Blizzard of Fear

Tuesday, January 14, 2014.  Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 330, Civic Center:  Supervisor Kinsey makes comments regarding the ongoing discussion of the merits and shortcomings of Plan Bay Area as the land use planning model to address climate change. It's clear which side Mr. Kinsey has taken when he suggests that any opposition is not based in reason but rather an emotional storm…

http://marin.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=33&clip_id=6893

Take cursor and hold it over the circle below the video to guide it to 27.52 minutes to listen to Steve Kinsey's comments about a discussion of  Plan Bay Area's notion that Win Cup developments along 101 are the solution to global warming and traffic problems in Marin.

"No rain but a blizzard of fear swirling around us..."

What is most distressing about Mr. Kinsey's comments is his complete ignorance about the very real concerns expressed by Plan Bay Area opponents. Mr. Kinsey is locked into a proposal devised 40 years ago to stop any development from occurring in areas beyond the 101 corridor. In 40 years Marin County and its cities have maintained dedicated land areas of public open space. Mr. Kinsey is suggesting a threat that no longer exists in order to get residents to rally behind Plan Bay Area's dense growth.

State housing laws mandate that each community zone for their "fair share" of affordable housing. The laws allow each community to decide how they provide that fair share. Every community must have a Housing Element. Even the coastal communities must comply.

Novato's current housing element took the last three and a half years to complete. In order to respond to criticism by local residents and grassroot neighborhood groups the city created an ad hoc working group and began the task of looking at each site as well as alternative sites to see what changes could be made to make the zoning fit the community.

They city went from zoning 100% affordable housing on each site to zoning  20%; the city went from a base density of 30 units per acre to a base density of 20-23 units per acre; the city then created an EIR to go with the draft element to show HCD that the zoning changes and the sites themselves supported the suggested development at a feasible financial cost. This effort  resulted in an approved Housing Element with a density more appropriate to a Suburban/Rural community. Novato succeeded where the county failed. 

The fact that Novato achieved so much seems to mean so little to Mr. Kinsey, whose comments about a blizzard of fear imply there are no real concerns when looking at the effects of Plan Bay Area on global warming. During a Plan Bay Area debate, Mr. Kinsey became so flustered by the audience's clear support for opponents that he didn't bother to address shortcomings of Plan Bay Area and instead used mudslinging and catastrophising when questioned.

How is it that West Novato has wound up with a Supervisor who cares so little about its residents and whose only response to concerns about Plan Bay Area is to label people as fear based rather than acknowledge the very real shortcomings associated with a plan that moves beyond an organic level of growth to force a community to develop denser, larger growth patterns adjacent to freeways and rail lines.

The city of Novato achieved compromise by spending the time exchanging ideas until they found a common ground. Mr. Kinsey wouldn't even attend a Citizen Marin sponsored lecture by Bob Silvestri, discussing the shortcomings of Plan Bay Area. Instead he stood outside with protestors and complained that debate over Plan Bay Area was motivated by nimbyism or worse racism as suggested by Concerned Marinites to End NIMBYism (CMEN).

We have two examples of Mr. Kinsey using labels like fear and race to avoid a conversation that must be had. Mr. Kinsey it's time you stepped out of your ivory kayak and walked the neighborhoods you represent and made a choice to either act in the best interests of every locality or acknowledge that you  support only one vision which protects our coastlines at the expense of our communities.

Opponents of Plan Bay Area believe there are better solutions. Instead of moving people to areas in which they have low paying jobs, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission needs to create 21st century public transportation that allows commuters to maintain their homes but have ready access to jobs throughout the Bay Area. In addition, any growth in any area must adequately reflect the resources, environmental and social, that are available for residents. Unless we rebuild the economic viability of all our cities we cannot fiscally sustain growth dependent on shuffling people from one part of the bay area to another. Unless we conserve our resources we lack the water to sustain our current residents let alone adding thousands more.