Plan Bay Area
In 2008, the California legislature passed SB 375, the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act, which will reduce emissions through housing and transportation planning decisions and funding mechanisms. Under SB375, each region in California must adopt a Sustainable Communities Strategy: a region-wide transportation and land-use plan that will meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set by the state.
The Bay Area regional planning agencies, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments, are currently developing Plan Bay Area, our region’s Sustainable Community Strategy. Plan Bay Area is the region’s best opportunity to plan for new growth in a smart way. Plan Bay Area will create a blueprint for the next generation of growth, guiding where best to build homes, office spaces, and shops for current and future residents. The current pattern of growth and development is not working. Many Bay Area residents spend countless hours in traffic, precious hours that could be spent with family and friends. But with Plan Bay Area, we have an opportunity to chart a new future. The Commission will approve Plan Bay Area in April 2013.
YouChoose how the Bay Area grows
By 2035, the nine-county Bay Area needs to add over 900,000 new households and 1.2 million new jobs. We have to plan now for how we get around and how we build. We have to grow smarter.
Plan Bay Area will also include the Regional Transportation Plan, which will distribute over $200 billion dollars in funding for transportation projects around the Bay Area over the next 25 years. A strong Plan Bay Area will direct those much needed federal, state, and local funds to cities that plan for growth around existing transportation corridors as opposed to sprawling into the region’s greenbelt. Use this neat interactive tool at youchoosebayarea.org to see how regional planning can improve the Bay Area.
Plan Bay Area News
Plan Bay Area comment period ends—final plan July 18
That’s a wrap, folks! The last of the Plan Bay Area public meetings happened on Wednesday, May 1 and the formal public comment period closes today, May 16. We’ll update you with what’s next, but first, here are a few highlights from the comment period. Continue reading
Plan Bay Area offers a solid vision
Greenbelt Alliance was recently featured in the San Francisco Chronicle. Click through to read Executive Director Jeremy Madsen’s op-ed about our region’s strategy for creating sustainable communities, Plan Bay Area. Continue reading
Plan Bay Area: What’s good, what’s bad, what’s next
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for has arrived: The draft of Plan Bay Area, our region’s comprehensive land-use and transportation plan for the coming generation, has been released. From now through May 16, residents can provide feedback on the plan. Keep reading for Greenbelt Alliance’s take on the plan. Continue reading
Upcoming Events
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Outings
06/02 - Pescadero Creek -
Outings
06/09 - Ring Mountain Ramble -
OutingsUrban Outing
06/15 - Before El Camino Real -
Outings
06/22 - Rock Parks of Berkeley -
Outings
06/23 - The Secret Lives of Native Plants and Animals
