RESOURCES
News Articles (Link)
Letters from Sustainable TamAlmonte (Link)
Other Letters (Link)
Videos (Link)
Affordable Housing Advocacy Laws: This article gives brief summaries of several California State laws that take away local control and place important limitations and obligations on local decision-makers in the area of affordable housing. (Download)
Summary of California State Senate Bill (SB) 375 (2008) by Sustainable TamAlmonte: Senate Bill 375 was authored by California Senator Darrell Steinberg, one of the biggest Senate recipients of building/construction campaign contributions. The law's core provision is a requirement for California's 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to develop a "Sustainable Communities Strategy" (SCS) that integrates land-use planning and transportation planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although the purported goal of the law is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, its main emphasis is building high-density housing near transit hubs, rather than more effective means to lowering greenhouse gases, such as mandating vehicle emission standards or improving public transportation. (Building high-density housing near transit hubs in California tends to be an ineffective means to lowering greenhouse gases because construction is a huge contributor to green house gases and California's public transportation is largely inadequate.) Another flaw of the law is it's goal to reduce per capita greenhouse-gas emissions, rather than reduce total greenhouse-gas emissions. This particular summary of SB 375 concentrates on how the law encourages development in Tam Valley & Almonte. (Download)
Overview of California State Senate Bill 375 by Housing Land Advocates: (Link)
Plan Bay Area: Adopted on July 18, 2013, Plan Bay Area is the Bay Area's first Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) mandated by Senate Bill 375. This state required Bay Area regional plan - plans for transportation, housing and land use over the next 25 years, until 2040. It concentrates high-density, mixed-use commercial and affordable housing near transit hubs. Each jurisdiction in the Bay Area, including each Marin County jurisdiction, is mandated (with incentives and penalties) to follow Plan Bay Area. (Link)
The Truth About Plan Bay Area: This report is based on information from Plan Bay Area, Plan Bay Area's Environmental Impact Report, the 2007 Marin Countywide Plan's Environmental Impact Report, the State Department of Finance forecasts, Marin County forecasts, and Randall O'Toole's (public policy analyst) and Thomas Rubin's (transportation expert) Plan Bay Area PowerPoint Presentation and comment letters. It demonstrates that: Plan Bay Area contributes to a reduction in local control; Plan Bay Area's projections for population, jobs and housing growth are unrealistic; Plan Bay Area isn't needed to meet SB 375's greenhouse gas reduction requirement; Plan Bay Area makes housing less affordable than ever; Implementation of Plan Bay Area would result in numerous significant unavoidable adverse environmental impacts; Plan Bay Area furthers CEQA exemptions and streamlining; Plan Bay Area promotes unfunded mandates; and the costs of implementing Plan Bay Area far surpass any benefits achieved. (Link)
One Bay Area Plan - Jobs Housing Connection Strategy: The Jobs Housing Connection Strategy serves as the land-use element of the One Bay Area Plan, the Bay Area's first Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) mandated by Senate Bill 375. The strategy provides a land use pattern for the region's future population and jobs. In doing so, the plan uses unrealistic jobs and population growth projections to mandate unsustainable housing development. The majority of the development is expected in Priority Development Areas. (Link)
Overview of Senate Bill 743: Senate Bill 743 allows for exemption and streamlining of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This overview highlights the measures of SB743 that are most pertinent for Marin and is based on information taken from a Summary of SB-743 prepared by the California State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. (Download)
Summary of Senate Bill 743 by the City of San Rafael: Senate Bill 743 allows for exemption and streamlining of the California Quality Act (CEQA). This summary concentrates on how the bill would specifically affect the City of San Rafael. (Download)
Overview of California State CEQA Exemption and Streamlining Laws: This letter from Sustainable TamAlmonte to the Marin County Board of Supervisors gives an overview of California state laws that allow exemptions and streamlining of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Please note that this letter was written before SB 743 became law. (Download)
CEQA: New Rules Narrow Scope of Environmental Review in California: This article, written by Attorney Kevin Haroff, discusses new CEQA streamlining laws. (Link)
