Introducing Joe Minicozzi; offering a new look to urban planning

Joe Minicozzi
 New Projects Director at
 Public Interest Projects

I posted a couple of videos (in the right margin) of a presentation by Ashville, North Carolina urban planner Joe Minicozzi on the state of downtown Ashville. Joe, who like Chuck Mahron of Strong Towns talks numbers. Both have looked at the revenue and costs estimates of traditional downtown development and compared it to suburban, auto-oriented retail. In almost all cases this type of traditional development captures value; in other words with minimal maintenance costs the sales and property taxes more than pay for the infrastructure.

Prior to working with Public Interest Projects in Asheville, he served as the Urban Designer for the City of West Palm Beach, Florida. He was the City’s first Urban Designer and served as the Zoning Administrator for downtown. Joe has worked in town planning with Duany Plater-Zyberk, in architecture with Zyscovich Architects, and in real estate finance with John Hancock of Boston. In addition to his private sector service, Joe has lectured across the country on Incentive Zoning, Form-based Code, Transfer of Development Rights and the role of urban design in community development.

Watch and listen and let me know what you think. I'll post the last of the videos next week.

San Jose Cyclist spots unusual San Francisco Bumper Sticker

Frequent Guadalupe River Trail user Eloy spotted an unusual bumper sticker on a San Francisco cab yesterday. While driving near the San Jose Airport. Eloy took a picture of the unsual bumper sticker but apologizes for not getting a better shot before the light changed. As he stated in an email to me. "Could not get a better pic before the light changed, but the SF cab (in San Jose!!) was sporting a blue bumper sticker stating it had the right to enter the bike lane"

On closer inspection (see below) the sticker reads..."This vehicle authorized to enter bike lane when necessary. Picture shows an open taxi door with a person exiting with a cane.

Has anyone else out there seen a sticker like this on San Francisco cabs.I'm not sure if this is ligit.

Roads worse than San Jose? Look to the south.



San Diego's roads are crumbling.
The city has the money to fix potholes
 but hasn't proven it can efficiently spend it.
 Photo: Sam Hodgson

 In a continuing look at San Jose's road conditions along with other Bay Area cities I have highlighted the need for urgency in our own city and around the Bay Area. Now, with the wonderful work of  the Voice of San Diego we have a look at just how bad their problems are in comparison with San Jose's.

San Jose's Director of Transportation has been up front with city residents when he says that it will take $100 million each year just to maintain local roadways. In fact road repair funds are lacking so much that the director has had to outline a program of maintenance triage with the moniker "Priority Street Network". In essence only key arterial roadways, bus routes and commercial districts will be maintained.

In San Diego the situation is much worse; not only in the condition of their roadways but the cost to fix the road network. According to Carl DeMaio, a San Diego City mayoral candidate, "San Diego already has the eighth worst roads in the country and under the current plan at City Hall the roads will get worse" (
San Diego's Road Problem Fact Check).

At a San Diego City Council committee hearing in February it was revealed that San Diego's road repair problems have reached breathtaking new depths according to engineering officials. According to the Voice of San Diego, "simply maintaining the status quo would cost $160 million a year. That's more than the annual budgets of the parks and rec, library and environmental services departments combined. The city's plan to borrow $500 million won't provide enough money to reverse the decay or even preserve the status quo. Under its current proposal, the city won't begin making progress until 2017." (Streets will worsen for the next 5 years, report says)

These are difficult times, with housing still searching for new lows (US Housing Rebound Could Take An Entire Generation: Shiller), gas prices continuing to climb, and the astronomical amounts needed just to maintain our local roadways (gas taxes, state and federal highways are another matter). But here, as well as in other U.S. cities, we continue to satisfy increase road demand with new, expensive projects with no thought as to their expected return on investment or future required maintenance costs.

As I've mentioned before in this blog, we seem to have a knee jerk reaction to the increase in road capacity followed by immediate approvals to build even more auto centric retail developments (City to proceed with 45 acre" Mega Mall" on Almaden Expressway), that put even more pressure on our roadways in a vicious circle of big box retail expansion, roadway expansion, big box retail expansion, etc.

What are your thoughts?

San Diego's Road Problem Fact Check

How the Mayoral Candidates want to fix the roads.

Streets will worsen for the next 5 years, report says.

Roads Officially worse under Sanders, report says

This Saturday extra special Bike Party Celebration

 WHO IS READY FOR AN EXTRA BIKE PARTY THIS SATURDAY?

East Bay Bike Party, San Francisco Bike Party, San Jose Bike Party are all teaming up with the Midnight Ridazz from  L.A. to make a HELLA. BIG. BIKE. PARTY.

