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