurisdictions• Identify state policies/regs that may impede
PDA implementation• Coordinate with state agencies re: potential
policy adjustments
State Housing Policy Coordination
Place-Based Economic Development Strategies
Downtown Berkeley
Downtown San Jose
Downtown Sunnyvale
• Data Analysis and Research• Tracking development trends• Refine land use model• Consolidate PDA data on website
• Communication• Increase media response capacity• Update ABAG website• Conversations with delegates