CEQA Reform - Urban Infill :: CONFERENCE CALL w/ OPR :: Tuesday, September 6 (4:30pm)

My esteemed colleagues,

Please make plans to participate in an upcoming conference call on Tuesday, September 6 (4:30pm) to learn more about how we can support the urban infill streamlining initiatives of the Governor's Office or Planning and Research.

I am able to coordinate this call with the help of Terry Watt, AICP - who is a colleague of mine from ClimatePlan and the California Infill Builder's Association.

Urban Infill Streamlining :: CEQA Reform

CONFERENCE CALL w/ OPR

Tuesday, September 6 (4:30 - 5:00pm)

Tel: 916-209-4534

Code  2565510#

Please RSVP to let me know if you are able to participate.

Or, if you can not call-in at that time, but want to be kept in the loop, please let me know.  Ideally, we will have a draft document of the initiative to circulate in effort to quickly evolve a strong coalition of support.  As we all agree, sustainable urban infill can be a key to economic recovery.

Your participation and input is highly valued and most appreciated!

Very truly yours,

Will Wright

Director of Government & Public Affairs

AIA Los Angeles  

3780 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 800

Los Angeles, CA 90010

213.639.0764  phone

213.639.0767  fax  

will

@aialosangeles.org

www.aialosangeles.org

Additional resources:

Urban Infill Development and CEQA:  The Oakland Perspective

Sacramento Region Air Quality and Infill Streamlining Program

UCLA LAW:  Environmental Blue Print for California

INF37 Streamline the Environmental Review Process to Discourage Sprawl and Revitalize Older Developed Urban Areas (2007)

Senate Bill 375 CEQA Provision Flow Charts 

Complete Streets and the Circulation Element

The Future of Infill Housing in California:  Opportunities, Potential, Feasibility and Demand(2005)

The Future of Infill Housing in California:  Opportunities, Potential, Feasibility and Demand(2006)

5. Streamline the development entitlements process and in particular CEQA to reduce the regulatory uncertainty associated with infill housing projects. Per acre, per unit, and per square foot of constructed space, infill develop- ment typically costs more than suburban development. These higher costs are magnified by the greater risks associated with infill development. In California, the major source of increased risk is CEQA, which decouples project-level reviews from plan- and zoning-based reviews. This dramati- cally reduces the importance, value, and usefulness of planning. The solu- tion to this problem is to undertake some project-level and cumulative impact assessment activities as part of the up-front planning process and to allow infill projects that are consistent with approved plans or environ- mental assessments to be approved on an “as of right” basis.