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Your Five Minute News Flash
Greenbelt Alliance * Volume 4, Issue 1: January 2005

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In this edition

Action Alert: Better Land Use, Better Transit: You Can Help!
Alert: Environmental Forum Will Address Threats to Sonoma County's Landscapes
Feature: Sprawl Development Threatens Nation's Rare Species—Bay Area Has Most Species At Risk
Feature: Bay Area Residents Want Compact Development, Regional Growth Plan
Alert: Workshop—Creating Vibrant Communities: Redeveloping California's Brownfields
Announcement: Ride Go Greenbelt!—Check Out Our New 3-Day Option
Upcoming Outings & Events


Better Land Use, Better Transit: You Can Help!

Putting homes, offices and shops near transit stations not only creates vibrant places where people want to live, work and play, but also makes transit convenient. When transit is convenient, more people ride, making the system more efficient and reliable, and reducing the number of cars on the road. Although transit-oriented development (TOD) makes sense, it doesn't always happen on its own. That's why, together with a broad range of partner organizations, Greenbelt Alliance is working to ensure that the regional transportation agency's policy includes specific standards that encourage livable communities.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)—the Bay Area's transportation agency—is considering a Regional Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Policy that would require cities and counties to plan for compact, transit-oriented development around transit stations in order to receive funding for new transit projects. MTC and the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) advising MTC are crafting this policy, but may pass a weak, ineffective version. The JPC is composed of mayors, City Council members, and County Supervisors from around the region. They need your encouragement to support a strong policy.

You can help by sending a letter to the entire Joint Policy Committee and also to any of your local elected officials that are on the JPC. Click here for a sample letter, and click here to see if any of your elected officials are on the JPC.

Environmental Forum Will Address Threats to Sonoma County's Landscapes

Sonoma County is expected to grow by 100,000 people by 2025. How will the County meet the challenge of accommodating this growth while protecting the natural areas, working farms and distinct communities that make the county such a great place to live?

One tool that has helped preserve Sonoma County's rural character thus far is its General Plan. The General Plan is the blueprint for where new development will go and what areas will be off-limits to development. An update of the General Plan is currently underway, and the updated plan will guide growth over the next 15 years.

Now is the time for citizens to get involved! To learn about the challenges facing the County and how you can help determine the future of Sonoma County, attend a public forum sponsored by the Sierra Club and Greenbelt Alliance.

When:

Wednesday, February 16, 2005
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Where:

The Environmental Center
404A Mendocino Avenue, Suite A
Downtown Santa Rosa

Forum Panelists:

• Kelly Brown, Greenbelt Alliance Field Representative and co-author of the report: Toward a Bright Future: Updating Sonoma County's General Plan.
• Rue Furch, Sonoma County Planning Commissioner
• Stephen Fuller-Rowell, Sonoma County Water Coalition
• Joel Woodhull, Sierra Club General Plan Community Action Committee

For more information, contact Kelly Brown, Sonoma-Marin Field Representative, at (707) 575-3661 or kbrown@greenbelt.org.

Sprawl Development Threatens Nation's Rare Species—Bay Area Has Most Species At Risk

Rare and endangered plants and animals don't just live in remote wilderness. Many live right here in our region's backyard—and they're threatened by encroaching sprawl development.

A new report found that a high percentage of the nation's imperiled species live near rapidly-growing metropolitan areas, and their habitat is at risk from sprawl development. Here in the Bay Area, the report counts 257 species threatened with extinction—more than in any other metropolitan area in the report.

The report, released January 12th by Smart Growth America, the National Wildlife Federation, and NatureServe, also presents solutions that some state and local governments are using to curb sprawl and conserve wildlife habitat.

Read the report.
Read an article on the report.

Bay Area Residents Want Compact Development, Regional Growth Plan

The Bay Area Council's recent "2004 Bay Area Poll," released January 14th, found that 55 percent of Bay Area residents believe new homes should be built at higher densities, close to job centers. Fifty-two percent of Bay Area residents also support creating a region-wide growth plan, with incentives for cities and counties to comply. One such incentive would be rewarding good planning with funding for new transit stations—which is the idea behind Greenbelt Alliance's Transit-Oriented Development Campaign (above).

Read the Bay Area Council's press release or articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner.

Workshop—Creating Vibrant Communities: Redeveloping California's Brownfields

Thursday, February 17, 2005—Ferry Building, San Francisco

The California Center for Land Recycling (CCLR) is convening a workshop, co-sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance and many other organizations, to help project managers redevelop environmentally impaired areas. Topics will include the regulatory and legal framework, environmental site assessment and cleanup, insurance, financing, and redevelopment. To register or learn more, click here or call 415-398-1080.

Ride Go Greenbelt!—Check Out Our New 3-Day Option

We're gearing up for the sixteenth annual Go Greenbelt! The weeklong Bay Area bike tour will run from May 8th to 14th this year, in prime wildflower season.

Go Greenbelt! is one of the best cycling adventures in California. Intimate and well supported, the Go Greenbelt! tour is limited to 70 riders. This year, riders can either do all seven days, or join us for just the first or last three days.

The Go Greenbelt! route winds through some of the Bay Area's most scenic back roads during the peak of wildflower season, and raises funds to protect open space and promote smart growth in the Bay Area.

Riders raise funds by getting friends and family to pledge to sponsor them in the ride. Riders who raise more than the minimum ($750 for the whole ride) will be competing for great prizes, including round-trip air tickets, a high-end road bike, and other treats donated by local merchants.

Go Greenbelt! offers a great ride, great people, and a chance to help preserve the Bay Area's quality of life—find out more here.

Upcoming Outings & Events

Sat Feb 5: Waterfalls of Berkeley
Sat Feb 12: Diablo's Hidden Falls
Sun Feb 20: Beautiful Brooks Falls
Sat Feb 26: Sweet Sugarloaf Falls
Sun Feb 27: San Francisco to Sausalito

Become a Member or Renew Your Membership
Support our work to protect the Bay Area's open space and make our cities better places to live. Click here to join or renew, or click here to join our Greenbelt Guardian monthly donor club. Questions? Contact Melissa Wright at 415-543-6771 or mwright@greenbelt.org.

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