Supervisor Sears’ announcement that the Strawberry PDA will be reviewed at this meeting included the possibility of affirming, eliminating or modifying the PDA.

We’d like to be clear – the Strawberry community is not interested in any outcome here other than complete elimination of the PDA designation from Strawberry in its entirety.

All the reasons why Strawberry is against a PDA designation in general are true of a partial PDA as well.

In addition, a PDA only along the highway would have these issues:

– Others have spoken before this board about the health issues of housing near freeways, especially air and lung issues.  Focusing high-density housing only along the freeway will be tantamount to building the unhelathiest housing for these new people you purport to care so much about.  Is that the welcome to Marin you want to provide?

– One of the key issues we’re all concerned about in Marin – in fact, one of the issues driving the focus of Plan Bay Area is traffic.  You’re considering an area where there is currently TAM funding for metering lights due to heavy traffic congestion between Sausalito and Larkspur, and proposing high density housing right along the freeway.

The combination of metering lights and a “significant increase in housing” (as described in the 2014 PDA application) will be significantly worse traffic effects in an area that already has a substandard Level of Service (LOS) rating of “D” at key intersections.

– Most communities in Marin have rejected their PDA designations.  Strawberry residents have put in a lot of time – frankly, way more time than they should have had to – in order to fight the so-called “voluntary” PDA designation.  When this board goes looking for more high-density housing space – and history suggests it will – we don’t want Strawberry to be the point for PDA expansion.

Since last July, neither Supervisor Sears nor anyone else has explained why Strawberry wants to have a PDA designation.  Frankly, the last minute $261k study for sidewalks on Belvedere pitched by Supervisor Sears is laughable as incentive and reeks of desperation.

We don’t know why it’s so important to Supervisor Sears that she would refuse to represent her constituents’ wishes, refuse for 4 months to place the Strawberry PDA issue on the BOS agenda, pitch a meaningless study as an incentive to the community, and attempt to redraw a smaller PDA in order to have one approved.

But Strawberry is not interested in a PDA of any size.  We ask ALL the Supervisors to rescind the PDA designation from Strawberry IN ITS ENTIRETY.