3B Public Hearing 2007 0904 - Laserfiche WebLink

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@Xi)Urban @t@Habltat than $66,000 a year is twice as likely take the bus to work than a family eamina more than 166,000 a yw. These benefits of higher transit usage and lower car dependency are, OfCOUTSe, masnified when housing is placed in TOO settings with access to transit, jobs, services. 'and other amenities. The DEIR docs discuss the env iroJUncotal benefits of dense residential and mil'ed-use development in the downtown and close to transit 20 However, missinl from this discussion is d1e role that mOOd. income. particularly housing for households at the low end of the income spectrUm, plays in aeneratina even greater benefItS. The DE1R should analyze the potential bsneflu of altemati~e provisIons of affordable houslnJ, both ~ terms of deoth ot" affordabilitv IS well as ovarall percenta2e of total units. within the TOO Plan. 4.b. Transportation demand is highly influenced by where people work relative to where they live. When employees live: locally, they are able to walk., bike or use transit to ,et to their jobs. They spend less time commuting which also has economic and social benefits such as reduced absenteeism, lateness, and/or turnover. Local, regional, and state pOlicies and gencies, includtnl San Leandro's 2002 General Plan.21 the Ba)' Area Air Quality Management Districl,22 the State of California General Plan Guidelines, and the 2003 Governor's Environmental Goals and Policy Report, aim for improving the jobs-housing balance in order to mitigate adverse environmental effects. To improve the balance between jobs and housinlo new housin, must be sufficient in quantity, adequate in size and affordable to area employees. Providing mixed-income housln, and local hirins are two recognized itJ'ategies toward achicvinl a balance. In fact. the State ofCalifoml,'s Qenera1 P1an Guidelines on Sustainable Development and Environmental Justice lists bolb providing "suftlcient jobs.. .locally to balance the employment demands of the community" and providin& "affordable housing opportuni~ within the community'~ as hem. key Itr8tegics for achie\'lna a jobslhousinl balance. and as being components of i1s sustainable development and Environmental Justice goaiS.23 Currently the City sutTers from ajobslhousing unbalance. Accordina to the City's 2003 Mouling Element. in \ 990 mere were 1.62 jobs for every household in the City and by 2000, there were ).76 job$ for every hou9cbold. This exceeds tM Bay Area's 2000 jobsIhousinl ndio of I -'2. This Imbalance, coupled with rlsin, house costs and the city'. inability to keep up with affordable bousinJ needs, is likely r~ponsible for the enormous numbers of workers that must commute to the city evil')' day. As of 2000,30,000 of tile 38,000 people worldnlln the city commuted from outside of the city limits and the 2() As In eumpk.1he Dent diIousses how Uw TOD impItmeatJ; Tnnsporcadon Caatrol Mcuures (1'CMt) tte:OmIDIIIChd ~ BAAQMD'. 2005 Ozone StrateaY. ReIIIed to TCM#llIS: Local Clan Air Plus, Policies ad ProgrImI, tbcDEllt.__: "An incraIc ia ftJba 8Dd blah<< cleDalt)' housiq in claH proximI1y to nnsIt and improved bk:)tolc IIICI pedeI1riaD 8IMIlhies would suppon the load .... . pI8n by reducina VMT aad dependency upon 1M _~ wbjd.. . priIury mode of trInIit" (SeotioD 4.2. pqc 16). 21 SaIl Landro'. Oononl PIM diIct.Rts &ancI-uH .us die environment broadly IJlCIlmplioa dill dtinahousiaa I\IItIbIe for 1ocaI1IIIploy... would beaeftt air 4iuaUty. 111 Polley 13.05 states: ""Promote I8nd use COIM:tPh IbIl NCIuc:e tbe noceuity of ~ encountp public transit ....Iad recIuce trip ..... .. 22 Tbc Bay Ala Air QuaIit)' ~"'lC DIttrIct'. CEQA Ciuldelloll5 (..3) requu. 1ft lXIIIIiftI1ioD ofthc question: '"DcMt8 tho oommunltY bIIVO a rouP IUnot betWeea the number of jobl_ ....1IIIftber of 8IIIpIOyt41'1Sk1enb?'" :1 SAle acncral Pt.n OuideUnea. .. 20-21. 436 14iI' Street. Suite UOI, Oa~ud, CA N6U (510) Ut-9I1O . Fax: (nO) UN610 www.Ul'buahabitaLoll S't/~t ~d 1 \f.LIlMoI N'dlnln 9t966EB9tS 6S:~t Le9~/~~/89