Tag Archives: Climate Change

Proposed condo tower has midtown looking skyward

March 20, 2016

By Ryan Lillis

The Sacramento Bee

A 13-story condo tower called Yamanee is being proposed for 25th and J streets in midtown Sacramento.

Most of the letters arriving to the City are supportive of the dense, vertical housing. Those who are in opposition point out the problems in giving the OK for Yamanee to be built higher (178 feet) than the 65-foot height limit in midtown.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/city-beat/article67230682.html

On Monday, April 11, ECOS will begin looking at the Yamanee Project at our Land Use Committee Meeting.

Monday April 11th, 2016, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Mogavero Architects, 2012 K Street, Sacramento, CA

The ECOS Land Use committee will begin evaluating a 178-foot tower at 25th and J called Yamanee, which would be the tallest residential building in midtown. William Burg with Preservation Sacramento will give a presentation. The proponents of the project have been invited to present, as well.

Read the complete agenda for the April 11th ECOS Land Use committee meeting by clicking on the image below or here.

Agenda Capture

 

Mayoral candidates pledge to make walking, cycling a more viable option

March 3, 2016

By Daniel Weintraub

Special to The Bee

The next mayor of Sacramento will have a chance to make the city truly “world class” – not by subsidizing more professional sports teams or building taller office towers, but by making the city a vibrant place that people can navigate without having to use a car.

A modern city hoping to draw economic, cultural and social vitality from people on its streets must place a priority on making those streets safe and easy to use for everyone, not just motorists.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article63877837.html

Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) Issues Statement

March 1, 2016 – Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders (STAR) Issues Statement Challenging RT proposed fare increase

In response to Sacramento Regional Transit’s proposed fare increase, Sacramento Transit Advocates and Riders, which includes individuals and representatives of a number Sacramento organizations, has issued the following statement to be entered into the public record.

As riders, advocates, and tax payers, we are very concerned about the fare increase that Sacramento Regional Transit (RT) proposed at the January 25, 2016 board meeting for several reasons. Increased fares will decrease ridership. The current fare increase disproportionately impacts seniors, the disabled, and those who are low income, many of whom live in already-underserved areas and rely on public transportation. The proposed fare structure may place RT in violation of Title VI requirements.

Clearly, increasing fares without assessing or addressing operational deficiencies will not promote the significant improvements and reforms needed for RT to provide even adequate levels of service to meet our community’s needs for those who are dependent on public transportation and a viable alternative to car transportation for those who would otherwise choose to drive.

STAR supports an across the board increase of 5% provided RT agrees to commit to the following and to reporting about its progress at the RT Board meetings no less than quarterly:

  1. The conducting of an independent operational audit that includes, but is not limited to, expenditures, management, efficiency issues, routes & schedules, restoration of prior service cuts, possible restoration of central city fare.
  2. Two hour transfers will be implemented for all fare payments including smart phone app, connect card, cash, and credit or debit cards.
  3. No fare categories or passes will be eliminated for at least the next two fiscal years. Any future adjustment in categories or passes will require public input and justification.
  4. There will be no increase in fares or passes for those under 18 years of age or low income students.
  5. Properly working and convenient fare payments systems including the connect card, fully operating ticket machines that take, cash (coins and paper) and debit and credit cards.
  6. Fare payment enforcement is a serious concern and must be addressed. Concerns include the need for consistent fare checking, negative impact of police raids, and that people without tickets should be sold a more expensive ticket on the spot rather than being issued a citation involving the court system.
  7. Paratransit services are critical and efficiencies, not simple cuts, must be addressed.
  8. Any future fare increases must be fully justified, incremental and not result in steep increases.
  9. No capital expansion is allowed until RT is financially stabilized and the items above are implemented.

Contact: 775-997-4937

 

ECOS to RT re Fare Increases

In response to Sacramento Regional Transit District’s proposal to increase ticket fares ECOS has released the following statement:

For many years, ECOS has supported transit (Sacramento Regional Transit in particular) as an essential alternative to the over reliance on automobiles for transportation in the Sacramento region. We are therefore very concerned about the proposed fare increase that was presented at the January 25, 2016 RT Board meeting, since increased fares will invariably decrease ridership. The current fare increase disproportionately impacts transit dependent riders — including seniors, the disabled, and people on low income — many of whom live in already underserved areas.

Occasional fare increases are probably inevitable just to stay in step with general cost inflation. But it would be wise to proceed in small steps, at roughly five percent increments. At the same time, RT must strive to implement reforms already under discussion, such as reinstituting transfers, better enforcing fare payment, and restoring as much service as possible, in order to restore ridership to prerecession levels. To provide a minimally acceptable level of transit service in Sacramento County will require increased public funding. Transit got shortchanged in the last Measure A, and future transportation measures will need to provide a much higher level of financial support for transit.