This massive Bike Party will take place in the East Bay. This is a great opportunity to get the whole Bay Area bike community together and do whatwe do best: Bike & Party.

Every one will be meeting at Lake Merrit BART at 7:30pm and roll out at 8pm to a few awesome spots around Oakland and Berkeley.

We must show our friends from the Midnight Ridazz how the Bay Area rolls and vice versa.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

See details of the event on Facebook. **

Mikes Bikes opens on the Avenue tomorrow

Mikes Bikes, a San Rafael based bike shop will open its 10th Northern California store tomorrow in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose. The store will be one of their largest, occupying what was once a dinner and billiards location.

Mike's Bikes was founded in 1964 as one of Marin County's very first Schwinn shops. Brian Wynn who had previously worked at the Los Gatos location will take on the role as Manger of the new store.

The new store will bring some late evening shoppers on the avenue with a 8:00 pm close. Stop by and say hi to Brian and his staff.

The hours will be:
Monday - Friday 10am - 8pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am - 6pm

Worker rusing to get the store
ready for tomorrows opening.

Store Address:
1180 Lincoln Ave.
San Jose, CA 95125
(map)

Store phone: 408-295-2453

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

San Jose Bike Party -Sharks Ride
Friday, April 20, 2012 8:00PM

Concert at the first rest stop with two great bands.
Rupa and the April Fishes: French gypsy/ ska.2) SHAKE YOUR PEACE! : More gospel choir / bluegrass / Latin.

Route will be posted on Thursday, the day before the ride at
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/

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San Jose Fixed  SJF
15-25 mile Bike Ride
Every Tuesday 6:45 @
Meets @ IMinusD Fixed Gear Boutique
112 Paseo de San Antonio (See Map Below)

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San Jose Bike Party - The Shark's Ride

Friday, April 20, 2012 8:00PM

Route will be posted on Thursday, the day before the ride at
http://www.sjbikeparty.org/

Cupertino Bike Swap
Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:00AM - 4:00 PM

104949 S DeAnza Blvd, Cupertino

Save the date. It's one of the best swaps in the area
60 bucks for a space (if your selling) or $2 to enter


San Francisco Bike Party
Friday, May 4, 2012
http://sfbikeparty.wordpress.com/

Bay Area Wide - 18th Annual Bike to Work Day
http://www.youcanbikethere.com/
Thursday May 10, 2012

East Bay Bike Party
Friday, May 11, 2011 7:30 PM

http://eastbaybikeparty.wordpress.com/

San Jose Bike Party Bike the Limits Ride

Saturday, May 12, 2012

And in the not too distant future
May 15, 2012 - Amgen Tour of California San Jose to Livermore
May 15, 2012 - King of the Mountain Challenge
June 21, 2012 Bicycle Music Festival 2012
July 14, 2012 - San Jose Bike Party Ladies Ride - (Sorry guys, ladies only)

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Also note the Guadalupe River Trail will be closed for paving construction soon. The closed portion will extend north of 880 all the way to Gold Street in Alviso. check Twitter for more details.

Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map

The rules of modern politics - with a transportation spin

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

I've written many times about three main themes that seem to be running through transportation circles in the Bay Area; but believe me it also extends beyond the bay. These themes are a nationwide themes that seem to repeat and resonate with the political seasons. They are;

1. The critical need just to maintain local roads and other infrastructure
2. The need to channel money to maintain existing (not to mention new) auto-oriented infrastructure at the expense of non-auto (rail, transit, bike way, and walkways), also known as complete streets.
3. The third rail in transportation politics, the sanctity of freezing gas tax rates at 1990 levels.

The New York Times this week captured all three, in highlighting New Jersey's governor Chris Christies refusal to move ahead with a much needed tunnel linking Manhattan with New Jersey, even though the independent auditing agency the Government Accountability Office issued a 29 page report criticizing the governor's actions.

The  story first broke in October of 2010 during Governor Christies first few months in office. The tunnel would help a system that hasn't seen any new tunnels built for over 100 years.

Not only is there a need nationwide to maintain existing infrastructure; our current transportation infrastructure is inadequate to serve the needs of a growing population that continues to move to urban areas. The newly planed tunnel would have relieved congestion on the only two tunnels that connect Manhattan to New Jersey.

The need to channel money to maintain existing (not to mention new) auto-oriented infrastructure at the expense of non-auto is evident both in New Jersey and here at home (I am currently researching a post on this very issue in San Jose).

