Climate SMART Development Endorsement Program

Promoting climate-smart development to create thriving, resilient neighborhoods with ready access to transit and housing choices for all of the Bay Area’s people while continuing to protect the greenbelt from sprawl development—preserving our open spaces for generations to come.

The biggest threats to our region’s stability are our changing climate, and the growing number of residents burdened by rising housing costs. Our goal is to encourage more development in the Bay Area that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases our resilience to climate-related risks like floods, fires, and drought. The Greenbelt Alliance Climate SMART Endorsement Program provides an essential environmental perspective on building housing within existing communities in the Bay Area.

As a trusted advocate of both open spaces and climate-smart communities, Greenbelt Alliance is in a unique position to help infill development projects move forward.

climate smart Principles

What is Climate SMART Development?


Sustainable → Social and Environmental Health
Mixed → Housing, Shopping, Jobs in close proximity
Affordable → Equitable, Diverse, and Thriving Communities
Resilient → Adapting to Climate Change and Hazards
Transit-Oriented → Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emission

Every Development We Endorse:


Reduces greenhouse gas emissions and builds resilience to climate impacts.
Promotes equity, fosters community resilience, and protects vulnerable people and lands. 
Prioritizes natural and green infrastructure solutions to enhance and protect natural resources, as well as urban environments. 
Preserves and restores ecological systems that enhance natural system functions, services, and quality and that reduce risk.

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The Endorsement Committee

Our Development Endorsement Committee consists of dedicated environmentalists, urban planners, housing advocates, government officials, and other experts who help us review, discuss, and select projects for endorsements!

Lee Mei explored architecture as a second career after medicine, and found a new love in passive solar design and sustainability overall. After toiling over energy saving, material use responsibility, health and ergonomic details in individual dwellings, it became clear that transportation, city planning, housing, efficient design and social economic solutions are bigger issues with a far bigger impact. California leads the nation in decades of Energy Code requirements that kept per capita energy consumption pretty level, but it needs to build in more incentive for smallness. Lee believes we need to replace suburban sprawl with New Urbanism, where life is convenient, work and facilities are accessible, streets are walkable, and community spirits nurture the soul. Lee was born and raised in China and Hong Kong, came to Sacramento for college, then UCSF for medical school. She is also fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese.

Milo Trauss a housing advocate and urbanist. He believes in the power of smart urban design to facilitate human and ecological wellbeing. He currently serves as the managing partner of GCA Strategies which has been helping clients communicate to communities and local governments about land use proposals for decades, before “NIMBY” and “YIMBY” were household terms. He has conducted strategic communications campaigns for ballot measures, candidates, and for the approval of thousands of homes throughout the Bay Area, as well solar farms, camp sites, and other sustainable development nationally. In his spare time Milo is an avid lover of sports, nature and coffee shops!

Sam Rosen works in entitlement and permitting for SummerHill Housing Group in the South Bay, specializing in climate smart infill housing master plans. Sam has worked on the full spectrum of residential development from infill single family detached projects to denser apartments. Sam has worked in the real estate industry directly since 2017, and worked in urban economics and city governance before that. Sam brings experience from the other side of the table to the GreenBelt Alliance’s Development Endorsement Committee and provides his expertise to make sure the proposed projects are feasible. Sam graduated from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 2016 and completed his undergrad at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2011.

Sophie Young is an environmental and community development planner. She currently works at the World Resources Institute on advancing a just transition for school bus electrification. She previously worked at the California Strategic Growth Council, designing and implementing the Transformative Climate Communities Program, an investment model for community-driven resilience planning and infrastructure. She has also worked as an environmental planner on local transportation projects, and as a consultant on sustainable land use and development projects in the U.S. and internationally.

