Brisbane's Greenest Option Is Even More Housing, Study Finds

An independent study commissioned by developer United Paragon Corporation (UPC) concluded that their proposal to build 4,500 homes at the Brisbane Baylands site was the most environmentally friendly option, even suggesting that twice as many residential units would provide even more net reductions in carbon emissions.

UPC’s plan for the Brisbane Baylands site, a former Southern Pacific railyard, has been 12 years in the making. The City Council began reviewing the most recent plan late last year. If the project is approved, housing at the Baylands would at least double the town’s population of 4,612, assuming an unlikely average of 1 person per dwelling unit.

The UK-based nonprofit Bioregional evaluated various proposals for the 684-acre site according to the City’s Sustainability Framework for the Brisbane Baylands. Bioregional’s model is based on its ten principles for One Planet Living (OPL), which the city selected “worldwide acclaim for their ingenuity in design, thoughtfulness towards local issues, and understanding the importance of harmony between development and nature.” OPL emphasizes locally-sourced materials, zero-waste and zero-carbon infrastructure, as well as open space and public health concerns.

While the Brisbane Planning Commission had recommended only office development on the site, with no housing, Bioregional’s findings reflect local housing advocates’ years-long effort to promote dense housing near mass transit to reduce carbon-heavy personal car travel.

“Increasing residential numbers has the potential to reduce traffic congestion in the area and improve air quality,” the report reads.

Pooran Desai, International Director for One Planet Communities, added: “It is clear that the best outcome overall — one which integrates local, regional and planetary needs — is the development maximising the number of homes incorporating high levels of affordable housing, supported by a mix of community, commercial and retail space.”

At several City Council meetings in 2016, the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition’s former Executive Director Tim Colen noted that the Planning Commission’s recommendation relied on an outdated measure of traffic impacts. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was recently reformed to measure the transportation needs of new development in terms of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) rather than Level of Service (LOS). Bioregional’s findings confirmed Colen’s insistence that the proposal with a mix of apartment buildings and townhomes less than a mile from the Bayshore Caltrain station was the most environmentally sound option.

“We are full agreement with Bioregional’s report finding that more than 9,000 housing units would be the most environmentally sustainable use of the [Baylands],” Todd David, current SFHAC Executive Director, wrote in an email. “Given the proximity to transit, the future residents of the Baylands will be driving less, which will significantly cut down on their carbon footprint. Furthermore, Brisbane will be doing its share in addressing the Bay Area’s severe housing shortage.”

Brisbane became a rare bipartisan lightning rod during San Francisco’s 2016 election season. Scott Wiener and Jane Kim, two supervisors locked in a bitter race for State Senate (which Wiener ultimately won) both sent campaign representatives to Brisbane City Hall urging the city to support more housing on the Baylands.

“The Brisbane City Council has the choice to adopt a plan that takes the site back 50 years, or an opportunity to approve a sustainable plan that delivers ecological restoration, social equity, and economic viability,” Jonathan Scharfman, Director of Development for UPC, said in a statement. “UPC welcomes the opportunity to work with the City to find the best solution to meet the needs of Brisbane, the region, and the planet.”

Brisbane’s City Council is expected to make its final decision by the end of the summer, though ultimately the fate of the Baylands may be dictated by a popular referendum.

Photograph by Sharon Hanh Darlin

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