We appreciate the intent of the June 11 article, “Regional plan for smarter growth,” describing Greenbelt Alliance‘s “Grow Smart Bay Area” report and campaign about meeting regional growth needs in a sustainable manner, but there was an error.
One of the model solutions recommended, the FOCUS Program’s identification of over 120 Priority Development Areas (PDAs) to create more complete, livable communities, was wrongly attributed to Greenbelt Alliance. FOCUS is a regional development and conservation strategy led by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission with support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission.
This collaborative FOCUS program is a partnership to secure and provide incentives and assistance for the planning and development of PDAs nominated by 60 Bay Area local jurisdictions.
PDAs are transit-served neighborhoods that can be greatly improved with new pedestrian amenities and services to meet residents’ day-to-day needs.
It is also important to note that these more sustainable growth areas encompass only 3 percent of the region’s land area and could accommodate more than half of the Bay Area’s projected housing growth through 2035.
KENNETH KIRKEY
ABAG Planning Director
Oakland
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