2/7/22, 1:30 PM Mail - Lindsay Lara - Outlook
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/AAMkAGE4NDc2ZDVlLWQxMTYtNDBiOC04NTI0LTRjYTQzNTJlMTJkMQBGAAAAAAAyY1qsYIBjQ6ajfUy… 1/2 Public Comment, 2/7/22 City Council Meeting , Agenda Item 7a David Moller < >
Mon 2/7/2022 1:13 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Public Comment, 2/7/22 City Council Meeting, Agenda Item 7a Dear San Rafael City Council,
On behalf of the Marin/Sonoma Building Electrification Squad, this is to request that approval of the proposed Neighborhood at Los Gamos project be conditioned to require that the development be All Electric. Emissions from using “natural” gas in buildings, particularly for space and water heating, accounts for about one quarter of Marin’s greenhouse gas emissions. All-Electric heat-pump alternatives to gas-fueled space and water heaters exist now and are readily available at reasonable cost The same holds true for other gas-burning appliances San Rafael’s Climate Change Action Plan 2030 and its recently adopted General Plan 2040 both point to All-Electric appliances for new residential buildings. In fact, building electrification is one of the twoyear priority actions the Council has set for implementing the City’s Climate Change Action Plan 2030 Additionally, effective January 1, 2023, California’s Title 24 Energy Code will require that all new residential construction be pre-wired to be All-Electric, and in our climate zone, utilize electric heatpump space heaters rather than fossil gas furnaces. The County of Marin also is presently working on an ordinance requiring new residential construction to be All Electric effective January 1, 2023 Even with requirements on the horizon for all new residential construction to be All-Electric, it’s crucial that the Council add this condition as part of its approval now, because All-Electric requirements at the building permit stage are not yet in place.
There is no reason not to condition approval of The Neighborhood at Los Gamos on the project being All-Electric. It is less costly to construct (due to the elimination of all gas infrastructure) and no more costly to operate (due to the much higher efficiency of electric heat-pump technology – more than three times more efficient than burning gas) AND when powered by renewable energy such as is supplied by MCE, using All-Electric heat-pump appliances will avoid thousands of tons of greenhouse gas emissions The Neighborhood at Los Gamos would otherwise discharge into our atmosphere over the next 20 to 30 years from gas-burning appliances!
The use of All-Electric appliances also improves public safety by eliminating the risk of gas fires and explosions and the considerable indoor air quality health hazards from burning gas indoors. Finally, with heat-pump space heating, you also get air conditioning at no additional cost – another substantial public health benefit in the context of increasing ambient air temperatures I have spoken with project owner/developer Chris Hart about the prospects for The Neighborhood at Los Gamos to be All-Electric and believe he is open to the concept.
This is an opportunity for a win-win-win. A win for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a win for lower cost housing and a win for public health and safety. The Neighborhood at Los Gamos can be a model of how new development can help meet San Rafael’s Climate Change Action Plan 2030 goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 Please don’t miss this opportunity to do the obvious and right thing for the people of San Rafael and beyond.
Sincerely,
2/7/22, 1:30 PM Mail - Lindsay Lara - Outlook
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/AAMkAGE4NDc2ZDVlLWQxMTYtNDBiOC04NTI0LTRjYTQzNTJlMTJkMQBGAAAAAAAyY1qsYIBjQ6ajfUy… 2/2 David Moller, P.E.
February 4, 2022
Mayor Colin and City Council
City of San Rafael Planning Commission
1400 Fifth Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
Mayor Colin and Council Members:
The Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative (MEHC) is a consortium of advocates building support for projects and policies that advance affordable housing, environmental integrity, and social justice. We are writing to support of the Neighborhood at Los Gamos apartment project. This project will provide 192 badly needed rental homes, including 20 affordable units. These apartments will support the local workforce, shorten commute trips, and help meet San Rafael’s RHNA obligations in the next housing element cycle. This project demonstrates that increased height and density, well designed and in the right location, promote housing equity and environmental sustainability.
As you know, the housing need in San Rafael is urgent. County-wide, the median household income for renters is $75,953, and the average rent for a two-bedroom is $2,797. This requires a household income of $111,880 to meet the recommended 30% cap on their income for rent. This means that most Marin tenants have struggle to meet their other basic needs – food, childcare, and health services. The over-payment problem is due in part to shortage of rental housing generally, and the lack of affordable rentals in particular. This is why the State of California significantly increased the number of homes Bay Area communities must plan for over the next eight years. The Los Gamos project, would satisfy 6% of San Rafael’s RHNA requirement.
