All you Housing Geeks got your popcorn?

Settling in for what may be a looooong meeting w/the Lafayette City Council to approve a 315-unit development nearly a decade in thr making

Feel free to fling comments/hot takes my way!
https://www.kqed.org/news/11832742/will-lafayette-approve-controversial-yimby-housing-a-decade-in-the-making

(Thread begins!)

Also, huzzah, 1 tweet in and I've already got a typo!

That's what I get for only drinking ONE cup of coffee today. Amateur-hour over here.

Lafayette City Council is taking public comment on items not related to The Terraces, so, maybe time for that 2nd cup...

As we await comment on The Terraces, let's assume you've read one of the various news stories floating around (if not, mine is linked in the first Tweet) and take a look at the for/opposed Facebook groups

Here's a flyer from an opposition group, Save Lafayette ...

Notice the flyer's framing. (refer to prev tweet)

"protect citizens' rights"
"protect lives"
"ensure safety and quality of life"

What patterns do you see?

Here's the FB group:
https://www.facebook.com/SaveLafayette/ 

Now Inclusive Lafayette

"We, the community members of Lafayette, are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive town ..."

"... We pledge to never accept a single dollar from development interests!"

(I would imagine, a reply to concerns about YIMBY)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/834028253790740

Oh! Here we go.

The Terraces item is happenin'!

Lafayette Mayor Mike Anderson is discussing an allegation of conflict of interest by Vice Mayor Susan Candell

says he will remain "neutral and unbiased"

INTERESTING. all of these council members are now disavowing themselves of being influenced by Vice Mayor Susan Candell about The Terraces project

and are disclosing their communications around The Terraces

Councilmember Cam Burks, who filed the appeal to bring The Terraces before the council, instead of leaving just to Planning dept, says

he "liked" one of the Lafayette FB pages (I believe he said the "Inclusive" one) when it was chiefly touting "diversity" in Lafayette

Councilmember Steven Bliss also says he "liked" a number of Lafayette Facebook pages that have taken positions on The Terraces project, including one concerned about traffic congestion

STAFF REPORT TIME!

facts, figures, reviews and brass tacks time

This is where we remember ...

These projects may be symbolic off YIMBY/NIMBY divisions in CA writ large

But at the end of the day, they're still projects where something is (maybe) getting *built*

i.e. ... much discussion about left-turn pockets, being extended, or not ...

There's a new TRAP LANE?!

... uh, what's a trap lane?

https://trid.trb.org/view/306884 

But here is where the rubber hits the road

Opponents have said The Terraces will increase congestion and therefore *threaten* emergency vehicle egress

The Staff Report offers a *pretty firm* clap back to that

"Project would not cause material delays to emergency reaponse"

I will add, watching city council meetings in the era of Zoom never ceases to provide hilarity

no one has fallen asleep on camera yet, but just wait

the night is young

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.

bugaboo of so many projects

(Conduct an EIR! //add 5+ years to project)

Staff says air quality and transportation changed from 2013 EIR to now:

"Some impacts that were previously identified as significant ..(are now) identified as less than significant”

"I have prepared a rather long presentation"

As my favorite Quantum Leaper would say, "Oh, boy."