Guide to the California Density Bonus Law: This guide by the Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann, and Girard Law Corporation shows how savvy housing developers are taking advantage of California's Density Bonus Law, which allows them to obtain more favorable local development requirements in exchange for offering to build affordable or senior units. Such favorable development incentives include up to a 35% increase in project densities and reduced development standards related to parking requirements, height limitations, setback requirements, minimum square footage requirements, and more. (Download)
Health Risks of Residents Living Near Major Roadways & Freeways: This piece lists studies and articles that support the finding that people who live near major freeways and roadways are at much greater risk of developing serious illnesses. (Download)
2015 to 2023 Marin County Housing Element: According to State housing and planning laws, all California cities and counties are required to include in their General Plan a housing element that establishes objectives, policies, and programs in response to community housing conditions and needs. This Housing Element, adopted December 9, 2014, attempts to satisfy this mandate by evaluating and addressing housing needs in the Unincorporated area of Marin County during the planning period 2015 to 2023. This plan leads the County in the wrong direction by planning for over 200% more housing units than required by law and by including policies and programs that could dramatically raise height limits, reduce onsite parking and force residents to park on crowded streets, and promote streamlined and ministerial "over-the-counter" permit review of housing projects. Streamlined and ministerial permit review of housing projects would hinder thorough and accurate review, constrain valuable public input on planning decisions, and reduce transparency, thereby diminishing the quality and safety of the developments.
(Link)
2015 to 2023 Marin County Housing Element's Environmental Review Document - Addendum to the 2012 Marin County Housing Element Supplement to the 2007 Countywide Plan EIR: (Link)
2007 to 2014 Marin County Housing Element: According to State housing and planning laws, all California cities and counties are required to include in their General Plan a housing element that establishes objectives, policies, and programs in response to community housing conditions and needs. This Housing Element, adopted September 24, 2013, attempts to satisfy this mandate by evaluating and addressing housing needs in the Unincorporated area of Marin County during the planning period 2007 to 2014. This plan targets Tam Valley and Almonte with potential high-density housing by identifying hazardous commercial/mixed use sites in Tam Junction as Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites. Other concerns regarding the plan are programs that expedite permitting of affordable housing through streamlining (even streamlining of CEQA's environmental review) & ministerial review and programs that give incentives & exceptions to affordable housing developments, which may place the environment and residents at greater risk of harm. (Link)
Marin County Housing Element Available Land Inventory: This is a list of sites that were evaluated by the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the 2007 to 2014 and the 2015 to 2023 Housing Element planning periods. This is a list of properties within the County that have been proposed to accommodate future housing growth at all income levels. The Tam Junction Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites are included in this list. (Link)
2012 DRAFT Marin County Housing Element Impact Report (DSEIR): (Link)
Marin County's Precautionary Principle: This is a Marin County ordinance obliging county agencies to anticipate and prevent unwarranted impacts to the environment and residents' health. (Download)
2007 Marin Countywide Plan: The Marin Countywide Plan is a comprehensive long-range general plan for the physical development of Unincorporated Marin. (Link)
2007 Marin Countywide Plan FEIR: This Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) describes the potential environmental effects that could result from implementation of the 2007 Marin Countywide Plan, which provides policy guidelines for the unincorporated portions of Marin County to direct growth and development. One of the most significant findings of this EIR is that "land uses and development consistent with the 2007 Countywide Plan would result in 42 significant unavoidable impacts." (Link)
Tamalpais Area Community Plan (1992): This is our local community plan that governs four local districts: Tam Valley, Almonte, Homestead and Muir Woods Park. (Link)
The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse: This report by Preservation Green lab provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the potential environmental impact reductions associated with building reuse. Until now, little has been known about the climate change reductions that might be offered by reusing and retrofitting existing buildings feather than demolishing and replacing them with new construction. This groundbreaking study concludes that building reuse almost always offers environmental savings over demolition and new construction. Moreover, it can take between 10 and 80 years for new energy-efficient building to overcome, through more efficient operations, the negative climate change impacts that were created during the construction process. (Link)
