The Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Sustainable Land Use Committee reviews and makes recommendations on plans and proposals near El Camino, downtowns, and transit stations. Such plans include General Plans, Downtown Plans, Station Area Plans, Pedestrian Plans, Bicycle Plans, individual development proposals, etc. In addition to Sierra Club California Urban Growth Management Policy Guidelines, we use our Chapter's Guidelines for Downtown and Station Area Plans and Guidelines for Residential/Mixed-Use Projects to review plans and projects.
- Compact Development - Livable, mixed-use communities with diverse housing options
- Community & Economic Benefits – Active downtown with parks, shops, and services
- Pedestrian Priority – Prioritize walking and active lifestyles
- Transportation Alternatives – Safe bicycle facilities, reliable public transit, alternatives to driving
- Energy & Resource Efficiency – Green buildings and site developments
- Healthy Ecology - For residents' and employees' wellbeing and for enhancing ecology
When we fully understand a specific plan or large development and have determined that it's important to comment, we write letters on what is good about the project and what we believe can be improved. We work closely with the Chapter's local active members and other community groups to interact with the City or County to make our recommendations known.
Guidelines
- Guidelines for Downtown and Station Area Plans (useful for Specific Plans)
- Guidelines for Residential/Mixed Use Projects
- Guidelines for Life Sciences and Biosafety for Municipal Leaders
- Green Corridor/ Green Streets Guidelines covers greening the city, active transportation network, green infrastructure, urban canopy, green linkages
- Open Space Guidelines for High Density Housing and Mixed Use Developments
White Papers
- Recommendations for Housing Affordability, Reducing Parking Cost & Congestion
- Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a set of policies and practices to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips - by SLU Committee
- Urban Habitat Design Guidelines is a compact checklist of strategies to create a healthy urban ecology
- Webinar on "Planning for Life Sciences"
- Quick Ref. to Biosafety Ordinances - Massachusetts cities around Boston
- Data Centers and Distribution Warehouses
See all 2012-2025 Comment letters here.
See additional resources from earlier projects here.