March-April 2011 MCL Newsletter
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March—April 2011 March—April 2011 On the Waste Front—Update Linking land use and transportation in Marin Coming to a neighborhood SB 375 is on its way A bicycle commuter near you: Food joins fellow scraps to compost Larkspur Ferry passengers for the n November 4, MCL held a Breakfast morning commute Forum on the status of food waste O to San Francisco. collection in Marin and included a report SB 375 seeks to on progress in the MCL January-February link land use and Newsletter. As of March 1, 2011, collection transportation efforts will expand to include San Rafael. in a way that (A rate hike to support the service was will encourage approved for that city on February 8.) fewer car trips According to the Marin IJ (February 9, 2011), and promote Marin Sanitary Service’s expansion plan public transit or also includes Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, alternative modes and several other jurisdictions, all of which such as these. must also approve rate hikes to enable the Dru Parker weekly pick-up of food scraps along with green waste. A pilot program in Fairfax, n its January-February 2009 Newsletter, The logic of SB 375 is based on the notion Sleepy Hollow, and parts of Lucas Valley and IMCL featured an article about SB 375— that if communities are designed to be more unincorporated neighborhoods has been sometimes called the “anti-sprawl” or the compact and closer to shops, services and in effect since April 2010. Neighborhoods “sustainable development” bill. The bill had transit, and if key open space and agricultural and communities in Southern Marin been passed by the legislature in late 2008 areas remain protected, people will drive less served by Tamalpais Community Services with the support of MCL and many other and communities will benefi t overall. Instead District and Mill Valley Refuse Service environmental interests, although few fully of relying on their cars for everyday life, Inc. instituted similar weekly food scrap understood it. Two years later, SB 375, while they will have the option of walking, biking, pick-up last year. In northern Marin, being gradually implemented by regional or taking public transit. Planners have been planning agencies with limited local input, Continued on Page 11 lauding this form of compact development is for most people as abstract now as it was as “transit oriented development” (TOD) then—an arcane planning policy, remote for a number of years. A more recent term, from public view. A key part of the bill Coming Up on May 18 “sustainable development,” is roughly that is about to surface in Marin and other equivalent. TOD has its critics (MCL has A Public Forum local communities will raise questions and reserved judgment because of some issues challenges. MCL will try to anticipate some of Housing in Marin: Needs listed below), but with the urgency of climate the questions and clarify important elements change, the potential for compact, walk-able and Constraints in this and subsequent newsletter issues. communities near public transit to reduce Co-sponsored by MCL, the League GHG emissions from autos and light trucks of Women Voters and the Marin Review of SB 375 Basics takes on new promise. Environmental Housing Collaborative. In simplest terms, SB 375 seeks to limit Compact development is not a new idea the effects of climate change by linking as a substitute for sprawl. Before the passage Pickleweed Community Center, San land use to transportation, thereby reducing of SB 375, it was being promoted in region- RafaeL, 7:00 - 9:30 PM. For details, vehicular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions wide planning to guide future development go to marinconservationleague.org. and promoting livable, healthy communities. Continued on Page 9 PAGE 1 NL11B_MarApr.indd 1 3/3/2011 10:51:08 AM March—April 2011 A Message from the President: Weather and climate—planning land use for different timeframes t is diffi cult in (CEQA) to evaluate impacts and merits. The climate change is already with us, we must Ithese chilly days “future” is limited at most to the horizon adapt to climate change even as we mitigate of late February with of the Countywide Plan. In the meantime, the sources. For example, a local applicant snow forecast for the land owners have been granted certain has proposed a small and otherwise benign weekend—like the snow entitlements, like zoning. mixed-use grocery and condominium development—in the near-term, a reasonable of February 1976 that The second timeframe is long-term. blanketed the Bay proposal. But it happens to be in an area Climate change requires us to plan for a that, even by conservative estimates, could Area and preceded two future we cannot see except in statistical years of record-breaking be under a couple of feet of water