This is not meant to be a comprehensive list
of every possible Smart Growth policy, rather
some initial priorities that have other
potential supporters over the next 2-3 years.
This platform will be transmitted to state
elected leaders, regional agencies, and
members of the Bay Area Alliance for
Sustainable Communities to evaluate areas
where this is an overlap of interests. The
platform may, therefore, help form the basis
for common campaigns between a broad range of
interest groups.
This platform is included in the
recommendations section in the
Best
and Worst Developments of the Bay Area report. |
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Platform
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1. Give Cities Incentives for Smart Growth
a) Incentives for housing, not big box retail:
Allow jurisdictions to retain a greater
percentage of property taxes raised locally in
exchange for keeping a lower percentage of
sales taxes. (AB 1221)
b) Regional Cooperation: Adopt county or
regional sales tax sharing system that spreads
the benefits of job and housing growth across
the jurisdictions facing the costs of that
growth.
c) Establish a regional "Smart Growth Zone
Incentive Fund" to reward cities that adopt
policies consistent with Smart Growth
criteria. Funding, both for planning and
capital, can initially come from regional
transportation funds, and could be expanded
with state or county funds.
d) Dedicate funds to help communities plan
growth that works best for them. Specifically, MTC should fund community planning processes
focused on revitalization and Smart Growth.
2. Provide Affordable Places to Live
a) Adopt 20% inclusionary zoning policies in
all Bay Area jurisdictions.
b) Adopt jobs-housing linkage fees in all Bay
Area jurisdictions.
c) Reform construction defect liability laws
to protect homeowners while reducing liability
exposure faced by developers of multi-family
housing. (Perhaps through an arbitration
mechanism.)
3. Provide Transportation Choices
a) Raise regional bridge tolls $1 to pay for
public transit (SB 916).
b) Finalize and Fund the Lifeline Transit
Network to remove barriers to work, child care
and health for low-income families.
c) Establish regional funding for bicycle and
pedestrian planning and improvements.
d) Require that regional transportation funds
to Bay Area jurisdictions based on specific
smart growth criteria in order to implement
the "Network of Neighborhoods" smart growth
alternative that emerged from the Regional
Smart Growth Vision citizen workshops.
e) Pass a regional gas tax that prioritizes
funding for transit operations.
4. Protect Open Space
a) Adopt Urban Growth Boundaries in all Bay
Area jurisdictions.
b) Permit city land annexations only when
infill development opportunities have been
exhausted. This step would be achieved by
reforming Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo)
rules to require LAFCo certification of a
city's infill performance before a land
annexation will be permitted.
c) Establish entities to acquire and manage
open space acquisition in each Bay Area county
(a current example is the East Bay Regional
Parks District)
5. Invest in Existing Communities
a) Prioritize state school infrastructure
funds to favor school construction funds in
already developed urban and suburban core
areas. Also prioritize funding for schools
that can serve multiple functions, such as
community centers, that can reduce commuting.
b) Lower the voter threshold to 55% for bond
and sales tax measures that fund a combination
of housing, transportation, and open space
protection. (SCA 11 and ACA 14)
c) Require state agencies to comply with AB
857, passed in 2002. This requires state
agencies to prioritize investments that
promote environmental sustainability and
social equity. |
