What do CEQA and affordable housing and public health all have in common? As it turns out plenty.
“Community groups pointed out to us that CEQA had some provisions that protected public health,” said Dr. Rajiv Bhatia, Director of Environmental Health in San Francisco.
The developers of a Rincon Hill project in San Francisco were already promoting the environmental benefits of the development, including proximity to public transit and to jobs. But what the City of San Francisco’s health department also saw was the effects on the people who were going to have to move out because they couldn’t afford to live in the new development.
What happened next shows the value of CEQA as a valuable tool for community input on construction projects.
California Forward’s Cheryl Getuiza explains.
Construction in Rincon Hill area of San Francisco. (Photo Credit: Angel Cardenas)
CEQA in the 21st Century — a series of news stories and individual perspectives designed to educate and spark dialogue on CEQA as the California Legislature revisits the role the environmental law will play in the future of our economy.
