Hello Everyone, Chris Daly has introduced legislation that would eliminate minimum parking requirements in the C-3 part of downtown. The legislation would: 1) eliminate the min. parking requirement of one parking space per residential unit; 2) establish a parking maximum of one space per every four units; 3) establish a conditional use (CU) parking maximum of one parking space per every two units (though the Planning Commission has recommended that that parking maximum be increased to three spaces per every four units); and, 4) require one bicycle parking space per every two units with buildings up to 50 units and establish one bicycle parking space per every four units in buildings of more than 50 units. There are other details to this legislation that deal with porte cocheres, independently accessible parking, and the maintenance of sidewalk widths. We should support this legislation in concept and ask for more bicycle parking spaces and more parking spaces devoted to car share vehicles. The Union Square Association and BOMA-SF have appealed the legislation. The appeal will be heard at 4:30 at the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Daly's office is hoping the appeal will be denied and that the legislation will go right into the Land Use Committee hearing the next day. Rachel Redondiez, in Daly's office, told me that they need people to come out against the appeal and in support of the legislation (with suggestions such as those I have listed below in the letter) on both days (assuming that the appeal is denied on Tuesday). I don't know if I'll be able to make it -- but let me know if you can. We should try to organize. Sue 1028A Howard Street San Francisco, Ca. 94103 January 5, 2006 Aaron Peskin President, San Francisco Board of Supervisors 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place Room 244 San Francisco, Ca. 94102 Dear Supervisor Peskin: The Transportation Working Group of the San Francisco Green Party advocates for affordable and sustainable transportation policies. We therefore support the C-3 introduced by Supervisor Daly with certain modifications and believe that the Board of Supervisors should reject the CEQA appeal filed by the Union Square Association and BOMA-SF. The CEQA appeal rests heavily on the assumption that the majority of people – especially those with children – need or want cars. It argues that the failure to provide parking will encourage suburban development where there are fewer parking restrictions and will increase the competition for parking spaces in the C-3 area of San Francisco, parking spaces that merchants claim are needed by tourists and shoppers. However, environmentalists and urban planners know that well-designed urban centers are the closest thing that our nation has to “utopian environmental communities.” There is no question that a shortage of oil and natural gas is looming in the future. Quality of life – if not survival of the species – is going to depend on the biggest consumers of energy (Americans) making the decision to willingly consume less. The model for future residents of the C-3 District could be Manhattan. In Manhattan, 82 percent of residents travel to work by public transit, bicycle or foot. “New York City,” according to an October 18, 2004 New Yorker article, “is more populous than eleven states; if it were granted statehood, it would rank fifty-first per capita in energy use.” The TWG also believes that legislation should include a minimum of one bicycle-parking space per unit and that the fraction of parking spaces dedicated to car share vehicles should be significantly increased. In fact, the TWG believes that an increase in the fraction of spaces dedicated to car shares should be added to the legislation instead of amending the by right from .5 to .75 per unit, as recommended by the Planning Commissioners. The New Yorker article adds, “By far the worst damage we Americans do to the planet arises not from the newspapers we throw away but from the eight hundred and fifty million or so gallons of oil we consume every day. We all know this at some level, yet we live like alcoholics in denial.” As policy makers – and political leaders – we are counting on the Board of Supervisors to acknowledge the truth about the American way of life and begin to formulate policy that curbs the damage that we Americans do. Sincerely, Sue Vaughan and John-Marc Chandonia, Co-chairs, Transportation Working Group of the San Francisco Green Party