HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/18/2018 Item 13, Lopes
Christian, Kevin
From:James Lopes <jameslopes@charter.net>
Sent:Tuesday,
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:Nick Wilson; Allan Cooper; KSBY News Director; Johnson, Derek
Subject:Climate Action Plan Update at tonight's Council meeting
Dear Mayor Harmon and Councilmembers:
As a candidate for City Council, I am enthusiastic about the Climate Action Plan. It needs refinement in how its goals are
achieved though. I support the often brilliant comments of Allan Cooper and want to repeat and add a few here:
A Net Zero Carbon Emissions target year of 2050 is reasonable for our small city to achieve and in line with other cities in
California.
A longer lead time than 3 years is vital for our economy and city policies to adjust to a pending water shortage.
Parking reductions in downtown and elsewhere should be eliminated until the bicycle and pedestrian network is
highlighted, encouraged and built along major corridors. You are just creating more carbon emissions with people
looking for parking. and, these reductions were arbitrary - just picking numbers out of the air as someone's idea that a
50% reduction in downtown would be appropriate. The parking requirements should be "urbanized" with reference to
other cities' urban standards. They should then be examined periodically with a gradual reduction for new development
and for city parking spaces.
The Climate Action Plan should have a goal to reduce the jobs - housing imbalance by fair (across the board) controls on
the rate of new job creation, not square footage. The City should just equate job growth with the expected maximum
residential development, at 1% a year. Such a limit could be modified with policies to allow and encourage business
interests to provide affordable housing with their projects (on-site as mixed-use projects) and install roof-top solar.
Your action tonight could address the growth of Cal Poly enrollment and encourage a cap or reduction on enrollment
until housing is constructed on-campus to house at least three undergraduate years if not four. This action could be tied
to setting parameters on the continued use of City water supply and wastewater capacity by Cal Poly.
A limit of new buildings to two to three stories is responsible climate action, because roof-top solar systems will not
power taller buildings completely, and roof-top solar is the most effective way to supplement the supply of electricity
from the power grid.
Thank you for considering these comments.
James Lopes
ph. 805-602-1365
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