December 16, 2004

 

-         Go – 21 has cancelled their presentation at the meeting. The new item 3 will be the 2005 TALC Summit.

-         David Schonbrunn updated people on progress of the TRANSDEF alternative for the RTP. MTC’s EIR shows that TRANSDEF’s alternative has better environmental and equity outcomes than any of the other RTP alternatives. David urged member groups and their constituents to contact MTC to adopt all or parts of the TRANSDEF RTP alternative. Comments on the EIR are due by January 7, 2005. For details on how to comment, see http://t2030.mtc.ca.gov. For details on the TRANSDEF alternative, see http://www.transdef.org/.

-         TALC summit will be Saturday, April 9th, 2005 at Laney College. TALC’s new strategic Plan will be released then.

-         Suggestions for possible speakers were: State Treasurer Phil Angelides, State Senator Tom Torlakson, and Fred Keeley of the Planning and Conservation League.

-         Jeff Hobson, TALC Policy Director, announced the availability of Access Now! A Guide to Winning the Transportation Your Community Needs. The guide is  and discussed TALC’s new direction in providing training and technical assistance. Participants were invited to take sign up and take a copy of the guide for their organization.

-         Stuart Cohen, TALC Executive Director, introduction the subject and mentioned TALC’s latest report: It Takes a Transit Village.

-         Greenbelt’s Kate O’Hara and TALC intern Rachel Kraii presented MTC’s latest draft of a proposal to condition funds for transit expansions on planning for new transit-supportive housing, and TALC’s counterproposal.

-         They passed out a joint TALC and Greenbelt flyer highlighting a six-point platform of changes to MTC’s policy, and urged member organizations and individuals to write their cities and the MTC-ABAG Joint Policy Committee to support TALC’s proposal.

-         It was clarified that if cities downzone after the transit extension is built, TALC’s position should be that the city should be required to pay the transit provider for lost ridership because of the downzoning.

-         Representatives of Transit workers unions expressed interest in helping out with the campaign.

-         Kate and Rachel described what you can do:

o       Sign on to TALC’s 6-point platform responding to MTC’s draft policy

o       Write a letter to MTC-ABAG Joint Policy Committee

o       Attend JPC meetings during public comment

o       Include an article in your group’s newsletter (sample article to be sent out soon)

-         These ideas will go up on TALC’s website soon.

-         Stuart Cohen described the results of the six workgroups held during December 5-7^th, along with a timeline for the rest of the Strategic Planning process. Stuart explained the four breakout groups at the regional meeting where the some of the campaigns further develop those campaign proposals than needed more work to clarify them.
 

- Report backs were cancelled in the interest of allowing more time for the breakout groups.
 

-         A good time was had by all, with much holiday cheer!

Break out group minutes

December 16, 2004 Regional Meeting

Below are the minutes of 3 or the four break-out groups at the Dec. 16th regional meeting. The four campaigns were chosen to help clarify the draft campaign proposals for the four campaigns. TALC will be using the ideas from the regional meeting to further refine campaign proposals over the next several weeks before the January 5th TALC board meeting.

Cultural Campaign for Compact Development

Tactics:

-         Community planning, with cherrettes, to get the neighborhood to express their desires, to participate, and to buy in to the development.

-         Publicize the property value gains for neighboring properties of new infill development.

-         Promote the net increase in views for the city or area, have city and developer arrange compensation for lost views. Vancouver example of height with great views.

-         Promote compact infill as best way to revitalize downtowns by bringing more pedestrian traffic.

-         Sensitivity to neighborhood concerns as to how to densify (e.g. demolish and rebuilt versus granny units) and neighborhood amenities (e.g. historic areas)

-         Anecdotes, “conversation stories” of former NIMBYs, the human face and human-interest angle. Plant these in local and regional media.

-         Find tactics to neutralize the public comments of “squeaky wheel” neighbors.

-         Organize potential homebuyers to organize/ mobilize for housing.

o       Builders can offer coupons for money off housing if you advocate for it.

o        

-         Jobs-housing connection, show cities and residents if they don’t build new infill housing the jobs will leave to where the workers moved.

-         Effects on school districts, many infill developments bring needed students and money to school districts.

-         Newspaper column on the “Commuter” page of the SF Chronicle “NIMBY vs. YIMBY” (play off of “Spy vs. Spy”) showing real or fiction comments of opponents and supporters of infill in their neighborhood.

-         Use IKEA’s model apartments (small square footage) for examples of how small apartments can be attractive and comfortable places.

TALC’s role:

-         Still unknown as of yet.

Allies:

-         Developers

-         Realtors

-         Academics

Next Steps:

-         Property value gains for neighbors of new infill.

-         Connection between the building of new housing and the attraction and retention of jobs, or new housing opposition and the losing of jobs.

-         Define the threat, find out what are neighbors threatened by. Is it

o       loss of parking

o       more traffic

o       demolition of their homes

-          Find specific developers, realtors, or their associations that we can partner with. Make sure they are compatible with the campaign.

-         S.F. planning department, people who did the neighborhood plans.

-         Children – causality between sprawl, habitat destruction and animal kills. Contrast infill and environmental benefits for habitat preservation and pollution.

