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Delegates from throughout the Region Attended ABAG General Assembly
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Julie Pierce, ABAG President and
City of Clayton Councilmember
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During the ABAG General Assembly on
June 5th, members approved the 2017-18 Budget and Work Program. After more than two years of work and deliberations, the Contract for Services and the Memorandum of Understanding between ABAG and MTC were approved in May 2017, allowing ABAG staff to be consolidated with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission on July 1, 2017. The 2017-18 Budget and Work Program lays out the work that will be performed by the consolidated staff.
"During this time of transition with staff consolidation, our responsibility is to assure that ABAG continues to provide services that support the Bay Area's local governments, now and in the f
uture," stated
Julie Pierce,
ABAG President and City of Clayton Councilmember. To meet this goal, ABAG outreach activities such as this e-letter, the ABAG website, and meetings will continue.
Keynote speaker Daniel Lurie, CEO and Founder of the Tipping Point Community, kicked off the General Assembly with an insightful discussion on how the Tipping Point model using
philanthropic
and private sector funding can help local governments. Tipping Point has pledged $100 million to reduce chronic homelessness in San Francisco by half in five years
. Sophisticated metrics will be used to measure the success of projects and track outcomes.
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Keynote Speaker Daniel Lurie, CEO and Founder of the Tipping Point Community, and
David Rabbitt, ABAG Vice President and Sonoma County Supervisor
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General Assembly Audience Q&A
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Dr. Miriam Chion, ABAG Planning and Research Director
After eight years with the Association of Bay Area Governments, Dr. Miriam Chion will be pursuing other career options due to the ABAG-MTC staff consolidation. Miriam has led ABAG's Planning and Research staff through complex inter-governmental projects while developing and maintaining excellent relationships with elected officials, regional stakeholders, and other agencies.
ABAG members have worked closely with Miriam over the years. Two in particular, shared their reflections on Miriam and her work. Julie Pierce, ABAG President and Clayton Councilmember, commented, "I want to commend Miriam for all her hard and smart work, for ABAG and the region. As ABAG's President, a long-term Executive Board member, and a Clayton councilmember I have seen on numerous occasions, both her deep understanding of regional challenges and local issues, and her creative ideas on how to address these important concerns. Miriam has first-hand knowledge of both regional planning and what our cities, towns, and counties need. Without her efforts, we would not have accomplished as much as we have nor be positioned to take the next steps with the excellent staff she recruited and nurtured. Thank you Miriam, for all you have accomplished."
Pradeep Gupta, RPC Chair and South San Francisco Mayor remarked, "I have worked closely with Dr. Miriam Chion for the last three years as both an ABAG Executive Board member and the Regional Planning Committee chair. She has the unparalleled ability to take a complex regional planning issue and structure a clear process to address the issue and satisfy multiple stakeholders. Thanks to her leadership skills, ABAG has assembled an excellent team of planners and researchers. I wish Miriam continued success in her future endeavors."
Miriam has been ABAG's Planning and Research Director since 2013, when she was promoted from Acting Director. She was the Assistant Planning and Research Director starting 2011, and joined in 2009 as the Principal Planner. Prior to joining ABAG, Miriam was an Assistant Professor of Community Development and Planning at Clark University and a senior planning manager for the San Francisco Planning Department.
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C
oalition of Governments, Led by ABAG, Wins
another US EPA Brownfields Grant
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Association of Bay Area Governments will receive a $600,000 grant to support brownfields assessments in the cities of Richmond and El Cerrito, and in North Richmond in Contra Costa County.
ABAG sought the EPA grant to support revitalization in communities in the East Bay Corridors Initiative that are reinvesting to improve health and access to opportunities in identified areas near transit.
EPA
grant-funded assessments are expected to begin in mid-2017.
Funding will directly support the goals of the East Bay Corridors Initiative by focusing on a network of transit corridors, greenways, and adjacent industrial areas identified as Priority Development Areas - transit-
rich places planned for mixed-income housing, commercial development, and local services. The EPA grant will fund environmental site assessments to confirm or remove suspicion of contamination on land with the potential for new housing and job-creating businesses. The long-term goal is to help local governments redevelop vacant and unused properties and revitalize communities
and local economies.
This is the second brownfields grant awarded to ABAG to support the East Bay Corridors Initiative. The first grant was awarded in 2016 for sites in Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, and Alameda County and work started in Fall 2016.
