News Articles (links open in a new window)
The "Great PDA Debate" is a two-part series by Bob Silvestri that does a great job of showing how many laws, plans, programs and policies come together to promote Transit Oriented High Density Development (TOD). These laws, plans, programs and policies include but are not limited to: SB-375, Plan Bay Area, Priority Development Areas (PDA), Transit Priority Project Corridors (TPP), Transit Priority Areas (TPA), CEQA streamlining laws (SB-375, SB-743, and the CEQA law itself), Housing Element Law, Housing Elements, General Plans, The Builders Remedy, and the State Density Bonus law.
The Great PDA Debate - Part I
The Great PDA Debate - Part II
The "ENRON-ization" of Democracy is a multi-part investigative report by Bob Silvestri that uncovers what's behind the push for Plan Bay Area's regional planning, and how the abuse of joint powers authorities are robbing us of representative government.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6-15-16) by Sharon Rushton: A Must Read: The West Without Water
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5-7-16) by Sharon Rushton: The Bay Area’s Regional Approach to Water Management Prompts Concerns For Marin
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (1-3-16) by Sharon Rushton, Ann Spake, and Laura Chariton: The Unintended Consequences of Using Glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup)
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (7-7-15) by Sharon Rushton: The Importance of Comment Letters on the Draft Marin County Open Space District Plan's Environmental Report
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (12/13/14) by Sharon Rushton: Recap of the December 9th Board of Supervisors' Hearing re: Marin County's Housing Plan
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (11/11/14) by Sharon Rushton: When Can A Water District Issue A Water Moratorium?
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6/20/14) by Sharon Rushton: Park Rangers Play to a 'Standing-Room-Only' Crowd - Recap of the June 18th National Park Service Meeting re: Muir Woods Reservation, Parking and Shuttle System
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6-10-14) by Sharon Rushton: The Somewhat Forgotten Link between SMART's Passenger Service and the North Coast Railway Authority's Freight Service
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5-20-14) by Sharon Rushton: Beware of Funding Agreements Tied to Increased Development
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5/7/14) by Sharon Rushton: Recap of the May 6th Tam Valley Housing Element Workshop
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6/01/13) by Sharon Rushton: The Truth About Plan Bay Area
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5/13/11) by Sharon Rushton: Flawed Initial Vision Plan
Marin Post (7-13-15) by Sharon Rushton: Marin County Supervisors Will Soon Reveal Their Regard For Marin's Traditional Character
Marin Post (7-8-15) by Sharon Rushton: MMWD Board of Directors Votes to Remove Herbicides from Further Consideration
Marin Post (7-15-15) by Sharon Rushton: Draft Agreement between the County & the National Park Service Needs Improvement
Mill Valley Patch (8/27/13) by Richard Hall: Planning for Reality - Dispelling the Dispelling
Mill Valley Patch (5/20/13) by Bob Silvestri: Plan Bay Area's High Density Multifamily Transit Oriented Development Won't Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reuters (11/26/12): Traffic Pollution Tied to Autism Risk: Study
Mercury News (11/14/12): Palo Alto and Other Cities Shouldn't Let Regional Agency Dictate How Many Homes To Produce
New Geography (11/13/12): A Housing Preference Sea Change? Not in California
Mill Valley Patch (5/10/12) by Sharon Rushton: It Is Time for Marin to Challenge ABAG's Planning
Mill Valley Patch (3/1/12) by Bob Silvestri: Why Are Local Leaders Paralyzed Over ABAG's One Bay Area Plan?
Mill Valley Patch (3/8/12) by Bob Silvestri: Why One Bay Area's Growth Plan Is Not the Answer
Wall Street Journal (4/9/12): California Declares War on Suburbia
Marin IJ Articles:
Marin IJ (12/07/14): Sharon Rushton: Marin Voice - Flawed Housing Plan Promotes Higher Densities
Marin IJ (9/12/14): Mike Arnold: Marin Voice - SMART Train Getting Ready to Roll on Shaky Financial Plan
Marin IJ (3/6/14): Sharon Rushton: Marin Voice - Challenging Marin's 'Metropolitan' Housing Density
Marin IJ (12/04/13): Sharon Rushton: Marin Voice - Marin County Can Do Better with Its Housing Plan
Marin IJ (8/6/13): Group Co-founded by Larkspur Lawyer File Suit to Block Plan Bay Area
Marin IJ (8/3/13): Dick Spotswood: Corte Madera Development A Test for Housing Theory
Marin IJ (2/24/12): Dick Spotswood: Regional Planning May Reshape Local Landscape
Marin IJ (3/12/12): Marin IJ: Regional Planners Cut Job, Housing Projections in Marin
Marin IJ (3/18/12): Does Building Workforce Housing Really Work?
