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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/7/2026 Item 8a, Peck Stephen Peck < To:E-mail Council Website Cc:Rachel Whalen; Garret Olson Subject:Letter to CC re_Chamber CAP.pdf Attachments:Letter to CC re_Chamber CAP.pdf Sorry that I cannot be at the City Council meeting Tuesday evening. I had other commitments. I am writing to encourage you to support the comprehensive Climate Action Plan approach advocated by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. Their approach looks beyond simply making buildings more e?icient or increasing the share of non-vehicular modes of transportation. Those items are important, but further progress can only be made by integrating housing, land use and climate action strategies. Producing more housing closer to existing and future jobs, shopping and services is necessary to make any real progress. Despite the City’s e?orts over the last 10 years to facilitate new housing to address the community’s jobs-housing imbalance, the jobs-to-housing ratio in the City has actually increased between 2014 and 2024, increasing the net in-commute to the community. City population is also approximately 3,000 people lower than projected in the LUCE indicating the City is not keeping up with the demographic projections for the community. We will need a new commitment, or recommitment to support housing growth at an increased rate, and in all segments of the housing “ladder”. There are workable strategies that can prioritize horizontal mixed-use developments to continue to encourage non-vehicle modes of transportation, and to prioritize housing for existing commuters. However, it is clear that increasing the rate of housing growth is necessary to reduce commutes and commute length, the further reduce GHG emissions, and to achieve the housing and socio-economic balance called for in the Land Use and Circulation Element. 1 April 5, 2026 San Luis Obispo City Council City of San Luis Obispo 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Via Email: emailcouncil@slocity.org Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers: I am writing to encourage you to support the comprehensive Climate Action Plan approach advocated by the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. Their approach looks beyond simply making buildings more efficient or increasing the share of non-vehicular modes of transportation. Those items are important, but further progress can only be made by integrating housing, land use and climate action strategies. We have just about wrung all of the inefficiencies out of new buildings that we can. New buildings are more energy efficient, and they are smaller. As demonstrated through GHG studies for development pro- jects, transportation and vehicle miles travelled (VMT) are the predominant sources of GHG emissions. And, as much as we might hope that increased pedestrian, transit and bicycle usage would be a significant source of GHG reduction, the City’s Traffic Demand Model states that current allowance for these transportation modes is less than 5% of all person trips, leaving 95% of trips by vehicles. Even doubling the share of non- vehicular modes would place non-vehicular mode shares at less than 10%. Producing more housing closer to existing and future jobs, shopping and services is necessary to make any real progress. Despite the City’s efforts over the last 10 years to facilitate new housing to address the community’s jobs-housing imbalance, the jobs-to-housing ratio in the City has actually increased between 2014 and 2024, increasing the net in-commute to the community. City population is also approximately 3,000 people lower than projected in the LUCE indicating the City is not keeping up with the demographic projections for the community. It is fair to conclude that our current housing production policies are in con- flict with our jobs-housing and climate action policies. There are workable strategies that can prioritize horizontal mixed-use developments to continue to en- courage non-vehicle modes of transportation, and to prioritize housing for existing commuters. However, it is clear that increasing the rate of housing growth is necessary to reduce commutes and commute length, the further reduce GHG emissions, and to achieve the housing and socio-economic balance called for in the Land Use and Circulation Element. Sincerely, Stephen J. Peck, AICP