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Home February 2007 |
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Greenbelt Newswire
In this edition Volunteer of the Month: Dave Favello Dave Favello, better known as Bike Dave, is a Bay Area native, a bicycling ambassador, and one of Greenbelt Alliance’s most dedicated volunteers. For more information on Go Greenbelt!, which will be June 3-9, 2007, click here.
Action Alert: Protect East Bay Hills One of the Bay Area’s defining features—one of the things that makes our region unlike Los Angeles—is its rolling, undeveloped, hills. Those hills were not left undeveloped by chance. Many of the region’s cities have adopted ordinances prohibiting hillside development. But that is not what the East Bay city of Pittsburg is doing. Pittsburg has released a draft Hillside Development Ordinance that doesn’t say how to protect the hills; it says how to develop them. In spite of recent landslides on existing hillside development, the ordinance would allow subdivisions, estate homes, roads, and grading high on the hills, along ridgelines that are visible from all over the East Bay. This new development would also put thousands more cars on the roads every day. Pittsburg’s leaders need to hear from Pittsburg residents now—and from other East Bay residents concerned about marring regionally important hills and putting more traffic on already-strained roads. Take Action! Speak up against this short-sighted ordinance:
Act today! This ordinance has been fast-tracked and your input is needed now.
Action Alert: Speak Up for Affordable Homes in Vallejo Next Wednesday, February 21st, the Vallejo Planning Commission will review a draft inclusionary housing ordinance. This ordinance is an opportunity to ensure that more local workers and residents can find affordable homes in Vallejo. Home prices in Vallejo have increased 155% in the last 6 years, and people are forced to “drive until they qualify,” looking farther out for homes they can afford. This increases pressure to pave working farms and natural areas, and the long commutes worsen traffic and air quality and reduce everyone's quality of life. Bay Area residents need more affordable homes within existing cities. A strong inclusionary ordinance will help meet the need.
For more information, contact Nicole Byrd by email or at (707) 427-2308.
Alert: Marin Countywide Plan Released Marin County has released its Countywide Plan, the blueprint for growth and development in the unincorporated areas of the County for the next 20 years. Now is the time to get involved in shaping the future of Marin. The Draft Countywide Plan, the Draft Environmental Impact Report, and the schedule of meetings on the plan are all available online at www.future-marin.org. Greenbelt Alliance will be working to ensure that the General Plan encourages the creation of affordable homes and protects natural ecosystems and farmlands. To find out more about the Countywide Plan and how you can get involved in creating a good future for Marin County, contact Daisy Pistey-Lyhne by email or at (707) 575-3661.
Announcement: Napa Park District Wins Grant The newly formed Napa Parks and Open Space District, created last November by Napa County voters, has received a significant grant from the California Coastal Conservancy. The $60,000 grant will enable the park district to examine the possibility of opening a 2,200-acre area around Milliken Reservoir to the public. The district will do a feasibility study on creating a new part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which would be the longest stretch of the trail in Napa County. The area is owned by the City of Napa and is a short distance northeast of the city, making it an easy trip for Napa residents who want to enjoy oak woodlands along a quiet creek—and the area is scenic enough to be a destination for people from farther away as well. This is a great start for the Bay Area’s newest park district.
Feature: New Parks, Bay, and Transportation Resources Check out these ways to enjoy the Bay Area and improve it too: Want to know more about parks near your house or office? Want to go camping this weekend? Try ParkInfo, a great new resource to find parks all over the Bay Area: parkinfo.org/ Are you drawn to the water? Want to take advantage of the fact that you live by a big beautiful Bay? Take a look at these new Bay Trail maps to find places to bike, birdwatch, or just take a shoreline stroll, even in the most urban of areas: baytrail.abag.ca.gov/map.html Would you rather get active in a different way, speaking up for better transportation and finding out how to address global warming locally? Attend the Transportation and Land Use Coalition’s summit on Saturday, March 24th: www.transcoalition.org/cal/summit07/summit.html
Sun Feb 25: San Francisco to Sausalito Save the Date:
Sun Sept 9
Become a Member or Renew Your Membership Support Greenbelt Alliance's work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make its cities
better places to live. Join or renew now, or join the Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club.
Thank you for reading! To subscribe to the Greenbelt Alliance Newswire email list, enter your name and email address at www.greenbelt.org. To unsubscribe, simply send an unsubscribe request to unsubscribe@greenbelt.org. |
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