In 2015, jurisdictions between Rodeo in the north and Fremont in the south created the East Bay Corridors Initiative. The Initiative is a collaborative platform to address shared challenges and opportunities that cross jurisdictional boundaries. These range from housing affordability to access to opportunities, improved public spaces, and resilience in the face of natural disasters. The Initiative is also a forum for prioritizing common needs and pursuing much-needed funding.
For more information, visit the website at
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Nominate Local Shoreline Sites for Resilient Action and Investment
ABAG is a part of the
Resilient by Design, Bay Area Challenge
, a yearlong community-based research and design challenge that is kicking off with an open call for community leaders and residents around the Bay Area to identify sites vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Concerned about climate change and how it will affect your Bay Area shoreline community? Ready to prepare for a more resilient future? Rather than wait for disaster, the
Resilient by Design, Bay Area Challenge
will help communities adapt to a changing climate before we feel its worst effects, while also improving the lives of community members.
Resilient by Design, Bay Area Challenge is an exciting new research and design initiative. Through July 14, 2017, the Challenge is asking local residents, community leaders and organizations to submit site ideas. These ideas will shape a collaborative research process for design experts to work with community experts to identify areas where they can most effectively collaborate to create new, creative, and implementable design solutions that protect the Bay Area's most vulnerable shoreline communities from increasingly severe storms and flooding --while also addressing critical issues such as disparities in housing, income, and access to open space.
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Smart Phone Audio Tour Showcases Accessible San Francisco Bay Trail
The San Francisco Bay Trail Project launched an innovative free smart phone audio tour app to guide trail
enthusiasts along segments of the Bay Trail.
"The Bay Trail on Tour enables people of all ages to get out on the Bay Trail and hear stories about amazing places right in our backyard," stated Laura Thompson, project manager for the San Francisco Bay Trail. The
Bay Trail on Tour melds together three aspects of what makes the Bay Area unique: innovative technology, awe-inspiring Bay views, and an active lifestyle.
The tours are rich in scenic and unique Bay Area destinations,
spanning 37.5 miles of Bay Trail, with 12 options to choose
from including wetlands in Novato, Sears Point in Sonoma County, Alviso in San Jose, and Bair Island in Redwood City. The App features hikes ranging from two miles to five miles, with the narrated tours lasting from one to three hours.
"The
Bay Trail on Tour
is the Bay Area at its best," said Doug McConnell, host of OpenRoad on NBC Bay Area and narrator of the audio tours throughout the region. "Whether you live in the Bay Area, or you're just visiting, with your smart phone and good walking shoes you can get to know this place while spending time outside."
To participate, people can d
ownload the free Vizzit Places app (available in iOs and Android), then walk and listen to at least five of the twelve audio tours hosted by Bay Area TV personality Doug McConnell. A limited-edition
Bay Trail on Tour
t-shirt will be available to the first 100 people to listen to five tours until Labor Day 2017.
Eleven audio tours were funded by the
California Coastal Conservancy, a state agency that aims to protect and restore the California coast and connect people to the coast's natural resources. The Shoreline at Mountain View tour was
made possible through a sponsorship from Google's Real Estate & Workplace Services organization. Vizzit Places worked closely with local historians, shoreline managers, and scientists to develop the tours.
About the San Francisco Bay Trail
The San Francisco Bay Trail is a planned 500-mile walking and cycling path around the entire San Francisco Bay running through all nine Bay Area counties, 47 cities, and across seven toll bridges. Currently, over 350 miles of trail are open to the public.
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ABAG Administrative Committee / MTC Planning Committee Special Meeting
7/14 @ 9:30 a.m., Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street,
Board Room, 1st Floor, San Francisco
ABAG Legislation and Governmental Organization Committee
7/20 @ 3:30 p.m., Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, Board Room, 1st Floor, San Francisco
ABAG Finance and Personnel Committee
7/20 @ 5:00 p.m., Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, Board Room, 1st Floor, San Francisco
ABAG Executive Board Meeting
7/20 @ 7 p.m., Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, Board Room, 1st Floor, San Francisco
ABAG Executive Board / MTC Commission Special Meeting
7/26 @ 7 p.m., Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale Street, Yerba Buena Room, San Francisco
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