as sea terms. Since climate is derived from extremes, levels rise over the next 50 years (See Tam drought— to overcome averages, and trends, forecasting is imprecise Valley Project, Page 5). According to an April the vagaries of the weather and focus on and not always predictable. In addressing 2009 Bay Conservation and Development climate, especially long-term global warming, climate change, we are now identifying Commission report: “Living with a Rising or climate change. No one denies the reality sources and using many tools to mitigate— Bay: Vulnerability and Adaptation in San of weather, and most accept the reality of i.e.,reduce concentrations of—greenhouse Francisco Bay and on its Shoreline,” Marin climate change, but we experience them in gases (GHGs) by curbing emissions. SB 375 can anticipate a 15-inch rise in sea level by different ways and must make our plans in (see page 1) offers tools that focus on one 2050, and 4 feet, 7 inches by 2100. This will two different timeframes. Two articles in this source, but it’s a major one—autos and light not happen as a steady rise, but rather as an Newsletter illustrate this duality. The fi rst trucks—for which we all share responsibility. unpredictable series of events—heavy rainfall timeframe is immediate, or at least near- On the premise that more compact, transit- inundation, extreme high tides, storm surges, term, such as a rock star deciding to subdivide oriented communities can reduce dependence and wave action. his ranch to create more upscale home sites on auto trips and thereby reduce GHGs, the in Lucas Valley (see Page 3). It will take several bill proposes strategies to reconfi gure land Currently we are spending most of our use patterns of long standing. This is a little years of environmental review and planning efforts in fi nding ways to mitigate GHG like slowing and redirecting the Titanic: can process to gratify his ambition (we have few emissions. Our tools for adaptation are far the momentum of everyday planning process details about the proposal at this point), but less advanced. It is the responsibility of local be slowed long enough to examine the eventually something may be built. We deal governing bodies and agencies to anticipate mechanics of how to change direction? Do the future, and develop adaptive policies and with proposals like this every day and use we have a choice over the long term? tools at our disposal, like the Countywide tools in preparation. Plan, Development Code, community plans, It is particularly diffi cult when long-term and the California Environmental Quality Act and short-term thinking overlap. Since Canis latrans, a Tennessee Valley resident, contemplates the implications of SB 375. One of the co-benefi ts of compact communities is protection of open space and natural resource areas. Photo by Len Blumin, Flickr Creative Commons PAGE 2 NL11B_MarApr.indd 2 3/3/2011 10:51:49 AM March—April 2011 cutting off a traditional hiking and biking these actions will fragment a substantial area Rocker James Hetfi eld connection between the Terra Linda and of wildlife habitat. The development also plans to subdivide Loma Alta Open Space Preserves. To bypass would perpetuate a sprawl pattern of vehicle- that barrier, the County Open Space District dependent development. Water requirements Rocking H2 Ranch proposed a connecting trail across lands of are still unknown. Formal review is unlikely to San Domenico School. This “680 Trail” has occur this year, but MCL will comment on the in Lucas Valley been the subject of extensive environmental application when it is fi led with the County. etallica frontman James Hetfi eld’s review and will start construction next Mproposal to subdivide a portion of summer. Hetfi eld’s consulting planners offer his 1,150-acre ranch holdings above Lucas a number of benefi ts for his proposal, such Golden Gate Valley was recently announced in the Marin as allowing the 440 acres already dedicated IJ. The proposal is still at a conceptual “pre- to MCOSD on an adjacent ranch to remain Baptist Theological application” stage with County Planning. as open space, putting in a public trail Hetfi eld intends to develop 27 one-acre connecting Lucas Valley with the new 680 Seminary has homesites on the lower portions of his ranch Trail, and reducing the development potential applied to subdivide property opposite the Westgate subdivision of upper Lucas Valley by 77 units. on Lucas Valley Road and leave open the MCL is withholding judgment on Strawberry campus option of adding seven low and moderate- Hetfi eld’s proposal until more details are For 60 years the Strawberry Peninsula income homes. As currently planned, the known. However, MCL is concerned about has been home to the Golden Gate Baptist residences would be between 3,100 and the rich biological resources of the area, as Theological Seminary (GGBTS).