Agenda

Return

C. 31

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	April 14, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

East Bay Corridor Initiative Memorandum of Understanding

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 04/14/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Will Nelson (925)674-7791

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: April 14, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Emeryville, Hayward, Hercules, Oakland, Pinole, Richmond, San Leandro, San Pablo, and Union City, and Alameda County, to allow Contra Costa County's participation in the East Bay Corridors Initiative.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There are no direct financial obligations associated with entering into the MOU. However, the MOU does commit County resources through assignment of a County representative to the Initiative's Steering Committee. Existing Department of Conservation and Development staff would fulfill that role and this staff work will be covered within the existing Department budget.

BACKGROUND:

Plan Bay Area is the San Francisco Bay Area’s integrated land use and transportation plan developed in response to California Senate Bill 375 (The California Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008), which requires each of the state's 18 metropolitan areas to develop a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) to accommodate future population growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks.

The Plan, adopted jointly by ABAG and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in 2013, includes the region's SCS and the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan.

SB 375 requires that the SCS promote compact, mixed-use commercial and residential development. To meet the goals of SB 375, a greater proportion of future development is planned in Priority Development Areas (PDAs) that have been identified throughout the Bay Area. PDAs are intended to be walkable and bikable, and close to or inclusive of public transit, jobs, schools, shopping, parks, recreation, and other amenities. The Bay Area's population is projected to grow from 7 million to 9 million people by 2040 and the Plan provides a strategy for meeting 80 percent of the future housing needs in the PDAs.

ABAG seeks to implement the East Bay Corridors Initiative in order to support development of certain East Bay PDAs through a regional, collaborative approach to planning and investment along two major transit corridors: the San Pablo Corridor and the Oakland-Union City Corridor (see Exhibit 2). Two portions of the San Pablo Avenue Corridor, the Montalvin neighborhood and the community of Rodeo, are within unincorporated Contra Costa County, the latter being a designated PDA. ABAG has requested that Contra Costa County, along with 13 East Bay cities and Alameda County, enter into a MOU to define and formalize the working relationship among those agencies whose geographical boundaries include a portion of the East Bay Corridors.

The full text of the MOU (Exhibit 1) provides an explanation of the purpose, proposed activities, responsibilities, and structure and governance of the Initiative. In summary, under the MOU the County will assign a representative to a yet-to-be-created Steering Committee composed of one representative from each participating jurisdiction. The Steering Committee will coordinate activities undertaken pursuant to the MOU, such as formulating and reviewing strategies for developing the Corridor PDAs and identifying and developing funding sources to implement the agreed-upon strategies.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the Board of Supervisors votes against entering into the MOU, then the County will not be a formal participant in the East Bay Corridors Initiative. The County would maintain direct land use control over the unincorporated areas of Montalvin and Rodeo, but would not be a direct participant in the collaborative, regional planning effort aimed at developing the Corridor PDAs. The County could miss out on funding opportunities that may be more readily available to participants in the Initiative.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

Not applicable.