Marin IJ (3/18/12): Dick Spotswood: Standing Up For Local Control
Marin IJ (4/6/12): Carla Condon: We need a local 'Council of Governments'
Marin IJ (6/9/09): Mike Arnold: Troubles ahead for SMART
Marin IJ (4/7/08): Mike Arnold: Simple Truth about Freight, SMART
The "Great PDA Debate" is a two-part series by Bob Silvestri that does a great job of showing how many laws, plans, programs and policies come together to promote Transit Oriented High Density Development (TOD). These laws, plans, programs and policies include but are not limited to: SB-375, Plan Bay Area, Priority Development Areas (PDA), Transit Priority Project Corridors (TPP), Transit Priority Areas (TPA), CEQA streamlining laws (SB-375, SB-743, and the CEQA law itself), Housing Element Law, Housing Elements, General Plans, The Builders Remedy, and the State Density Bonus law.
The Great PDA Debate - Part I
The Great PDA Debate - Part II
The "ENRON-ization" of Democracy is a multi-part investigative report by Bob Silvestri that uncovers what's behind the push for Plan Bay Area's regional planning, and how the abuse of joint powers authorities are robbing us of representative government.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6-15-16) by Sharon Rushton: A Must Read: The West Without Water
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5-7-16) by Sharon Rushton: The Bay Area’s Regional Approach to Water Management Prompts Concerns For Marin
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (1-3-16) by Sharon Rushton, Ann Spake, and Laura Chariton: The Unintended Consequences of Using Glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup)
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (7-7-15) by Sharon Rushton: The Importance of Comment Letters on the Draft Marin County Open Space District Plan's Environmental Report
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (12/13/14) by Sharon Rushton: Recap of the December 9th Board of Supervisors' Hearing re: Marin County's Housing Plan
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (11/11/14) by Sharon Rushton: When Can A Water District Issue A Water Moratorium?
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6/20/14) by Sharon Rushton: Park Rangers Play to a 'Standing-Room-Only' Crowd - Recap of the June 18th National Park Service Meeting re: Muir Woods Reservation, Parking and Shuttle System
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6-10-14) by Sharon Rushton: The Somewhat Forgotten Link between SMART's Passenger Service and the North Coast Railway Authority's Freight Service
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5-20-14) by Sharon Rushton: Beware of Funding Agreements Tied to Increased Development
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5/7/14) by Sharon Rushton: Recap of the May 6th Tam Valley Housing Element Workshop
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (6/01/13) by Sharon Rushton: The Truth About Plan Bay Area
Sustainable TamAlmonte Blog (5/13/11) by Sharon Rushton: Flawed Initial Vision Plan
Marin Post (7-13-15) by Sharon Rushton: Marin County Supervisors Will Soon Reveal Their Regard For Marin's Traditional Character
Marin Post (7-8-15) by Sharon Rushton: MMWD Board of Directors Votes to Remove Herbicides from Further Consideration
Marin Post (7-15-15) by Sharon Rushton: Draft Agreement between the County & the National Park Service Needs Improvement
Mill Valley Patch (8/27/13) by Richard Hall: Planning for Reality - Dispelling the Dispelling
Mill Valley Patch (5/20/13) by Bob Silvestri: Plan Bay Area's High Density Multifamily Transit Oriented Development Won't Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Reuters (11/26/12): Traffic Pollution Tied to Autism Risk: Study
Mercury News (11/14/12): Palo Alto and Other Cities Shouldn't Let Regional Agency Dictate How Many Homes To Produce
New Geography (11/13/12): A Housing Preference Sea Change? Not in California
Mill Valley Patch (5/10/12) by Sharon Rushton: It Is Time for Marin to Challenge ABAG's Planning
Mill Valley Patch (3/1/12) by Bob Silvestri: Why Are Local Leaders Paralyzed Over ABAG's One Bay Area Plan?
Mill Valley Patch (3/8/12) by Bob Silvestri: Why One Bay Area's Growth Plan Is Not the Answer
Wall Street Journal (4/9/12): California Declares War on Suburbia
Marin IJ Articles:
Marin IJ (12/07/14): Sharon Rushton: Marin Voice - Flawed Housing Plan Promotes Higher Densities
Marin IJ (9/12/14): Mike Arnold: Marin Voice - SMART Train Getting Ready to Roll on Shaky Financial Plan
Marin IJ (3/6/14): Sharon Rushton: Marin Voice - Challenging Marin's 'Metropolitan' Housing Density
Marin IJ (12/04/13): Sharon Rushton: Marin Voice - Marin County Can Do Better with Its Housing Plan
Marin IJ (8/6/13): Group Co-founded by Larkspur Lawyer File Suit to Block Plan Bay Area
Marin IJ (8/3/13): Dick Spotswood: Corte Madera Development A Test for Housing Theory
Marin IJ (2/24/12): Dick Spotswood: Regional Planning May Reshape Local Landscape
Marin IJ (3/12/12): Marin IJ: Regional Planners Cut Job, Housing Projections in Marin
Marin IJ (3/18/12): Does Building Workforce Housing Really Work?
Marin IJ (3/18/12): Dick Spotswood: Standing Up For Local Control
Marin IJ (4/6/12): Carla Condon: We need a local 'Council of Governments'
Marin IJ (6/9/09): Mike Arnold: Troubles ahead for SMART
Marin IJ (4/7/08): Mike Arnold: Simple Truth about Freight, SMART