ABAG: Piedmont Should Add 490 New Jobs

City Planner Kate Black will update the Piedmont City Council tonight on talks with regional planning agencies that want Piedmont to add 60 new housing units and 490 new jobs by the year 2035.

Two agencies, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), are working in partnership to develop the Sustainable Communities Strategy, a land use-based, long-range planning strategy required by the state that aims to integrate land use, transportation and environmental planning policies as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Bay Area.

As Black notes in her report to the council, the state requirements filter down to local jurisdictions and affect each city's state-mandated General Plan, Housing Element and Climate Action Plan.

"At the January 17th meeting, the Council directed staff to send a letter to ABAG and MTC indicating Piedmont’s strong objection to the housing and jobs projected in the last three alternative land use scenarios. All three scenarios projected 627 new housing units and between 330 and 690 new jobs in Piedmont by 2035," Black says in her report.

"Shortly after the letter was sent, staff met with ABAG’s senior staff to discuss the process and echo the significant concerns Piedmont had to the projections. Staff reiterated the impossibility of accommodating that level of housing and jobs in our built-out city; the loss of redevelopment tools in California as a means of forcing redevelopment; and the fact that lacking public transportation infrastructure, higher density housing in Piedmont would actually increase greenhouse gas emissions.

"It was staff’s impression that the ABAG/MTC boards and staff were seriously considering the Council’s concerns, along with concerns expressed by other jurisdictions.

"On March 9, 2012, the Draft Preferred Scenario was released, which is the scenario that is being considered by ABAG and MTC for adoption in May, along with the accompanying RHNA Methodology and Transportation Grants.

"The good news is that Piedmont’s housing projection was reduced from 627 to 60 units. While accommodating 60 units by 2035 will still be quite challenging, it reflects a significant reduction.

"However, the jobs projection is still very high, at 490 jobs. This jobs number is of concern because it could have a significant effect on our next RHNA assignment: the increase in jobs would trigger a higher number of housing units the City would have to accommodate in order to provide housing for those projected jobs."

Black is asking the council to authorize continuing communication with regional agencies about Piedmont's concerns over the high number of projected jobs.

Also on tonight's agenda:

• A presentation by the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District.

• A presentation by the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

• The introduction and first reading of a proposed .

The council meets in public session at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers, 120 Vista Ave., following a closed session at 7 p.m. to discuss pending litigation and an annual performance review of Fire Chief Ed Tubbs.

The meeting agenda is attached above as a PDF. The agenda and related staff reports, including one on the Sustainable Communities Strategy, are also available at the City of Piedmont website.

The Draft Preferred Scenario is available as a PDF at www.onebayarea.org.