Accountable Development Coalition Wins SMART Railroad Square Project Community Benefits


From the Living Wage Coalition Newsletter Spring 2006
By Sabrina Ross
Accountable Development Coalition

Railroad Square will be the key northern stop for the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) train, a rail system that promises to transform commuter patterns and traffic congestion along the Highway 101 corridor in Marin and Sonoma Counties. SMART, the agency in charge of getting the trains running, is also the owner of 5.5 acres of valuable vacant land across from the train station. The Santa Rosa Redevelopment Agency has included the site as part of a transit-oriented redevelopment area, and most of the cost of developing the Center, and an unknown but significant portion of its ongoing operating expenses, would be paid by taxpayers.

In other parts of California, and around the country, where the public is being asked to help fund projects like this with tax money, people are asking questions: how will the development benefit the whole community? What kinds of jobs will it provide? Will it contribute to the limited supply of affordable housing in the community? What will the effect be on existing neighborhoods and small businesses? Increasingly, environmental, interfaith, labor, and housing organizations, and others have realized that development is not just about a narrow plot of land, but about the communities that surround it.

The Accountable Development Coalition of Sonoma County (ADC) is asking just such questions in Railroad Square and around the county. After nearly a year working with the SMART Board of Directors, the Coalition has secured two major victories. The first occurred in January when SMART issued its Request for Proposals (RFP) to the three shortlisted developer applicants for Railroad Square. The RFP included provisions requiring a living wage for major tenants of the development, 15% affordable housing, green design, as well as a local hire program and the payment of prevailing wage for the construction of the project. This month the Coalition secured a second major victory when all three prospective developers of the site agreed that, if selected, they would sign a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the Coalition.

Similar CBAs, legally enforceable agreements between developers and community coalitions, have included provisions for developer funding of community park and recreation needs; standards for responsible contracting and leasing decisions by the developer, a living wage requirement for workers employed in the development, and a variety of other benefits. The Los Angeles Staples Center CBA, for example, negotiated in May 2001, included an unprecedented array of community benefits, such as a goal that 70% of the jobs created in the project pay the City's living wage; a first source hiring program targeting job opportunities to low-income individuals and those displaced by the project; and increased affordable housing requirements in the housing component of the project, as well as the commitment of seed money for other affordable housing projects

An underlying principle of accountable development is that by working with governmental agencies and prospective developers early, communities can provide clear guidance to developers on how these public funds will be used to benefit the whole public. The organizations of ADC, which include Sonoma County Conservation Action, the Housing Advocacy Group, the Living Wage Coalition, New Economy/Working Solutions, the North Bay Labor Council, the Progressive Student Movement, and other organizations, came together to support good development and improve problematic projects. "The ADC has effectively bridged the gaps between our diverse memberships by focusing on shared values. United, we have strengthened our message and multiplied our resources resulting in a powerful vision of the future," said Jack A. Buckhorn, Business Manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 551 and Secretary-Treasure of the Sonoma, Lake & Mendocino Counties Building & Construction Trades Council.

In Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, and around the state, advocates and officials are discovering that such early involvement reduces conflict, and increases the overall stability of good projects.

In Sonoma County, ADC works to ensure that developments uphold basic labor standards, include local hiring provisions, and insist on responsible employers. "The living wage ensures that large SMART contractors and lessees pay a living wage plus beneits; it also aids in establishing a regional wage norm and is calculated by an average of the four ordinances in place in Marin and Sonoma County," said Living Wage Coalition Coordinator Ben Boyce, "Over time we hope there will be spillover to private sector not covered by a living wage ordinance."

The Coalition also addresses affordable housing."Santa Rosa alone currently lacks over 1,000 units of affordable housing, according to basic requirements published by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)," said David Grabill, lawyer for the Housing Advocacy Group, "That's 1,000 families who lack safe, decent housing, or have to commute long distances to more affordable areas. In Railroad Square, this well-designed, high-density housing will also be vital in fostering the ridership that a successful rail system needs." Another critical component of the Railroad Square effort is the development's effect on air and water quality. Developers will use active and passive energy conservation measures and enhance Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) with "green" building products which meet the standards of the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Many see the train itself as a cost effective means of conserving energy. Improving the track for SMART is expected to cost less than $5 million per mile, compared with more than $20 million per mile to add a freeway lane. "Trains are more energy efficient than autos and buses," added Steve Birdlebough, chairman of Friends of SMART, "Trains operate on a much narrower right-of-way, saving valuable land, especially in urban areas; and they encourage compact, efficient infill projects in city centers that benefit the community and individual residents."