Ellen Morris is a Director of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer based in Hayward. Since joining Eden in 2016, Ellen has managed the design, entitlements, permitting, and financing of over 500 units of high quality affordable housing in Alameda, Solano, San Joaquin, and Santa Cruz counties. Prior to working as an affordable housing developer, Ellen worked in housing regulatory compliance and economic development. She has a Masters in City Planning from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies & Planning and an undergraduate degree from Colby College. She currently lives in Oakland with her husband, toddler, and dog.

Sally Greenspan is a Senior Director at Enterprise Community Partners, where she leads Enterprise’s NorCal Climate program. In this role, Sally works to implement programs that address the joint challenges of housing affordability and climate change and create more sustainable, resilient, equitable communities. Sally has worked with dozens of housing developers, transit agencies, and cities across the state to secure nearly $3 billion in funding to build integrated housing, transportation, and urban greening projects. Sally’s background includes positions in private real estate, architecture, public policy & research, and urban planning. She holds a B.A. in urban studies from Stanford University, and a M.U.P. in urban planning from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.

Holly is an urban environmentalist living and loving SF who’d like to give back to the community by advocating for more sustainable, equitable housing in the area. By day she leads a product marketing team that tells stories and launches products to help people better collaborate in a hybrid working world.
Niran Somasundaram is an attorney at Hanson Bridgett LLP, working at the intersection of development and climate change. Niran’s practice focuses on designing entitlement and permitting strategies for projects that complement Federal, State, regional, and local goals for greenhouse gas emissions reduction, efficient and sustainable energy use, resource protection, and climate adaptation. Niran has experience advocating for a variety of residential and infrastructure developments throughout the State.

Sandy Elles retired from careers in the non-profit sector and maritime industry. She spent decades working collaboratively to develop sustainability principles and programs for California agriculture and smart growth policies for the Bay Area region. She served eight years on the Cotati City Council, promoted Urban Growth Boundaries, and helped lay the foundation for transit-oriented development along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) corridor. During her tenure on the City Council, Sandy served on the Association of Bay Area Governments, Sonoma County Transportation Authority, and Sonoma County Open Space Advisory Committee, helping to create and fund the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Opens Space District. Sandy continued to advocate for agricultural land preservation while serving as the Executive Director of the Napa County Farm Bureau (2001-2016) and board member of the Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund (2001-present). Elles worked 22 years with the Blue & Gold Fleet on San Francisco Bay, advancing to the positions of Vice President of Ferry Services and Senior Captain, and developed the Green Waves program. Elles holds a degree in political science from American University and a degree in Urban Planning from Rutgers University.

Chris is a Principal of Brookwood Partners and co-leads the firm’s real estate development and strategic advisory services in California. Brookwood Partners focuses on helping public school districts and community college districts throughout the state develop underutilized and surplus land into urban infill multifamily housing. Projects include housing for the district’s faculty and staff or developments that generate an ongoing revenue stream for the district. In his free time, Chris enjoys traveling and photography and being outdoors including skiing, surfing, and hiking.

Calling all climate-smart development enthusiasts: Interested in contributing to our endorsement selections and joining a diverse pool of experts? Apply and join our Climate SMART Development Endorsement Program (DEP) Committee!

APPLY TO JOIN

endorsed projects

Greenbelt Alliance Endorses the 295 South Mathilda in Sunnyvale

Andrew Ha October 7, 2025

Downtown Sunnyvale might hopefully include a new 100% affordable housing complex. This exciting 122-home development project is currently in its early entitlement phase, but has already drawn the attention of Greenbelt Alliance’s Development Endorsement Program. That’s why Greenbelt Alliance is excited to endorse this bold project by MidPen Housing. Affordable and Accessible This project meets

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Greenbelt Alliance Endorses the 20840 Stevens Creek Project in Cupertino

Andrew Ha July 3, 2025

Update*: On July 1st, 2025, the 20840 Stevens Creek development project was unanimously approved by the City of Cupertino’s Council. This is an exciting new development in the Peninsula, which will bring 59 new townhomes—12 of which will be below-market-rate. In June 2025, Greenbelt Alliance endorsed the 20840 Stevens Creek development project in Cupertino. In

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