// SB 375 - Sustainable Communities Strategy SB 375 (Steinberg) requires the 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations and Regional Transportation Planning Agencies in Calfiornia to address greenhouse gas emission reductions in a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) which is to be incorporated into the Regional Transportation Planning (RTP). The California Air Resources Board (ARB) is required to set greenhouse gas reduction targets for each region in the state including San Luis Obispo County by September 30, 2010. These targets will be used by SLOCOG to prepare an SCS that would be submitted to ARB for consideration.   Prior to the release of the greenhouse gas reduction targets, SLOCOG will develop a Preliminary Sustainable Communities Strategy (PSCS) as part of the 2010 RTP update. The PSCS would be used as a foundation to prepare a complete SCS in the next RTP update. We will be developing an SCS-compliant RTP when standards and targets are established at the state level.   Joint Policy Committee On April 8, 2009 the SLOCOG Board established a Joint Policy Committee composed of six elected officials. The role of the Joint Policy Committee is to provide policy guidance for the process of developing a Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) as part of the Regional Transportation Plan to meet the requirements of SB 375. Meetings of the Joint Policy Committee and Working Group were held between May 2009 and January 2010.   Preliminary Sustainable Communities Strategy (PSCS) After three meetings of the Joint Policy Committee and five meetings of the Working Group, four land use scenarios were developed for year 2035. On January 15, 2010 the Joint Policy Committee endorsed 2035 Scenario 2 as the "preferred growth scenario". Below is a brief description of the four 2035 land use scenarios.   2035 Scenario 1 (Base Case or "Business-As-Usual Scenario") Assumes a future development pattern that follows development trends of the recent past, which is a low density development pattern throughout the region. Generally, new development occurs in an outward growth pattern, with limited reinvestment in existing commercial corridors, downtowns, and villages. This scenario also assumes development in the rural unincorporated area continues at its present pace.   2035 Scenario 2 (Alternative Scenario 1 or "Preferred Growth Scenario") Assumes intensification within the Target Development Areas (TDAs), which are the existing commercial corridors, downtowns, and villages throughout the region. Twenty percent of new residential units are assumed to be accommodated in mixed-use development in the TDAs. The scenario also assumes some reduction in the scale of proposed land use projects that are outside county communities and city spheres of influence. This scenario assumes development continues to occur in the rural unincorporated area to a lesser degree than in Scenario 1.   2035 Scenario 3 (Alternative Scenario 2) Assumes additional intensification within the TDAs than what occurs in Scenario 2. Twenty-five percent of new residential units are accommodated in mixed-use development in the TDAs. The scenario also assumes further reduction in the scale of proposed land use projects that are outside county communities and city spheres of influence. This scenario also assumes that limited development occurs in the rural unincorporated area.   2035 Scenario 4 (Alternative Scenario 3) Scenario 4 assumes additional intensification in the TDAs than what occurs in Scenario 3. Thirty-three percent of new residential units are accommodated in mixed-use development in the TDAs. The scenario also assumes no growth is allocated to proposed land use projects that are outside county communities and city spheres of influence. This scenario also assumes no new residential development occurs on land zoned for agriculture in the rural unincorporated area. This scenario also assumes intensification occurs in medium- and high-density residential areas where additional residential capacity exists under each respective general plan.   Download the PSCS report. Click here to link to the regional-level and community-level maps for the 2008 existing conditions and four 2035 land use scenarios. Regional Targets Advisory Committee (RTAC) SB 375 requires the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to set regional targets for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles, for 2020 and 2035. The Board appointed a Regional Targets Advisory Committee (RTAC) in January 2009 to provide recommendations on factors to be considered and methodologies to be used in the ARB target-setting process, as required under SB 375.  The Committee must provide its recommendations in a report to ARB by September 30, 2009. The RTAC website contains an overview of the committee, committee meeting information and the RTAC report. Download the Final RTAC Report. MPO-ARB Target-Setting Process In response to the recommendations in the Final RTAC Report, SLOCOG staff has been involved in the MPO-ARB target-setting process. SLOCOG staff have been in discussions with ARB staff and planning and technical staff at other MPOs in the state to ensure consistency across the state in the target-setting process. SLOCOG has also recently developed land use and transportation scenarios for year 2020 to produce greenhouse gas emission reduction estimates for year 2020 as part of the target-setting process. A draft report of preliminary land use and transportation scenario results was submitted to ARB in May 2010 as part of the target-setting process. Download the SB 375 Regional Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Target-Setting Report for the San Luis Obispo Region (Preliminary Analysis) (Revised October 2010) ARB Proposed Regional Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets: Staff Report and Proposed Regional Targets Table ARB has released a staff report and documentation table for the Proposed Regional Greenhouse Emission Reduction Targets for all 18 MPOs. This report will be considered at a meeting of the Air Resources Board on September 23, 2010. The staff report and documentation for the MPOs' emission reduction targets can be downloaded at http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm. These document are also available below. Proposed Regional GHG Emission Reduction Targets for Automobiles and Light Trucks Pursuant to SB 375 (Staff Report) Proposed SB 375 GHG Targets: Documentation of the Resulting Emisson Reductions based on MPO Data (Documentation of GHG emission reduction targets for all 18 MPOs.)