This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Pat Eklund's Letter to ABAG Re: Draft EIR

Novato's Mayor, Pat Eklund wrote an impressive letter to ABAG in response to their Draft EIR. If we look at it in sections we can see where Novato has taken the time to understand what would happen if Plan Bay Area were implemented as written.



Let's start with: "9. Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Draft EIR does not adequately address the effects of sea level rise on planned growth areas and critical infrastructure. Substantial efforts need to be taken by ABAG , MTC and BCDC in resolving policy differences and initiating detailed planning along the entire Bay margin to study alternative solutions, identify needed improvements and funding sources. The Draft EIR also does not adequately identify the availability of a reliable water supply over the period of the plan which is sufficient for both the existing population and expected growth."



Essentially we are putting vulnerable populations of elderly, disabled and low income families into structures that will be built on land that is projected to be underwater due to the same legislation that triggered the buildout in the first place. This legislation is titled SB375.



In addition to putting housing "under water" there are no provisions in Plan Bay Area to account for fragile resources such as water in Marin county. Back in the 1970's, we had been living in drought conditions and there were extreme restrictions on water use. We had bricks and other objects in our toilets; we took short showers where the water was turned off while soaping up and then only back on briefly; we eliminated native plants from our yards and in their place used plants more commonly found in desert areas or rocks; we longed for rain; we developed gray water systems to recycle water; and made every attempt to conserve what was seen as a precious but unreliable resource.



The new Urbanism, seems immune to the lessons of the past and the projections for the future. Plan Bay Area does not consider where water will go or how much will be available to use for drinking, bathing and maintaining our natural environment. Plan Bay Area assumes that the new Urbanism is the answer to providing housing for the poor but rather than give the poor the same opportunities to live near the land it isolates them to areas adjacent to freeways assuming that they won't use automobiles.



In 30 years the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has not yet seen a reduction in automobile use in the Bay Area whether it is by wealthy, poor or middle income families. The assumptions that go with Plan Bay Area, like their population and jobs figures, are based in a fantasy of what they want life to be like rather than what it is.



We must challenge the assumptions of Plan Bay Area if we want to create a fiscally sustainable future for all our residents. Pat Eklund and the Novato City Council raise valuable issues when they look at the need to balance housing growth with available resources and to only build in areas that are likely to be safe.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?