HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAC 2019-08-01 Minutes
Citizens Advisory Committee for Economic Development and Affordable Housing (CAC)
City of San Rafael
August 1, 2019
Meeting Summary Notes
CAC Members Present: Bill O’Connell, Glenn Koorhan, Gladys Gilliland, Bill Carney, Kati
Miller, Andrew Naja-Riese
City Staff Present: Simon Vuong, Paul Jensen, Cory Bytof
Members of the Public Present: Kelly Cromell
1. Call to Order: Chair Carney called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm.
2. Approval of June 6th Meeting Notes: Approved as submitted.
3. Presentation – Climate Change Action Plan – Cory Bytof
Cory Bytof, City of San Rafael Sustainability Coordinator, presented the past, present, and
future of the City’s Climate Change Action Plans (CCAP). The City adopted its first CCAP in
2009 with the goal of reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) beyond the goals set by the State.
This year, the City adopted a new CCAP 2030, following a community engagement process and
review of scientific data. Mr. Bytof reported that 45 % of the City’s GHGs result from passenger
vehicles, which is the most challenging topic to address. If everybody on the planet lived like
people in Marin, we would need 5 planets to survive, according to Mr. Bytof.
The CCAP 2030 focuses on a variety of strategies to “draw down” carbon emissions. Mr. Bytof
highlighted key areas of the Plan, including energy efficient buildings, 100 % renewable energy,
electric vehicles, local foods, low carbon transportation/zero emission vehicles, to name a few.
Broadly, the CCAP includes an equity element to ensure the interventions are beneficial to all,
not just those who can afford them. With respect to affordable housing, Mr. Bytof explained the
best solutions are to develop housing near transit.
In response to Mr. Bytof’s presentation, CAC members asked a variety of questions related to
measuring zero emissions and what a zero emissions building would look like. The CAC also
discussed issues and challenges related to natural gas, which produces significant emissions.
The County of Marin is conducting a pilot by providing rebates to those who swap out of natural
gas for electrical appliances. CAC members also discussed the life of electric vehicle batteries;
generally, there are different quality products and battery warranties depending on the vehicle.
4. Presentation – Annual State Housing Legislation – Paul Jensen
Paul Jensen, Community Development Director, returned to the CAC a year later and presented
a list of all the housing bills signed by the Governor. The Governor signed 17 housing bills last
year, and 19 were passed this year. Many of the new ones were edits or adaptations to previous
years’ legislation. In 2017, two major bills were passed to streamline the administrative review
process by curtailing planning process for multifamily projects and bypassing public and
environmental review processes. Instead, the project would have to meet a set of objective
standards for setbacks and height limits, etc. One of the biggest challenges is the objective
versus subjective planning standards. Broadly interpreted, there is an inherent difficulty in taking
design guidelines and turning into them into objective standards. It can be hard to capture the
character of the neighborhood with objective standards.
Of the 19 bills approved in 2018, Director Jensen described characteristics for a few notable
ones and also described new bills that were introduced in 2019. The content of these bills and
the City’s positions are detailed in a handout that Director Jensen distributed at the meeting.
As a follow-up to Director Jensen’s overview, the CAC discussed how the City can obtain more
housing in the context of those bills. Director Jensen shared that some communities are relaxing
below market rate requirements to promote housing development in general, and then
reinstating the previous requirement once sufficient projects get built. He said he plans to
present these and other ideas to the City Council in early September.
5. Follow-up Discussion of June 6th GP and Economic Development Presentation
Due to time constraints, this item was deferred until the next CAC meeting.
6. Project Updates
a. Northgate Walk – Planning commission approved it, but it has been appealed. The
appeal may or not be valid. City attorney is reviewing it right now, and it may not get to Council.
b. 703 3rd Street – Seagate – going to Planning Commission on Aug. 27 and to City
Council. One concern about the project is that it is asking for a large density bonus without
specifying more low or moderate income units. Once more information is shared about the
Project, then the CAC could consider sending another letter of support to the City Council.
c. 999 3rd Street – Biomarin/Whistlestop – still going through EIR this month, likely going
to Planning Commission in October.
d. 1001 4th Street – Goldstone Project – The City is still working on an exclusive
negotiating agreement with financial proformas. The terms of the transaction to grant the City
property to the developer could go for review in August.
e. Downtown Transit Center – The City had a working group meeting with the Golden
Gate Bridge District to explore 3 options: Whistlestop option, Up to 5th Avenue option, and
Under the freeway north of 4th Street option. These three will be analyzed in the EIR.
f. 350 Merrydale housing – The CAC previously wrote a letter in support and could
update this at the next meeting. The project goes to Design Review on August 6, then Planning.
7. Election of Vice Chair
Due to Andrea de la Fuente’s resignation from the CAC, the committee elected a new Vice
Chair to fill the position. Only 1 nomination was received: Bill O’Connell. Mr. O’Connell was
elected unanimously.
8. Preparation of CAC letters.
Mr. Vuong explained that it is not permissible to conduct a vote by E-mail for CAC letters of
support, per the Brown Act rules. Doing so would constitute a public meeting by email. Rather,
the CAC will follow a process where letters would be brought to the CAC in the meeting packet
for review and vote in person. If the timing of a letter is urgent, the CAC would vote on the
content of the letter to then be drafted by the Chair and Secretary to not delay the process.
9. No public comment
10. Suggestions for Future Agenda Items. Mr. Vuong shared that the City will no longer host
a CAC dinner due to budgetary issues. Instead, CAC members are encouraged to attend the
annual Boards and Commissioners Party around the holidays.
The CAC would like to invite the Goldstone Developer to present, when appropriate.
11. Adjournment: Chair Carney adjourned the meeting at 9:21 pm.
Respectfully submitted by Andy Naja-Riese