Help! Only Two Votes Needed To Fix California’s Infill Policy
California Capitol Building. (Courtesy jjkbach)
Okay, let’s take advantage of this Democracy thing, folks… Today you have the rare opportunity to shape urban planning policy in California by convincing a few swing voters in the state’s Senate to support AB 710, the Infill Development and Sustainable Community Act of 2011. Apparently the bill is two votes shy of passage. If passed it would do a number of things to improve the state’s sprawling urban development policy, including…
The bill would encourage development on small lots in urban areas near transit corridors; it would require planning agencies to adopt regional transportation plans aimed at achieving balanced, coordinated, and planet-friendly transit systems; and it would prohibit cities and counties from requiring a minimum parking standard greater than one parking space per 1,000 square feet of nonresidential improvements.
So write to the following assembly-people and tell them to vote YES: Senator Alex Padilla, Curren Price, Carol Liu, Kevin de Leon, Fran Pavley and Ron Calderon. Don’t just sit there, start emailing!
One Response to “Help! Only Two Votes Needed To Fix California’s Infill Policy”
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Thank you, Sam. We need all the support we can get so that Los Angeles can build more environmentally and economically sustainably.
Less parking equals less traffic, too. I hope more people understand that simple concept. In otherwords, if you can’t park there, then you typically find alternative ways to get there. And, it’s a shame that many of our infill lots sit empty simply because the excessive parking requirements prohibit well-conceived development.
Overall, well-balanced parking requirements:
1. facilitate sustainable urban in-fill,
2. lower the cost of housing and development in general,
3. enhance the accessibility of neighborhood-serving public amenities,
4. disincentivize excessive driving by encouraging more pedestrian behavior,
5. foster opportunities to promote environmental conservation,
6. help lower the heat-island effect,
7. prevent auto-related pollutants entering into our air, rivers and oceans.