The City Council is currently considering important zoning changes that would boost job creation in West Berkeley and strengthen Berkeley's role in the East Bay Green Technology Corridor Partnership.
Background:
Berkeley has a well-known reputation for environmental progress and innovation. Dozens of Berkeley-grown businesses have created products, technologies and ideas known all over the world. Today, Berkeley is in the center of the East Bay Green Technology Corridor Partnership and renewable and non-polluting energy research efforts have been granted billions of dollars for the next generation of green innovation.
The Downtown Area Plan is making its way through the Planning Commission and City Council in the coming months. Tonight, the Council will have a special work session to examine the development feasibility of the Plan.
Measure R, passed by Berkeley voters by 64% in 2010, was based on the foundation that sustainability and economic development go hand in hand when you locate housing, services and jobs in the City’s transit-oriented Downtown. With the support of 64% of Berkeley voters for Measure R, the Council neeeds to focus on the question of whether or not this plan can achieve the vision for a vibrant, sustainable and affordable Downtown.
Please contact your council person by clicking the email addresses below and let them know that, as they consider the Plan for adoption in the next few months, you'd like them to consider how we're going to achieve the #1 goal for a sustainable downtown - building more housing near transit.
District 1 - Linda Maio
email lmaio@cityofberkeley.info
District 2 - Darryl Moore
email dmoore@cityofberkeley.info
District 3 - Max Anderson
email manderson@cityofberkeley.info
District 4 - Jesse Arreguin
email jarreguin@cityofberkeley.info
District 5 - Laurie Capitelli
email lcapitelli@cityofberkeley.info
District 6 - Susan Wengraf
email swengraf@cityofberkeley.info
District 7 - Kriss Worthington
email kworthington@cityofberkeley.info
District 8 - Gordon Wozniak
email gwozniak@cityofberkeley.info
Berkeley's Climate Action Plan, adopted by the City Council in 2009, is the overarching planning document guiding future development in Berkeley. Livable Berkeley evaluates plans and projects in Berkeley in the context of achieving our greenhouse gas reduction goals.
In order to meet the Greenhouse Gas Reduction goals set by the voters, the city must reduce transportation-related emissions. That means making our city more walkable, having more people living on major corridors with transit and having more services available to them within walking distance.
In November 2006, Berkeley voters issued a bold call to action on global warming - to reduce our entire community's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. To achieve this goal, the city developed a Climate Action Plan.
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