REGIONAL PLANNING a key to meeting transportation, housing and environmental goals

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REGIONAL PLANNING a key to meeting
transportation, housing and environmental goals

• Presentation to CALCOG Regional Issues Forum
  April 14, 2005
• by Rusty Selix
• CALCOG Executive Director

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REGIONAL VISION PLANS

• Sacramento Area Blueprint
• Bay Area Livability Footprint
• Southern California 2 Strategy
• San Diego Comprehensive Regional Plan

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FUTURE GROWTH SCENARIOS.

• Current land use patterns use up precious land,
  increase congestion and lack of housing
• Alternative plan is needed to
• Provide more housing and jobs along transit
  corridors
• Protect lands for resource protection

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661 square miles of land needed for urban use
by 2050. In the Blueprint Scenario, 304 square
miles convert 166 square miles of agricultural
land into urban uses. With the Blueprint
Scenario, 102 square miles 26 percent of people
in communities with balanced, mix of land uses.
In the Blueprint Scenario, 53 percent
The Preferred Blueprint Scenario
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Smart Growth Strategy/Regional Livability
Footprint Project

• Bay Area's five regional public agencies
  (Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG),
  Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Bay
  Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD),
  Bay Conservation and Development Commission
  (BCDC), and Regional Water Quality Control Board
  (RWQCB), and the Bay Area Alliance for
  Sustainable Development. (The Steering Committee
  comprises ABAG, Bay Area Council, Sierra Club,
  and Urban Habitat Program).

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Base Case Scenario

• Under current growth trends, a continued Bay Area
  housing shortfall will require up to 265,000
  workers (and their families) to live in outlying
  areas and commute to jobs within the region.
  These people will commute long distances,
  primarily in single occupant vehicles.

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Alternative Growth Scenario

• saves highly prized open space and agricultural
  land both within the Bay Area and in outlying
  areas such as the fertile Central Valley by
  calling for compact, mixed-use communities that
  are close to transit lines and employment
  centers.
•  enough transit-accessible housing within the
  region to accommodate Bay Area workers who
  otherwise would have to live in distant towns and
  commute from afar.

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SCAG Region The 2 Strategy

• A vision for growth in Southern California

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Base Case Scenario

• There will be an additional 6.3 million people by
  2030, with a total population of nearly 23
  million people.
• If current trends continue, traffic congestion
  will more than double in 2030.

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SANDAG

• Regional Comprehensive Plan

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San Diegos Current Path

• 90 percent of vacant land for housing is planned
  for densities of less than one home per acre
• in the rural back country areas dependent upon
  scarce groundwater supplies.
• vacant land planned for housing in the 18
  incorporated cities, only about seven percent is
  planned for multifamily housing

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The Regional Comprehensive Plan

• Using land use and transportation plans to guide
  decisions regarding environmental and public
  facility investments and 
• Focusing on collaboration and incentives to
  achieve regional goals and objectives.
• Integrated Regional Infrastructure Strategy
  (IRIS) transportation, water supply and quality,
  energy, schools, parks and open space, solid
  waste, storm water, waste water

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Limited State Coordination

• Transportation projects and funding must be
  consistent with regional plans
• Funds for housing, schools, resource
  conservation, government offices, power
  generation and other infrastructure and state
  approvals are not coordinated with each other or
  regional plans

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CALCOG Growth Policy

• Regional plans identify priority lands for
  increased urban development and priority lands
  for resource protection,
• State funding and approval decisions follow the
  regional plans
• Regions must be consistent with state plans
• Expand upon transportation planning and
  programming
• May be subregional in multi-county regions

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Governors Housing Proposal

• Local Governments must each designate enough
  lands to provide a 20 year supply of land to meet
  housing needs
• Each local government to take care of your own
  
• Population growth or employment growth-
• Whichever is larger

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Local Government Responses

• Support goal, but a 20 year supply in general
  plan designations, 10 years in zoning, 5 years
  right to build (subject to design, fees and
  permits) is ONLY feasible WITH
• Funding for Services, Infrastructure and
  neighborhood improvements, AND
• CEQA Streamlining, AND
• Accountable to regions not the state
• Regions accountable to the state

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Funding for Services and Infrastructure

• Mello Roos or Tax Increment variation
• All private developments other than affordable
  housing participate in regional funding from
  increased value and paid out of financing of
  project
• Funds allocated to cities and counties to cover
  service and infrastructure costs
• Support housing developments and resource
  protections that follow regional and subregional
  plans

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CEQA Reform/Conformity

• Use regional plans (already required to be
  updated every three years) for CEQA analysis of
  cumulative impacts of growth
• No analysis of regional traffic/air/growth issues
  in conforming general plans
• No CEQA for conforming housing projects
• EIR savings collected as regional fees to support
  communities building housing and preserving
  resources

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Housing Plan Reform

• Cities and Counties submit lands planned, zoned
  and right to build to regions or subregions
• Regions certify that total meets regional take
  care of your own like conformity
• Third parties can challenge regional findings or
  local general plans
• No HCD review/approval

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Mutual Achievement of Goals

• More certainty for lands designated for
  development and resource protection creates
  support for
• Funding Infrastructure and Services needs which
  creates opportunities for
• Funding more affordable housing and more
  resources protection which is based upon
• Regional plans to reduce congestion and sprawl