From: Nevada Merriman < >
Sent: Monday, November 6, 2023 4:32 PM
To: Amourence Lee <[email protected]>; Lisa Diaz Nash <[email protected]>; Adam Loraine <[email protected]>; Rob Newsom <[email protected]>; Richard Hedges <[email protected]>
Cc: Sarah Etheredge >; Kyle Attenhofer <
Mollie Naber ; City Mgr
<[email protected]>; Matt Franklin >
Subject: public comment: Study Session item 1: TDM Ordinance Dear Mayor Lee and City Councilmembers,
The purpose of this email is to provide comment to Study Session item 1 regarding the Citywide Transportation Demand Management Ordinance. MidPen has been involved in the evolution of this ordinance, beginning with engagement in the Rail Corridor Plan in 2006, and followed by the development of 2901 El Camino Real (also known as “Peninsula Station”) and the Police Department site (“Delaware Pacific”).
Peninsula Station and Delaware Pacific were the first two developments to be completed and as such, MidPen was the first active member in the Transportation Management Association (“TMA”).
I was the first officer of the TMA and MidPen continues to have a consistent representative, Sarah Etheredge.
We have substantial concerns with the structure and implementation of the obligations articulated in the Ordinance.
We have articulated these concerns for nearly 2 decades. A discrete, under 2-acre, 100% affordable housing project has very few demand management strategies that are available and financially feasible.
We would recommend that much like the concessions regularly granted to allow for higher FAR in planning metrics, the trip goals should contemplate flexibility that is a logical conclusion from densities that scale up projects by 35% or more.
Furthermore, if the overall trips in from all projects aggregated are still under threshold, we would ask for Council’s discretion in waiving the uncapped financial burden of
providing a more robust TDM program or other even more onerous measures at the City’s discretion related to complying with a project’s Conditions of Approval and/or Certificate of Occupancy.
We look forward to engaging in a discussion around the environment in which the vision of the TMA was codified. By my view, it was in efforts to gain public acceptance for a 50 DUA base density. In the contemporary era we are in the midst of a housing affordability and homelessness crisis. We’ve seen a sea change in State Legislation that seeks to provide reprieve. We hope that you concur and recommend that 100% affordable housing projects are exempt from hardline trip thresholds, if not participation in Ordinance altogether.
Sincerely,
Nevada
Nevada V. Merriman I Director of Policy
MidPen Housing Corp.
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