BACKGROUND

Local leaders throughout the Bay Area have long sought effective solutions to traffic congestion, housing supply and affordability, air and water pollution, loss of farm and open space lands, economic stagnation and various other problems that transcend the boundaries of individual cities and counties. The challenge is to create a planning and problem solving process that respects the individual characteristics of the local communities while addressing subregional and regional needs.

In recent years, ABAG’s members have focused on developing a more effective approach to coordinated planning. Charged with updating the regional plan, they identified broad-based policy objectives and the means to accomplish them. Steps in this process included the development of the Proposed Land Use Policy Framework, endorsement of the Platform on Growth Management, and the creation of a Menu of Subregional Land Use Policies.

Simultaneously, ABAG and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District co-developed a comprehensive guidebook, Improving Air Quality Through Local Plans and Programs. ABAG produced two additional guidebooks, one entitled Making Better Communities by Linking Land Use and Development and another called Improving Our Bay-Delta Estuary Through Local Plans and Programs. Other regional agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, have similarly incorporated multi-issue and multi-jurisdiction concerns in their planning efforts.

Together, these steps represent a collaborative, comprehensive land use planning approach tailored to the unique needs of the Bay Area. The emphasis throughout has been on local planning coordinated at the subregional level to address regional goals and objectives. Over the past few years, ABAG has provided support to counties and other subregional groups for coordinated multi-jurisdictional planning. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has provided additional financial support for this initiative.

A number of projects have been funded and successfully completed in the last few years. The following groups have developed subregional strategies:

SCOPE

Regional Goals and Objectives

In conducting a subregional planning project, the efforts should be guided by an attempt to achieve consistency with the following regionally-adopted goals:

A pattern of compact, city-centered growth in the urban areas of the San Francisco Bay Area, with a balance of land uses guided into or around existing communities in order to preserve surrounding open space and agricultural land, as well as environmentally sensitive areas.
Growth directed to where infrastructure capacity is available or committed, including, but not limited to freeway, transit, water, solid waste disposal and sewage treatment, and where natural resources will not be overburdened, and discourage urban growth in unincorporated areas.
Development patterns and policies that discourage long distance, single-occupant automobile commuting and increase resident access to employment, shopping and recreation by transit or other non-auto means.
Firm urban growth boundaries with streamlined procedures that permit and direct development within these boundaries.
Increased housing supply, with a range of types and affordability and a suitable living environment to accommodate current and future workers and households.
Long-term protection and enhancement of agricultural land, ecologically sensitive areas and open space, and of other irreplaceable natural resources necessary to the health, economy and well-being of present and future generations, and to the sustainable ecology of the region.
Economic development which provides jobs for current and future residents, increases the tax base, supports and enhances California’s position in the global marketplace, and helps provide the resources necessary to meet vital environmental, housing, transportation and other needs.

Designation of Subregion

While a subregion may be defined as a county and the cities and local agencies within it, a subregion may also be a group of cities and local agencies within a county or an area that crosses county boundaries. In addition to cities and counties, interest groups and special districts, others are encouraged to participate.

Priorities

The Regional Planning Committee has identified a number of topics and issues as particularly important. As a result, it is essential that projects take a comprehensive approach and address at least one of the following issue areas:

Jobs/Housing Balance
Transit Oriented Development
Welfare to Work Program Development and Implementation
Sustainable Development Strategies

SUMMARY OF EACH PROJECT

TRI-VALLEY - DANVILLE, DUBLIN, LIVERMORE, PLEASANTON, SAN RAMON, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY

The Tri-Valley Subregion was one of two comprehensive subregional planning program pilot projects. The Tri-Valley communities included five cities and two counties to form their subregion. The Tri-Valley Subregional Planning Strategy was completed in November 1995. Implementation has focused on two specific recommendations.

First, the cities’ economic development directors and members of the Tri-Valley Business Council have established the Tri-Valley Economic Vitality Project to identify and act on economic opportunities for the Tri-Valley region. In addition to selecting industry “clusters” for focused attention, the group will also define what is required to support a vital subregional economy. The group envisions collaborative public-private initiatives to address diverse needs, including education and training, physical infrastructure, and quality of life.

The second implementation focus involves policy and program reviews at the local level to determine consistency with the policy framework established by consensus in the subregional planning strategy. The City of Pleasanton has included a subregional planning element in its recently updated general plan. The Town of Danville has initiated an update, and intends to incorporate policies consistent with the subregional strategy in its revised general plan.

SONOMA COUNTY SUBREGION

The Sonoma County Subregion was the other comprehensive subregional planning program pilot project. In July 1996, the Association granted Sonoma funds and technical assistance to implement the top three policy priorities identified in the Sonoma County Subregion Issues and Policies report produced in 1995. These three policies call for cooperative local efforts to:

coordinate, map and implement a comprehensive bikeway system linking jurisdictions and open space areas;
research and identify common housing goals and develop a program to meet the subregion’s housing needs; and
explore revenue sharing as a means to address the problem of land use fiscalization.

All three items have been addressed with the following results:

Bikeways

The County has incorporated every jurisdiction’s bicycle plan into a GIS mapping program. The maps are now being designed for production and printing. The final set of maps will be printed for use by the local Chamber of Commerce offices as well as available on the Internet.