-         Congress for a New Urbanism

-         ULI Urban Land Institute

-         UC Berkeley, Journalism School and D.C.R.P.

Bicycle - Pedestrian:

Tactics:

-         Play on Governor’s interest in public health and children and obesity.

-         Have a successful 1st round of SR2T projects on the ground.

-         Use success to get additional funds for SR2T.

-         Make economic arguments and reward successes.

-         Everyone is a pedestrian.

-         Illustrate public cost per trip taken (cost effective) – and savings because of less auto parking needs.

-         .TALC and BABC work together to apply for Safe Routes to School and Transit development.            

-         A TALC report on Bike-Ped and cost savings (and how it increases safety) “Safe Routes” (Report “Safe Routes to Our Future”).

-         A “morbid” walking tour by elected official – show problems, or walk/bike tour in general.

-         Use celebrity power

-         MTC Commissioner “pass the baton” to circle the Bay Area in one day.

-         Creative messaging (and posters to wear and display).

-         Present a vision that’s compelling- “How do you want your community to look.”

Why should TALC lead/co-lead:

-         TALC has clout.

-         Bike/Ped projects scored well on strategic planning member poll.

-         Talc responsible for SR2T.

-         No regional Ped Group- and limited BABC staff.

-         Huge potential to increase mode share and complement with transit campaigns.

-         Facilitates integration with other campaigns

-         “Easy Win” to make a difference and show results.

-         Projects can be built quickly.

-         Future consulting role to eran money and get it done.

Next Steps:

-         State of CA goal for bike/ped mode share – how to come up with this?

o       Make it matter to TALC’s goal.

-         Check on funding possibilities for staffing and health link.

-         Cost saving and health stats (for public funds and personal funds)

-         Publicize and research International examples for mode share/investment% and how community is designed?

-         Research Bay Area’s best projects to have examples.

-         Consider how this will be done in conjunction with increasing densities.

-         Breakdown of real costs for parking/autos/highways (externalities).

-         Research “double fine zone” for schools success and advocate for additional cities to be permitted.

-         Parents

-         Transit districts

-         Senior Orgs

-         Religious orgs

-         Bike/ ped/env. Groups

-         Creative media events

-         City/county BACs

-         Commuters

-         Affordable housing groups and their clients

-         Businesses

-         Homeowner groups

-         .BABC and county bike/Pad organizations and committees

-         Affordable housing groups

-         Environmental groups

-         Health (Public groups, govt. agencies, and advocacy groups) and individuals

-         Low-income groups

-         Weight loss groups and health clubs

-         Groups advocating for Disabled rights

-         Traffic engineers

-         Law enforcement

State Regional Levers:

Possible Campaign Objectives:

1)         – MTC Condition transit money on smart growth. (Conditioning)

2)         - CEQA reform to facilities T.O.D. (CEQA)

Allow cities to get CEQA acceptance of a specific Plan, that would that would cover projects that comply with specific plan.

3)         - Regional transit impact fee passed by state legislation. (Impact fee)

4)         - Reform of property tax/ sales tax financing of local government by state legislation. (Financing)

The first two objectives were chosen as those to focus on as more popular / achievable.

Tactics:

-         City resolutions to support conditioning policy.

-         Lobby MTC on specifics of TOD Policy. + include existing transit, not just RES 3434

-         Broaden coalition to include labor.

o       Also Bay Area Alliance; esp. business.

Why should TALC lead/co-lead:

-         Absolutely crucial that this succeeds, because failure would be magor set-back for Smart Growth movement.

-         This is perfect Transportation plus land-use connection.

-         TALC co-lead with leg’s plus MTC.

-         Not TALC lead: look to League of cities / CSAC for interest.

-         TALC co-lead with leg’s plus MTC.

-         Problem: how to deal with existing duplicate impacts.

Next Steps:

-         Find out what reforms suggested by TALC intern’s research.

-         What are the good numbers, justifications for them, for ridership requirements?

-         Other precedents for policies elsewhere (Portland).

-         Background paper on CEQA reform to help get groups on same page – before going public with campaign.

-         Who would pay for EIR process?

-         What density minimums?

-         What is political feasibility?

-         How to establish market for car-free housing (Sherman).

-         Environmental groups – what sort of protections to you need?

-         McPeak / B.T.H.: be clear that this has to be reform for T.O.D., not just for all housing.

-         Labor: TransitWorks.

-         Bay Are Council           <- KOH

-         Bay Area Alliance         <- Sherman Lewis

-         Labor: building trades   <- KOH

-         Bay Are Council           <- KOH

-         Bay Area Alliance         <- Sherman Lewis

-         Can we find leg. sponsors plus is it on MTC legislative agenda

-         Better California Campaign.

-         P.C.L.: Mostly concerned about defending CEQA from being gutted.

-         Can we find leg. Sponsors plus is it on MTC legislative agenda

-         Better California Campaign.

If you have and corrections or additions please email Brian Stanke at: brian@transcoaltion.org.

For more information please see www.transcoalition.org or call 510-740-3150. To suggest items for future agendas please contact Stuart Cohen at stuart@transcoalition.org or call the number above.
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