News Articles (Link)
Letters from Sustainable TamAlmonte (Link)
Other Letters (Link)
Videos (Link)
Affordable Housing Advocacy Laws: This article gives brief summaries of several California State laws that take away local control and place important limitations and obligations on local decision-makers in the area of affordable housing. (Download)
Summary of California State Senate Bill (SB) 375 (2008) by Sustainable TamAlmonte: Senate Bill 375 was authored by California Senator Darrell Steinberg, one of the biggest Senate recipients of building/construction campaign contributions. The law's core provision is a requirement for California's 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to develop a "Sustainable Communities Strategy" (SCS) that integrates land-use planning and transportation planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although the purported goal of the law is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, its main emphasis is building high-density housing near transit hubs, rather than more effective means to lowering greenhouse gases, such as mandating vehicle emission standards or improving public transportation. (Building high-density housing near transit hubs in California tends to be an ineffective means to lowering greenhouse gases because construction is a huge contributor to green house gases and California's public transportation is largely inadequate.) Another flaw of the law is it's goal to reduce per capita greenhouse-gas emissions, rather than reduce total greenhouse-gas emissions. This particular summary of SB 375 concentrates on how the law encourages development in Tam Valley & Almonte. (Download)
Overview of California State Senate Bill 375 by Housing Land Advocates: (Link)
Plan Bay Area: Adopted on July 18, 2013, Plan Bay Area is the Bay Area's first Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) mandated by Senate Bill 375. This state required Bay Area regional plan - plans for transportation, housing and land use over the next 25 years, until 2040. It concentrates high-density, mixed-use commercial and affordable housing near transit hubs. Each jurisdiction in the Bay Area, including each Marin County jurisdiction, is mandated (with incentives and penalties) to follow Plan Bay Area. (Link)
The Truth About Plan Bay Area: This report is based on information from Plan Bay Area, Plan Bay Area's Environmental Impact Report, the 2007 Marin Countywide Plan's Environmental Impact Report, the State Department of Finance forecasts, Marin County forecasts, and Randall O'Toole's (public policy analyst) and Thomas Rubin's (transportation expert) Plan Bay Area PowerPoint Presentation and comment letters. It demonstrates that: Plan Bay Area contributes to a reduction in local control; Plan Bay Area's projections for population, jobs and housing growth are unrealistic; Plan Bay Area isn't needed to meet SB 375's greenhouse gas reduction requirement; Plan Bay Area makes housing less affordable than ever; Implementation of Plan Bay Area would result in numerous significant unavoidable adverse environmental impacts; Plan Bay Area furthers CEQA exemptions and streamlining; Plan Bay Area promotes unfunded mandates; and the costs of implementing Plan Bay Area far surpass any benefits achieved. (Link)
One Bay Area Plan - Jobs Housing Connection Strategy: The Jobs Housing Connection Strategy serves as the land-use element of the One Bay Area Plan, the Bay Area's first Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) mandated by Senate Bill 375. The strategy provides a land use pattern for the region's future population and jobs. In doing so, the plan uses unrealistic jobs and population growth projections to mandate unsustainable housing development. The majority of the development is expected in Priority Development Areas. (Link)
Overview of Senate Bill 743: Senate Bill 743 allows for exemption and streamlining of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This overview highlights the measures of SB743 that are most pertinent for Marin and is based on information taken from a Summary of SB-743 prepared by the California State Senate Committee on Environmental Quality. (Download)
Summary of Senate Bill 743 by the City of San Rafael: Senate Bill 743 allows for exemption and streamlining of the California Quality Act (CEQA). This summary concentrates on how the bill would specifically affect the City of San Rafael. (Download)
Overview of California State CEQA Exemption and Streamlining Laws: This letter from Sustainable TamAlmonte to the Marin County Board of Supervisors gives an overview of California state laws that allow exemptions and streamlining of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Please note that this letter was written before SB 743 became law. (Download)
CEQA: New Rules Narrow Scope of Environmental Review in California: This article, written by Attorney Kevin Haroff, discusses new CEQA streamlining laws. (Link)
