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Conservation Action AlertSupport the Proposed Community Impact Report for Retail Development in Petaluma Save the date: June 16th, 2008 at 7:00PM Please join us at Petaluma City Council 11 English St., Petaluma to demonstrate your support for Community Impact Reports. The Living Wage Coalition, Petaluma Neighborhood Association, Petaluma Community Coalition, Petaluma Independent Business Association, Sonoma County Conservation Action and Petaluma Tomorrow have introduced a proposed Community Impact Report (CIR) requirement for new large retail developments to the City of Petaluma. The City Council will consider our CIR ordinance and discuss a staff report at this meeting. The CIR is an innovative policy tool that can help policy-makers and staff to make informed decisions about proposed large commercial retail. The CIR complements the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by considering the potential impacts of proposed large retail projects on small businesses, public health and social services, job quality, and affordable housing. Our legislation is similar to CIR requirements adopted in other California cities such as San Diego and Los Angeles, and a recent state law passed in Maine, the Informed Growth Act. A CIR will encourage more sustainable and equitable development in the City of Petaluma, and can serve as a model for other cities in the county. For more information on the CIR proposal and to view the language proposed, please go to: www.livingwagesonoma.org. Also available on this web site is a card in support of the CIR ordinance that can be downloaded and mailed to the Petaluma City Council. ________________________________________________________ County General Plan Action Needed! The future of Sonoma County is at stake! We need YOU to show up!
On Tuesday April 1st, from 2:15-5:00pm, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will be making decisions about Our Climate, Our Water, and Our Land. In the County General Plan, they will be deciding which policies will guide our response to climate change, how well we plan for a clean, plentiful supply of water, and whether we protect the farmlands and natural areas that define Sonoma County and maintain our quality of life.
The meeting will take place in the Board Chambers, 575 Administration Drive in Santa Rosa, in the County offices complex.
PLEASE SHOW UP TO SHOW THE SUPERVISORS THAT THE PUBLIC IS WATCHING! MAKE SURE THAT THEY PROTECT OUR CLIMATE, OUR WATER, AND OUR OPEN SPACE!
If you can't be there, you policies to: -protect the greenbelts around our cities as community separators -limit urban services (water and sewer) to the town’s limits in order to limit growth in rural areas -keep community centers (like schools and churches) in the communities where we live -plan for a sustainable groundwater supply -keep our creeks and rivers clean with riparian protections -reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy and transportation -support better transportation options and walkable communities
District 1 - Valerie Brown <vbrown@sonoma-county.org> District 2 - Mike Kerns <mkerns@sonoma-county.org> District 3 - Tim Smith <tsmith@sonoma-county.org> District 4 - Paul Kelley <pkelley@sonoma-county.org> District 5 - Mike Reilly <mreilly@sonoma-county.org> Thanks for your support and action on this crucial issue! ________________________________________________________ Support Affordable Housing for Northeast Area Specific Plan! *See PDF Version to Share with Neighbors! The Sebastopol City Council has been working on a Specific Plan for the Northeast quadrant of the city. The Northeast area is currently mostly industrial use, and as proposed would become a mix of uses, including residential, commercial, office, and civic in addition to some light industry.
The process has taken multiple years, and the Draft EIR is scheduled to be complete this year. Accompanying the draft EIR will be a proposal for development of the Northeast. It will be at this time that the City Council decides on the amount of affordable housing must be part of the proposed development.
Sonoma County Conservation Action is committed to infill development versus sprawl, green building, and the development of more deed restricted affordable housing units. One place that the city could do all of these things would be in the Northeast area of the downtown.
The city has a mandatory Green Building Ordinance, which is great. They are protecting the green-belt by developing near the downtown instead of on the city's edges. They also have the best Inclusionary Zoning ordinance in the county, which mandated that deed restricted affordable housing be built on site of any new development.
What we want the City Council to do is to make the Northeast even better, by increasing the amount of affordable housing stock development created in the area. We are urging the Council to build 40% of the new development as inclusionary stock: 20% for moderate income and 20% for low-very low income.
