The fourth attempt proved a charm as Marin and Sonoma county voters narrowly passed a 1/4 cent sales tax measure to build and run a diesel light rail train through both counties along with an adjacent bike path. The tax measure needed 2/3 to pass.
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) "measure asked voters if they want to OK a 20-year, quarter-cent hike in the sales tax to finance a 70-mile rail line and adjacent bike and pedestrian path from Cloverdale to Larkspur that will cost an estimated $1.1 billion over the period.
The tax dollars will now be used to buy rail cars, rehabilitate existing track, build bridges, install signal crossings and build the bicycle and pedestrian pathway, among other things.
In 2006, the similar Measure R was on the ballot, but it fell short with 65 percent."
From SF Chronicle:
"The measure, which needed a combined two-thirds majority in Sonoma and Marin counties to pass, took 73.5 percent of the vote in Sonoma and garnered 63 percent in Marin.
The biggest asset SMART has is already in hand - the rail right of way, valued at more than $1 billion."
Thanks to MTC-ABAG Library
FULL STORY: Train tax rolls to victory
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.