Even with followup on my part, I never heard back about how it was received by the committee. It was not submitted to the Council. Thanks SLU.
Letter, not submitted:
Sustainable Land Use Committee
Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter
3921 East Bayshore Bvd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
San Mateo
City Council
332 West 20th
Avenue
San Mateo,
CA 94403
Dear San Mateo City Council
Members,
Tonight you are taking Station
Park Green (SPG) under consideration, and we, the Sustainable Land Use
Committee of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta (SLU), would like to voice our support
for the project. Specifically, we
applaud its Transit Oriented Development (TOD) features. The Bay Area is
expected to add tens of thousands of new residents over the coming years.
Keeping additional vehicles off our congested freeways will require improving
access to mass transit such as Caltrain. SPG increases the potential riders for
Hayward Park Station.
The City of
San Mateo is lucky to have three stops on the Caltrain line. However, Hayward
Park station has untapped potential. SPG can help provide the density TOD
requires to blossom. If enough new
residents use the train it may warrant more frequent train service.
Finally,
please keep under consideration the fact it is possible to go even further than
TOD design. In terms of sustainability, the technology exists to build net zero
projects which are truly extraordinary as well as cost efficient in the long
term. Energy cost volatility leads to economic instability, particularly on the
lower side income scale. While the upfront investment may be more, over time
the value of energy independence should increase. Asking developers to invest in the long term
health of San Mateo makes sense.
Ultimately, this project
fulfills the basic expectations of San Mateo’s Rail Corridor Plan and we hope
the City Council will look upon it favorably.
Kind regards,
SLU
