MTC – Plan Bay Area 2040 – Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Meetings

The Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) (SCH# 2016052041) for Plan Bay Area (PBA) 2040, the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)/Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) (proposed Plan) for the San Francisco Bay Area is now available for review. Public comment on this document is invited for a 45-day period extending from April 17, 2017 to June 1, 2017. Additional information and public comment meeting dates are provided below.

The proposed Plan is a regional strategy for accommodating household and employment growth projected to occur in Bay Area region through 2040, and a transportation strategy for the region based on expected revenues. The primary objective of the proposed Plan is to achieve mandated reductions of greenhouse (GHG) emissions and to provide adequate housing for the projected 2040 regional population level pursuant to The Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (Senate Bill (SB) 375, Statutes of 2008). The proposed Plan sets forth a transportation and land use blueprint for how the Bay Area can address transportation mobility and accessibility needs, regional housing responsibilities, economic conditions and forecasts, environmental concerns, and GHG emissions reduction requirements through the year 2040.

The region includes nine counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma) totaling approximately 4.4 million acres (7,000 square miles). In 2015 the region had 4.01 million jobs, 2.76 million households, and 7.57 million people. The proposed Plan would accommodate projected growth for an additional 688,000 jobs, 666,000 households, and 2,056,000 people by 2040 with a transportation investment strategy of $303 billion. MTC is required under State and Federal law to update the RTP/SCS every four years.

The Draft EIR has been prepared on behalf of MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),) to analyze and disclose the potentially adverse significant impacts associated with implementation of the proposed Plan. The Draft EIR identifies the potential for significant effects in the following areas: Transportation, Air Quality, Land Use and Physical Development, Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases, Noise, Biological Resources, Visual Resources, Cultural Resources, Public Utilities and Facilities, Hazards, and Public Services and Recreation.

A Final EIR will be prepared following public review and comment on the Draft EIR. The Final EIR will consist of changes to the Draft EIR and written responses to comments submitted during the comment period on the Draft EIR. MTC and ABAG will consider this information during their deliberations on certification of the Final EIR and adoption of the proposed Plan.

Beginning April 17, 2017, the Draft EIR will be available for public review online at the web link provided below. Interested parties may review the draft on the web site or obtain a free electronic copy by contacting MTC at the contact information provided below. The document also will be available for public review in at least one library in each of the nine member counties (list of locations also available beginning April 17) at the URL listed below: