Senate Bill 375 : A Bay Area Perspective

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Senate Bill 375 A Bay Area Perspective

• Rebecca J. Long
• Legislative Analyst
• Metropolitan Transportation Commission

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Presentation Outline

• Review how MTC is integrating climate change
  into our current 2009 RTP planning process
• Key provisions of Senate Bill 375
• Next steps and questions

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AB 32 Launches A New Era

• Reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020
• Executive Order S-3-05 requires GHG reductions
  80 below 1990 levels by 2050
• CARB Lead Agency for implementation
• 30 of GHG emissions from autos and light trucks

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SB 375 Was InevitableTransportation is the
largest single player
World
Bay Area
Transportation 14
Transportation 50
Sources USEIA, BAAQMD
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T-2035 Defining the Vision
GOALS
OBJECTIVES

• REDUCE CONGESTION
• IMPROVEMAINTENANCE SAFETY

REDUCE Emissions (CO2 others)
STRATEGIES
Infrastructure
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Changes in Technology Will help
100
40
12
Source Don Weden
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But A Reduction In VMT Will Be Also Necessary
Per Household by Zone of Residence 2006 Weekday
Average

• Compared to sprawl, compact development results
  in a 20 to 40 percent reduction in VMT and hence
  CO2

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The Need for Focused Growth
Growth in Interregional Commuting 2000-2030
83
64
90
120
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FOCUSPriorityDevelopmentAreas

• About 50 jurisdictions
• Over 100 areas
• About 395,000 new housing units by 2035
• About 3 of regions land area
• About 50 of projected regional growth by 2035

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Pricing Will Also Be Necessary

• Our pricing package increases auto operating
  costs five-fold, with focus on peak congested
  times

Cost Increase for Typical Commute
Cents per mile (2007 )
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Meeting the AB 32 Goals Is A Tall Order

• Reduce CO2 40 below 1990 levels by 2035

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What Did We Learn?

• Infrastructure projects alone are not nearly
  enough
• Road pricing has a much bigger effect in the
  short-term
• Focused growth helps us reach targets in the
  longer term
• Technology innovation gets us even closer to
  closing the gap
• Shifts in individual behavior ultimately drive
  change

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Key Provisions of SB 375

• Requires Air Resources Board to establish GHG
  reduction targets for each metropolitan region.
• These targets are integrated into the Regional
  Transportation Plan (RTP) through the Sustainable
  Communities Strategy (SCS).
• Provides environmental streamlining through CEQA
  to encourage development of residential and
  mixed-use projects consistent with the SCS.
• Coordinates Regional Housing Needs Allocation
  (RHNA) and RTP Processes. RHNA must be consistent
  with SCS.

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What is the Sustainable Communities Strategy?

• A new component of the RTP, and therefore based
  on current, realistic planning assumptions.
• Affects entire RTP, including transportation
  projects, because RTP must be internally
  consistent.
• Includes land use projections and forecast,
  transportation projects, land to be preserved,
  and a demonstration that plan can achieve the GHG
  Targets if feasible to do so.
• If GHG reduction targets cannot be met through
  SCS, an Alternative Planning Strategy (APS) must
  be adopted.

• Its not a binding land use plan local general
  plans are not required to conform.

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Alternative Planning Strategy

• APS is the alternative path if SCS fails to
  achieve target.
• Must demonstrate how targets could be achieved
  through alternative land use,infrastructure or
  additional transportation measures or policies.
  
• ARB must ultimately make finding that if APS were
  implemented, it would achieve the GHG reduction
  target.

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Impact on Transportation Funding Decisions

• Grandfathering Provision Protects projects that
  are programmed for funding on or before December
  31, 2011 if they are
• Contained in the 2007 or 2009 Federal
  Transportation Improvement Program
• Are funded by Proposition 1B the 2006
  Infrastructure Bond
• Were specifically listed in a sales tax measure
  adopted prior to December 31, 2008.
• Also protects the funding allocation for sales
  tax measures approved prior to December 31,
  2010.
• What about the future? Anyones guess! Courts
  will likely play a role in answering this
  question.

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CEQA STREAMLINING

• To qualify, projects must be consistent with
  SCS or APS.
• Transit Priority Projects (gt 50 Residential, gt
  20 units/acre density, and within ½ mile of a
  major transit stop or high-quality transit
  corridor included in an RTP
• CEQA Exempt Smaller than 8 acres/200 units and
  15 other criteria.
• CEQA Streamlined when other conditions met.
• Qualifying Residential or Residential/Mixed Use
  project exempt from
• Analyzing GHG from Cars and Light Trucks.
• Analyzing Growth Inducing Cumulative
  Impactsrelated to traffic.
• Analyzing lower density alternatives.
• Governor supports expanding CEQA streamlining to
  all projects related to transportation,
  infrastructure, services and employment
  consistent with the SCS.

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Public Participation Outreach

• Outreach to Local Elected Officials
• At least 2 meetings per county for board of
  supervisors and city council members on draft
  SCS
• Public Outreach
• Adoption of a public participation plan that
  encourages input from various stakeholders,
  including affordable housing, transportation
  advocates, environmental advocates, home builders
  and commercial property interests.
• Consultation with CMAs and transportation
  agencies
• Public workshops - at least one per county 3 in
  counties gt 500,000 in population
• At least 3 public hearings prior to adoption of
  final SCS.

Only one meeting required in each county if a
minimum level of attendance met at first meeting.
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Next Step Formation of Regional Targets
Advisory Committee

• Appointments made by January 31, 2009
• What is role of RTAC?
• To recommend factors and methodologies to be
  used for setting targets
• Who are the players?
• The usual suspects MPOs, air districts, League
  of Cities, CSAC, local transportation agencies
• Some new faces Homebuilders, environmental,
  environmental justice, planning and affordable
  housing organizations.
• Public transit agencies are not explicitly at the
  table, but could be.

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Key Dates

• September 30, 2009 ? RTAC to submit report on
  methodology for targets to ARB
• June 30, 2010 ? ARB to release draft targets
• September 30, 2010 ? ARB to adopt final targets

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Questions

• Will SB 375 live up to its expectations?
• Will it result in a shift away from highway
  funding towards public transit and other modes?
• Will SB 375 change local land use decisions in
  support of greater infill development?
• No one knows yet Implementation is key

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For more information..

• Phone [phone]
• Email rlong_at_mtc.ca.gov
• Web site www.mtc.ca.gov