Guide to the California Density Bonus Law: This guide by the Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann, and Girard Law Corporation shows how savvy housing developers are taking advantage of California's Density Bonus Law, which allows them to obtain more favorable local development requirements in exchange for offering to build affordable or senior units. Such favorable development incentives include up to a 35% increase in project densities and reduced development standards related to parking requirements, height limitations, setback requirements, minimum square footage requirements, and more. (Download)
Health Risks of Residents Living Near Major Roadways & Freeways: This piece lists studies and articles that support the finding that people who live near major freeways and roadways are at much greater risk of developing serious illnesses. (Download)
2015 to 2023 Marin County Housing Element: According to State housing and planning laws, all California cities and counties are required to include in their General Plan a housing element that establishes objectives, policies, and programs in response to community housing conditions and needs. This Housing Element, adopted December 9, 2014, attempts to satisfy this mandate by evaluating and addressing housing needs in the Unincorporated area of Marin County during the planning period 2015 to 2023. This plan leads the County in the wrong direction by planning for over 200% more housing units than required by law and by including policies and programs that could dramatically raise height limits, reduce onsite parking and force residents to park on crowded streets, and promote streamlined and ministerial "over-the-counter" permit review of housing projects. Streamlined and ministerial permit review of housing projects would hinder thorough and accurate review, constrain valuable public input on planning decisions, and reduce transparency, thereby diminishing the quality and safety of the developments.
(Link)
2015 to 2023 Marin County Housing Element's Environmental Review Document - Addendum to the 2012 Marin County Housing Element Supplement to the 2007 Countywide Plan EIR: (Link)
2007 to 2014 Marin County Housing Element: According to State housing and planning laws, all California cities and counties are required to include in their General Plan a housing element that establishes objectives, policies, and programs in response to community housing conditions and needs. This Housing Element, adopted September 24, 2013, attempts to satisfy this mandate by evaluating and addressing housing needs in the Unincorporated area of Marin County during the planning period 2007 to 2014. This plan targets Tam Valley and Almonte with potential high-density housing by identifying hazardous commercial/mixed use sites in Tam Junction as Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites. Other concerns regarding the plan are programs that expedite permitting of affordable housing through streamlining (even streamlining of CEQA's environmental review) & ministerial review and programs that give incentives & exceptions to affordable housing developments, which may place the environment and residents at greater risk of harm. (Link)
Marin County Housing Element Available Land Inventory: This is a list of sites that were evaluated by the Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the 2007 to 2014 and the 2015 to 2023 Housing Element planning periods. This is a list of properties within the County that have been proposed to accommodate future housing growth at all income levels. The Tam Junction Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites are included in this list. (Link)
2012 DRAFT Marin County Housing Element Impact Report (DSEIR): (Link)
Marin County's Precautionary Principle: This is a Marin County ordinance obliging county agencies to anticipate and prevent unwarranted impacts to the environment and residents' health. (Download)
2007 Marin Countywide Plan: The Marin Countywide Plan is a comprehensive long-range general plan for the physical development of Unincorporated Marin. (Link)
2007 Marin Countywide Plan FEIR: This Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) describes the potential environmental effects that could result from implementation of the 2007 Marin Countywide Plan, which provides policy guidelines for the unincorporated portions of Marin County to direct growth and development. One of the most significant findings of this EIR is that "land uses and development consistent with the 2007 Countywide Plan would result in 42 significant unavoidable impacts." (Link)
Tamalpais Area Community Plan (1992): This is our local community plan that governs four local districts: Tam Valley, Almonte, Homestead and Muir Woods Park. (Link)
The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse: This report by Preservation Green lab provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the potential environmental impact reductions associated with building reuse. Until now, little has been known about the climate change reductions that might be offered by reusing and retrofitting existing buildings feather than demolishing and replacing them with new construction. This groundbreaking study concludes that building reuse almost always offers environmental savings over demolition and new construction. Moreover, it can take between 10 and 80 years for new energy-efficient building to overcome, through more efficient operations, the negative climate change impacts that were created during the construction process. (Link)