The proposed General Plan amendment and the rezoning are good environmental and sustainability practice. The height and density limits established under the current zoning would restrict development at this site to no more than five single family homes on the entire ten-acre site. This low density would likely result in disturbance to the entire property. The proposed General Plan amendment and rezoning would avoid this waste by boosting the housing opportunity, at the same time minimizing site disturbance by allowing the higher permitted density to be concentrated on the lower and least sensitive portion of the site.
The design will create a sense of community for the surrounding area as well as the project site. The sensitive “stepped” configuration of the buildings and the grading plan, along with the landscaping, will transition into open hillside above the property. The attractive residential design and the included park and open space, the market, and the community center will create a neighborhood. The market will serve the employees in the nearby office buildings as well as the new residents, thereby helping the project blend with the surrounding area and strengthening the sense of community. The overall design meshes well with the adjacent office and commercial structures on Los Gamos.
BOARD
Robert Pendoley,
Chair
Betsey Cutler
Linda M. Jackson
Paul Jensen
Shiraz Kaderali
Larry Kennings
David Levin
Douglas Mundo
Jessuina Pérez-Terán
Steven Saxe
Jennifer Silva
Ethan Strull
Chantel Walker
ADVISORY BOARD
Ron Albert
Paula Allen
Margot Biehle
Greg Brockbank
Katherine Crecelius
John Eller
Casey Epp
Kathleen Foote
Mayme Hubert
Cesar Lagleva
Kiki La Porta
Stacey Laumann
Stephanie Lovette
Marge Macris
Scott Quinn
Michele Rodriguez
Annette Rose
Colin Russell
Mary Kay Sweeney
Joe Walsh
Joanne Webster
Patsy White
Steve Willis
Sallyanne Wilson
Tom Wilson
Lisel Blash,
Housing Specialist
Kiki LaPorta,
Communications
P.O. Box 9633
San Rafael CA 94912
www.MarinMEHC.org
[email protected]
Mayor Colin and Council
2/4/22
p. 2
The project, due to its location at the end of Los Gamos, will not require extending roadways or other infrastructure such as water or sewer. The project will not add infrastructure that will induce growth in adjacent areas and will not route traffic through other neighborhoods.
Finally, we want to commend the applicants for declining the option to pay an in-lieu fee for affordable units. The in-lieu fee option in these inflationary times represents a loss of affordable housing opportunity.
We strongly urge that you approve the General Plan and zoning amendments for the Neighborhood at Los Gamos. This is an environmentally sustainable project that will help address our urgent housing needs.
Sincerely,
Board Chair
2/7/22, 3:22 PM Mail - Lindsay Lara - Outlook
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/AAMkAGE4NDc2ZDVlLWQxMTYtNDBiOC04NTI0LTRjYTQzNTJlMTJkMQBGAAAAAAAyY1qsYIBjQ6ajfUy… 1/1 City Council Meeting, February 7, 2022, Agenda Item 7a, Public Comment Walt Vernon < >
Mon 2/7/2022 3:13 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Members of the City Council:
I am writing to you as the Chair of the Climate Action Committee for the Town of Fairfax.
Last year, we passed an ordinance requiring all new construction to be All Electric, in the Town of Fairfax.
We did this for many reasons, including:
1. Health hazards to building occupants from natural gas stoves
2. Lower cost of construction for all-electric buildings, and feasibility of providing lowcost solar supply systems protecting the residents from future energy rate increases 3 To protect the poor; as more and more people electrify, the burden of maintaining the last natural gas lines will fall heaviest on the poor
4. We are in Code Red for Humanity, and it is the poor who will suffer the most.
We are also interested in harmonizing, as well as possible, the requirements from our various jurisdictions.
We strongly encourage you to require that the approval of The Neighborhood at Los Gamos project be predicated on its being constructed to be All Electric.
Be good ancestors.
Thank you,
Walt Vernon, Chair, Climate Action Committee, Town of Fairfax 2/7/22, 1:32 PM Mail - Lindsay Lara - Outlook
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/inbox/id/AAMkAGE4NDc2ZDVlLWQxMTYtNDBiOC04NTI0LTRjYTQzNTJlMTJkMQBGAAAAAAAyY1qsYIBjQ6ajfUy… 1/1 City Council meeting February 2, 2022, Agenda Item 7a: Los Gamos Project Warner Suzanne < >
Mon 2/7/2022 1:31 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Dear San Rafael City Council:
I am writing to give my support for the approval of the Los Gamos Housing Project on the condition of it being a fully electric project, including the HVAC and all appliances. I would also hope the development would include 220v sockets near the parking for electric for ev charging.
This action is consistent with the City of San Rafael's Climate Action Plan. It's a win for the planet as well as the residents.
Thank you for your consideration,
Suzanne & David Warner
Redhorse Constructors Owners
San Rafael, CA