Mayor and City Council

City of San Mateo

330 West 20th Avenue

San Mateo CA 94403 April 13, 2005

Re: RAIL CORRIDOR TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLAN (Rail Corridor Plan)

Greetings Mayor Jan Epstein and City of San Mateo Council Members:

The Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club represents 20,000 members in its three county

jurisdiction. Almost 900 of these members reside the City of San Mateo. We are delighted to

write to you on the San Mateo Rail Corridor Transit Oriented Development Plan It is our

understanding that the San Mateo Rail Corridor Plan is a city plan for comprehensive land use

planning in areas along the Caltrain line south of downtown San Mateo, which includes areas

near the Hayward Park and Hillsdale train stations as well as the Bay Meadows race track.

We understand that, while the Rail Corridor Plan includes the Bay Meadows area/site, it is not

specific to it and is a general land-use plan for multiple areas/sites along the Caltrain line.

While the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter has not taken a position on the Rail Corridor Plan,

the Plan is of interest to us because it represents an important opportunity to plan for sustainable

mixed-use development on the Peninsula.

As you are aware, land-use decisions have a tremendous impact on community and environmental

quality. Transit-oriented infill development, preferably mixed-use with residential serving

commercial, provides an essential strategy for reducing sprawl and creating rich pedestrian-friendly

communities. The jobs/housing imbalance throughout the Peninsula generates tremendous pressure

for poor development in distant, often ecologically significant, areas. This, in turn, generates

automobile traffic with its concurrent air and water quality degradation.

The proposed Rail Corridor plan appears to be a transit oriented, "smart-growth" development plan

that makes efficient use of scarce developable land and to promote a higher density, in-fill

development on land that is currently within an urbanized area. Indeed, a vast amount of the area

is currently occupied with vast, asphalt, surface parking lots.

Last year the Chapter worked with Sierra Club California to endorse legislation designed to

expedite transit oriented development along the Caltrain corridor throughout San Mateo County.

We see the Rail Corridor plan as being consistent with this legislation.

Most importantly, a large portion of the Plan area is located adjacent to the Hillsdale Caltrain Station,

the second most popular rail station in San Mateo County and one of only four so called Baby Bullet

stops on the San Jose-San Francisco commuter train line, as well as the main line Sam Trans busses

that run along El Camino Real. Equally important, much of the development planned in the Rail

Corridor Plan area will be within easy walking distance from the Hillsdale Shopping Center, meaning

both trips to train, bus, and shopping can be more easily made on foot rather than by car.

We wish to encourage the City Council to support several specific elements of the Rail Corridor Plan

motion that is now in front of you, as these are consistent with long-held Sierra Club policies to

improve the urban quality of life.

1. Support the proposed Sustainable Development Policy.

The Planning Commission recommended adoption of the following policy: ENCOURAGE

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THAT INCLUDES USE OF GREEN BUILDING

DESIGN PRACTICES THAT MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES AND

PREVENT POLLUTION AND WASTE

2. Support the proposed Water Quality Protection Policy.

The Planning Commission recommended adoption of the following policy: INTEGRATE

WATER QUALITY PROTECTION INTO STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS, STREET

CROSS SECTIONS, PARKING FACILITIES, PLAZAS, AND OPEN SPACE

3. Support the recommended action on drinking water use reduction.

The Planning Commission recommended adoption of the following action: DIRECT CITY

STAFF TO ACTIVELY EXPLORE MEASURES AVAILABLE TO THE CITY TO

REDUCE WATER USE AND TO REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL WITH

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CITY ACTIONS.

4. Support for maximizing park space opportunities.

These steps will provide more efficient use of our valuable resources and provide for a more healthful

and livable community.

We ask that we be kept informed of all public meetings on this project and we look forward to

monitoring your planning process on the Bay Meadows Specific Plan. The Sierra Club Loma

Prieta Chapter expects to formally review the Bay Meadows Specific Plan in the next two months

using our principles outlined in Sierra Club California's Urban Growth Management Policy Guidelines

and our Chapter's Sustainable Land Use Standards for Residential Project Endorsement.

Thank you for considering our comments.

Sincerely,

Melissa Hippard

Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter

cc: Karen Maki, chapter chair

Bill Allyaud, Sierra Club California, legislative director

The Honorable Gene Mullin, California State Assembly