Marin Scope Twin Cities Times News Pointer Ross Valley Reporter Ebbtide  October 21--31, 1989

 

North Bay Transit Association’s response to Marin Conservation League’s 101 proposal

  

WAYNE  HUNN

Community Contributor

 

    North Bay Transportation Management Association(NBTMA) and Novato Ecumeni­cal Housing (NEH) deal with two of Marin’s most intractable problems: Traffic and Affordable Housing. The goals at both or­ganizations cause their staff’s to be comprised of individuals dedi­cated to reducing air pollution —caused by excessive commute reliance on the single occupant automobile. These organizations are also dedicated to preserving the sanity and health of Marin’s most important and endangered species — regular hard working families, who are trying to spend more quality time and educa­tional funds on their kids so that they can become responsible world citizens.

    From that perspective, I must address some environmen­tally dangerous conclusions the

Maim Conservation League is asking the public to support as MCI. analyzes the 102 Corridor Plan. First, let me define NEH and NBTMA’s position on issues raised by the MCI.

    Regional Planning. Over five years ago, when most groups were not even paying attention to the lO1 Corridor Committee meetings, we were vocal member of the Citizens Advisory Committee telling the 102 Committee that land use is the crux of the traffic problem and must be ad­dressed by regional leaders.

                                                                                                                                 Commercial Development, Fiscal Disparities & Affordable Housing: Two years ago we

began calling upon the 101 Corridor Committee to analyze the Metropolitan Revenue Distribution (MRD) Act enacted In the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. The  MRD Act has became an important means to help adjust the fiscal disparities caused by local commercial development imbal­ances that cause unequal city revenues. In Marin this disparity has become evident with the smaller City of San Rafael producing about 3 times as much tax revenue as does the larger City of Novato. Our public statements and writings an the Fiscal Disparities program may be getting through, since County officials recently re­quested that we put them in touch with developers of that Minnea­polis program.

    Since MCI. recently began supporting coordinated land use planning and a county revenue sharing program, their stated environmental  goals “Initially seem” to coincide with what has long been our work program. Unfor­tunately, if MCLs desire to have the public purchase Marin’s land along the rail right-of-way is implemented, even the most

modest affordable housing production goals will be destroyed and the resultant additional traffic will cause further environmen­tal degradation.

    In a recent Newspointer Point of View, MCL stated that “continued development under the existing local general plan policies by the year 2005 will result In the following:

    • “Only 5% of those com­muting from homes in Marin or Sonoma to jobs in Main will use public transit.”

    •”There will be 18 miles of “severe congestion’ an. Highway 101 (9 miles In Marin and 9 in Sonoma).”

    The key words here are “development under existing local general plans.” Equally important Is understanding how those general plans have been and probably will continue to be, modified by groups lobbying for their interests before Marin’s Ci­ty Councils. Marin’s special in­terest group’s constantly push their city councils to reduce General Plan density allowances. Then they further reduce projects during the final approval stage so that the built project moves toward what seems to be Marin’s goal of one unit per acre.

For those. who already own, this reduction of housing supply is a great means to inflate existing property values. Developing even more curbs, gutters, pavement and water sucking lawns for that one expensive, single family detached unit that by its design can only discharge single occu­pant vehicles into 101— will fulfill the dire estimate that “only 5% of Marin and Sonoma Commuters will use mass transit.”

    MCL’s continued support of suburban sprawl developments, whose expensive single family detached units require qualifying household incomes well in excess of 5100,000 will not allow the rail system to work. Marin’s suburban sprawl spawns ever greater dependence an the auto­mobile, whose Marin registration numbers over the last 18 years have grow 7 times as fast as Marin’s population. Continuing this pattern will fulfill the other dire estimate that “there will be 18 miles of severe congestion on Highway 101.”

             NEH’s & NBTMA’s Logical Regional Plan for Affordable Housing and a Sound Environ­ment:

    Changing our land use pattern can reverse the dire estimates that, when accepted without an­alysis, scare people into opposing or not recognizing logical solutions to traffic and affordable .housing problems.

Over the years NET and NEH have called upon the seven City Councils whose land abuts the North West Pacific Railroad Right-of-Way to add mixed-use

overlay maps to their General. Plans. Mixed use overlay maps allow developers to  design con­centrated communities that mix. retail, office, commercial and residential developments within walking distance at each other along the rail road line. Having 10-12 of these “Pedestrian Pockets” along the NWP Right-of-way could provide much more affordable housing than the one unit per acre scenario that pours cars onto 101. Pedestrian Pockets could also supply most of the jobs needed for most of Marin and Sonoma’s projected population growth.

    MCL’s Regional Plan for “No Affordable Housing and a Carbon Dioxide Polluted Environment” What is the alternative that MCI. calls for on lands abutting the  railroad right-of-way?

    “Public acquisition and preservation of the major sites where development is anticipated in the 101 Corridor Plan in­cluding the St. Vincent’s/Silvera lands, Hamilton Air Force Base, the Rowland Boulevardard-101 area, BeI Marin Keys, and the lands north of Novato

 

                                  --September 6. 1959 MCI. letter to Marin Transit Authority.

 

    The most endangered species in Marin County is not a bird on its wetlands. In the most expen­sively housed county in Califor­nia, where population has barely grown at 1/2 of one percent per cent for over 15 years, the most endangered species is households of regular working families trying to raise good kids.

    The last chance Marin has to design affordability into housing is to use the available and vacant lands that MCI. wants the public to acquire—for well designed Pedestrian Pockets. The last chance Marin and Sonoma has to reduce air polluting traffic congestion on 101 is to build enough Pedestrian Pockets along the Northwest Pacific Right-of-Way to allow the train to become eco­nomically viable with pedestrian and freight traffic.

    “Only in Marin” should not mean that Marin is the ‘only’ environment. Marin must do its global share by acting locally to:

    • Conserve the ozone layer by putting fewer carbon dioxide emitting automobiles into traffic jams.

    • Conserve limited oil supplies by moving people more efficiently an the proven energy effi­cient transit mode of the past and future — trains.

    • Conserve limited Califor­nia water by moving away from the excessive water consumption of suburban sprawl and toward the more efficient water use present in the mixed-use Pedestrian Pocket designs that surrounds their development with lots of less thirsty open space.

    •  Preserve healthy social arid economic structures for financially strapped North Bay fam­ilies by providing more opportunities for affordable housing near an efficient rail line that also has jobs, schools and child care facilities designed into most, if not each, Pedestrian Packet

If the Marin Conservation League represents the feelings of a majority of Marinites, then they have an environmental responsibility to redirect their pre­sent misplaced efforts and re­educate their constituency. A true environmentalist sees more to environmental needs than just that of the property value of their own backyard. A true environmentalist

sees that designing communities that support children, working families, walking, biking and energy efficient rail lines Is a valuable and sensible part of America’s future.