The process has not been without its challenges. The SMART board's ridership and housing goals were met with opposition by the Santa Rosa City Council, which wanted the site to be utilized primarily for a food and wine center. SMART directors emphasized their conviction that many needs could be met on the 5.5 acre site, but remained firm that the site would include a strong mixed-income residential component. As the Board was preparing its Request for Proposals, for example, SMART director and Petaluma City Council member Mike Healy recommended that developer applications which provide for more than 20% affordable housing should receive additional credit in the scoring of the application. The board agreed, despite indications from Santa Rosa City Council members that they would prefer not to have much housing there.

Securing funding is the next major hurdle rail supporters face. Currently SMART is gearing up to place a 1/4-cent sales tax on the ballot in November 2006 to fund the creation and operation of the rail service. The measure will require a 2/3 majority from the two-county region and is expected to raise $660 million over its 20-year life ($470 from Sonoma County and $190 million from Marin County). If the measure is successful, SMART expects to begin construction in 2007 and conclude in 2009.

Another fiscal challenge for the Santa Rosa SMART train station is the issue of financial assistance from the City of Santa Rosa. The city could provide redevelopment funding to assist the developer to finance affordable housing on the site. It is not clear, however, if there is the commitment by the Santa Rosa City Council to do so, despite the fact that the city has met only 61% of its Regional Housing Need (calculated by the Association of Bay Area Governments) for very low income housing.

The SMART Board's leadership in building transit with equity has been critical in finding developers who are both experienced in transit-oriented mixed use development and committed to working closely with communities. By laying out community benefits requirements early in the process, the board secured a strong set of developer applicants for Railroad Square, all of whom expected to work responsibly with the community. "This is a flagship project. We're setting precedent here," said Bob Jehn, SMART board chair and Cloverdale City Council member.

For more information about developments in Railroad Square and how to provide input, visit SMART's website at http://www.sonomamarintrain.org and the New Economy, Working Solutions website at: http://www.neweconomynorthbay.org or attend the next Accountable Development Coalition meeting, Monday, June 19, at 5:30p.m. in the SEIU on 600 B St.

Accountable Development Coalition contact Sabrina Ross, legislative liaison 707-758-4101

To achieve broad based regional community support for the goals and objectives of SMART, and in order to achieve the best use of public dollars utilized for SMART's projects, the Accountable Development Coalition advocated and achieved the following provisions in the Railroad Square Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Santa Rosa communter train station:

1) Green Building and environmentally conscious design:

The RFP contains requirements for green building and developers are encouraged to design a project certified at the silver or gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) level.

2) High density mixed-income housing,largely above mixed-use retail and commercial space:

The RFP requires development of high density housing (23-35 dwellings per acre) on the 5.5 acre SMART site with a range of affordabilities. At least 15% of the housing units will be affordable to low income households, and developers who propose a higher percentage of affordable units will receive preference in the scoring criteria.

The RFP specifies that automobile parking facilities on the site shall be minimized.

3) Sustainable economic development and fair labor standards:

The RFP specifies that the developer will hire responsible contractors via prequalification questions. Prequalification will ensure that contractors have a record of financial solvency and high performance standards, a successful apprenticeship program that has a history of actually graduating skilled employees, and a history without labor, safety, and environmental violations of law. Prevailing wages shall be paid on all project construction.

Construction contractors and subcontractors and will hire at least 50% of workers from Sonoma and Marin counties. In addition, state certified local apprentices will work at least 20% of the total project hours.

4) All SMART employees, employees of major SMART contractors, SMART tenants, and SMART recipients of economic development assistance (with more than 20 employees), shall receive a living wage of $11.50 an hour plus benefits, or $13 an hour without benefits. In addition, the SMART board has indicated that the development agreement will include a labor peace provision ensuring employer neutrality for the largest SMART contractors and lessees if their employees choose to unionize.

The Accountable Development Coalition supported the following design elements:

5) Multi-modal transit and public space

The rail station is expected to act as a multimodal transportation hub and shall be accessible for bus, shuttle, bicycle and by pedestrians. The Station will have a pedestrian friendly design throughout and will include a staffed bicycle parking and maintenance facility. The station shall be connected to and integrated with the surrounding community; there will also be public open space and/or plaza space potentially integrated with community arts and child care uses.

The Accountable Development Coalition is comprised of labor, housing, and environmental organizations including: North Bay Labor Council, Sonoma County Housing Advocacy Group, Sonoma County Group of the Sierra Club, New Economy, Working Solutions, Sonoma County Conservation Action, Sonoma-Mendocino- Lake Building and Construction Trades Council, Concerned Citizens of Santa Rosa, Living Wage Coalition, and Santa Rosa Junior College Progressive Student Movement.

Since 2005 ADC has been united to strengthen our communities in Sonoma County through meaningful community decision-making and the creation of sustainable solutions to problems impacting our wellness, economic opportunities and environment.