Take Action Now Express your enthusiasm for the City of Sebastopol to build more affordable housing!
Points to include:
•Thank the council for having the best Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance in the county.
•Urge them to adopt a mandatory 40% Inclusionary Zoning for the Northeast Specific Plan, half for moderate housing and half for low-very low.
•Suggest that the city and the developers work with the county and other interested parties to maximize funding and credits for affordable housing implementation.
Address the letter to: Sebastopol City Council 7120 Bodega Avenue Email: mgourley@sonic.net
HealdsburgDemand Parks, Trails, & Affordable Housing at Saggio Hills!
Background: What's going on with Saggio Hills?
Saggio Hills is a 300+ acre parcel of land in North Healdsburg. Saggio Hills is one of the last and largest parcels of land within Healdsburg's Urban Growth Boundary. The Urban Growth Boundary of Healdsburg was firmly established by the voters of Healdsburg in a 1996 ballot vote. As citizens concerned about the protection of open space, we must ensure that land available within Urban Growth Boundaries is used in the most efficient, community serving way possible. Currently, the proposed Saggio Hills development on the north side of Healdsburg is not serving the public's best interest.
We must remind our City Council that it is our desire as citizens to maximize the use of our land within existing city boundaries, and avoid sprawl at all costs. It is vitally important for the Healdsburg City Council to show support for Healdsburg's dwindling middle class, by forcing the developer of Saggio Hills to include a park, playing fields for our kids, housing that is affordable to a range of income levels, a fire station for public safety, and a public trail system. We must hold developers responsible for the impacts of multi-million dollar projects on the community! Take Action Now!
Write the Healdsburg City Council and demand that the developer of Saggio Hills provide the following in exchange for a luxury resort and 50 upper class hillside starter mansions:
•Demand that the developer finance and build a 32 acre park that includes multiple playfields for soccer, baseball, and softball.
•Finance and build 150 affordable housing units- for a mix of income levels.
•Finance and build a public trail system to provide access to beautiful open space
•Ask the council to keep you informed on the progress of this issue.
Address the letter to:
Healdsburg City Council Email: administration@ci.healdsburg.ca.us 401 Grove Street Fax: (707)-431-3321 Healdsburg, CA 95448 Phone:(707)-431-3317 ___________________________________________________ WE NEED A COMPREHENSIVE WATER Background: Did you know there’s a water supply crisis in Sonoma County? Over the next 20 years, the population of Sonoma County is planned to grow 27% to more than 600,000. Already, the difficult task of maintaining a sustainable supply of safe water is resulting in lowered water tables and damaged habitat for fish and other wildlife. Most of the water we use in our cities comes from the Russian River. Diversions from the Eel River to supplement this are being reduced and may eventually stop. To fuel new urban growth, cities and the county are now bringing emergency wells into full-time service, further lowering groundwater levels. Meanwhile, we have no comprehensive water management plan. There is no county-wide water budget to make sure we do not use more than we have without depleting future resources. If nothing is done, our water supply will become very expensive, and you, the water user, will have to pay with higher water rates and damaged water supplies. Many other counties in California have comprehensive water management plans. The Planning Commission is reviewing an update of our General Plan right now. We must protect the health of our watersheds and our aquifers. Tell your elected representatives to make this one of their highest priorities. Other cities – even Los Angeles – have grown without using more water overall. If LA can do it, we can do it! Take Action Now!
1) Write a letter to the Planning Commission telling them we need a comprehensive water management plan now. Points to include: • Insist upon a comprehensive water management plan to protect the health of our watersheds, aquifers and water supply for our future. • Protect groundwater recharge areas throughout the county now. If we pave over and pollute these vital areas, we will be unable to harvest the underground storage and flooding will increase. • Change building codes to require the most efficient water saving practices such as purple plumbing. • Ask them to keep you informed about water issues. Address your letter to: The Planning Commission The Board of Supervisors Water Resources Control Board PO Box 100 Sacramento, CA 95812 |
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