Housing

A housing database has been created for the nine cities and Sonoma County. The database includes all figures required for housing elements, as well as information deemed useful by the Planning Directors, such as the densities of very low and low income housing in each jurisdiction. The accompanying report includes a comprehensive list of housing policies and program. This information will help the Countywide Homelessness Task Force to identify areas of cooperative effort for the mutual benefit of meeting the housing needs for participating jurisdictions.

Revenue Sharing

A report was produced that assesses diverse revenue sharing schemes being used in jurisdictions throughout the country. In addition, the consultant determined each jurisdiction’s key goals and issues related to land use fiscalization. The information generated by these two steps was used to identify four areas for collaboration and mutual benefit. Subsequently, six alternative schemes were devised for review by the Sonoma County Working Group, which consists of one elected official from each jurisdiction. The subregion completed their analysis of this topic and presented their findings in 1997.

CITIES OF OAKLAND AND SAN LEANDRO

The Oakland/San Leandro Joint Revitalization Plan is an effort to invigorate the border area between the two cities. With its focus on reuse and redevelopment, the project offers an opportunity to demonstrate that cooperative subregional planning can be a valuable tool in urban settings. This seven-mile border faces challenges common to many older cities along the Bayshore, including economically marginal commercial thoroughfares, disinvestment, and blight. In the past, Oakland and San Leandro have worked independently to revitalize the area. With the ABAG Subregional Project grant as a catalyst, they are now joining together to address these issues cooperatively and develop a strategic plan.

The process began with decision makers and civic leaders meeting to identify common concerns. Subsequently, the issues were discussed and refined at a large community meeting attended by approximately 90 residents. A working group of neighborhood leaders from each city has also met to identify short- and long-term projects the cities can work on together.

Areas targeted for collaboration included: physical and landscape improvements to MacArthur Boulevard and East 14th Street/International Boulevard; physical, landscape, and signage improvements around the Oakland International Airport; and the revitalization of Foothill Square and Durant Square. Developing a job placement program for area residents was another focus.

The American Planning Association recently awarded the project the 1997 Exemplary Economic Development Planning Award. In addition to well-deserved recognition, the communities received a cash award of $500.

SAN MATEO COASTSIDE SUBREGIONAL PLANNING PROJECT

The San Mateo Coastside project boundaries include the corporate limits of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, and unincorporated areas between these cities and within the San Mateo County Coastal Zone. The area is defined by its picturesque coastal setting and by shared major transportation links (Highways 1 and 92).

The project’s stated purpose is “(t)o undertake a comprehensive subregional planning project which will involve all affected governmental agencies, individual citizens, property owners and all other identified “stakeholders,” which addresses the shared problems of urban development, natural resource protection, mobility, housing supply and economic vitality…” The project is viewed as a first step, with one objective being ongoing interaction and cooperation among the governing bodies and stakeholders.

Primary issues identified included:

controlling the rate of residential growth
meeting the goals of the Coastal Act
providing housing to meet the share of regional housing needs
increasing the tax base
preventing the overburdening of infrastructure
maintaining community character

SOUTH NAPA COUNTY JOINT CITIES - COUNTY WORKING GROUP

The South Napa County Joint Cities-County Working Group was formed in November 1995 to create a common planning vision, through an open, public process, for the City of American Canyon, the City of Napa, and the unincorporated Napa County Airport Industrial Area. Each jurisdiction has appointed two elected officials to the Working Group. Additional participants include the planning directors, two city managers, and the county administrator.

As one of the world’s premier wine grape growing regions, Napa County has enacted strong policies to protect agriculture and open space. At the same time, the three jurisdictions are seeking opportunities to diversify their economies and improve the employment base. Napa communities are working together to integrate consideration of land use, transportation, natural resources, and economic vitality issues and deal with them cooperatively.

SOLANO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SEVEN SOLANO CITIES AND SOLANO COUNTY

The Solano Economic Development Corporation (SEDCORP) is a collaborative partnership of the cities, county, and business and industry in Solano County. While the group’s primary focus is on economic development, members recognize the importance of comprehensive planning across jurisdictional boundaries to address the full range of planning issues.

SEDCORP requested funds and technical assistance to complete the first phase of the Solano Economic Vitality Strategy. The work program envisioned three components, two of which were specifically related to economic development concerns. The third component called for a series of meetings with Solano County planning and economic development directors to review the Association’s Menu of Subregional Planning Policies and determine areas of countywide cooperation for inclusion in the final document. The Association agreed to provide technical assistance to facilitate the third component of the project.

At a series of four meetings held in November 1996, participants reviewed and selected by consensus policies from each of the five subject areas covered in the Menu of Subregional Planning Policies. The resulting document, Principles of Local Planning and Economic Vitality has been incorporated into SEDCORP’s comprehensive report, Solano: The Plan for Economic Vitality. Significant policy recommendations include establishing urban growth boundaries; encouraging city-centered development featuring a mix of uses that locates homes near jobs and services; and promoting a variety of techniques that would increase the supply and affordability of housing.