With the combination of increased average gas mileage on American cars and a freeze on federal and state gas excise taxes, the inflation adjusted amount of tax revenue apportioned to the Highway Trust Fund as been reduced dramatically and there is a unwillingness by motorists to match the expected costs to maintain existing roadways with gas taxes. From an article in yesterday's Charlotte Observer:

That's the last thing a public that's paying $4 for a gallon of gasoline wants to hear, and elected officials, from members of Congress to President Barack Obama, aren't likely in an election year to propose that motorists pay higher gasoline taxes or tolls. But many transportation experts and officials agree that if Americans want to drive on good roads, they're going to have to pay more for them, or do without.

Most of the 46,000-mile interstate system has been toll-free for its 56-year history. But pavement and bridges on the system's oldest sections are reaching the ends of their life spans and need to be replaced. A 2009 report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommended an annual investment in U.S. highways and bridges of $166 billion. Charlotte Observer 4-17-2012

Until Americans understand the real cost of auto mobility there is a genuine sense of denial on the amount of funding required to keep the system going. Until then we're just kickin' the can down the road.

Additional Links:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/tunnel-of-idiocy/

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/krugman-cannibalize-the-future.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/opinion/gov-chris-christie-and-the-tunnel-project.html

The value of connecting our trails - Willow Glen Neighborhood Association

Tonight, the Willlow Glen NeighborhoodAssociation will be hosting an excellent discussion on the status of San Jose Trails with a group of trailblazers themselves.

Special Guest speakers will include Leslie Hamilton, Executive Director of Guadalupe River Trail and Gardens, Bill Rankin, Vice President of Save Our Trails, Heather Lerner, Executive Director, Happy Hollow Foundation, and Betty Montoya, Executive Director of the San Jose Youth Commisiion.

Come and meet these community leaders as they talk about the three main trails in the area, the Los Gatos Creek Trail, the Guadalupe River Trail, and the Three Creeks Trail.

When: Tonight, April 18, 2012, 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Where: Willow Glen High School Library, 2001 Cottle Rd., San Jose, CA
WILLOW GLEN HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY!2001 COTTLE ROAD, SAN JOSE, CA 95125!

San Jose Bike Clinic hosting Bike to Work Gear-up

San Jose Bike Clinic

Bike to Work Day is a little early this year. Are you ready?

Bring your bike down to the San Jose Bike Clinic. They will be setting up shop at San Pedro Square Market, Saint James and San Pedro streets in downtown San Jose.

San Jose Bike Clinic is a newly formed group whose mission is to provide a shared space for bicycle repair and education as well as to build a robust and diverse cycling community in San Jose.

Bring your bike down to the San Jose Bike to Work Gear-up on April 29th from noon until 4:00 pm and give yourself the knowledge to fix the problem on your own.



photo: San Pedro Square Market

 When: Sunday April 29, 2012, Noon until 4:00 pm
Where: San Pedro Square Marketplace, Saint John and San Pedro streets in downtown San Jose.
Questions: info@sjbikeclinic.org

Chuck Marohn with Strong Towns brings the Curbside Chat to California

Chuck Marohn of
SmallTowns.org

Yesterday amidst late-season hail, lighting, and blustery rain, Chuck Marohn of the non-profit Strong Towns visited the city of Rancho Cordova, California. Chuck is making a (big) swing through California, starting in Redding and finishing up in San Diego to promote his "Curbside Chat".

The Curbside Chat (companion booklet) is a presentation, followed by a community-specific discussion, about the financial health of our towns and cities. Some of the questions discussed are;

• Why are our cities and towns so short of resources despite decades of robust growth?
• Why do we struggle at the local level just to maintain our basic infrastructure?
• What do we do now that the economy has changed so dramatically?

Chuck is a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the State of Minnesota and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He has a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute.

Like James Kunstler, another noted planning critic he studies our post World War II suburban experiment, which is now over 50 years old. But unlike Kunstler who attacks the experiment based on urban design and its effect on its residents well-being, Marohn views it from a financial sustainability and resiliency standpoint.

Chuck's words ring well with me. As a former commercial banker I agree in his analysis of how cities evaluate infrastructure projects. Many times, cities are more than willing to absorb the low upfront costs of a project (offset by grants, developer fees and mitigations) without carefully considering what the future costs of maintenance and repair.

Without revenue generating business tied to many streets (street, sidewalk, lighting, street furniture, signage, curbs and gutters) many projects will never pay for themselves given the usefull life of a street is rarely more than 30 years. His financial analysis is similar to that of Joe Minicozzi out of Ashville,  North Carolina. I also plan to do a post in the future on Mr. Minicozzi.

But without giving to much away about Chuck's mission and presentation, check out his webiste, blog, and podcast. Start at http://www.strongtowns.org/.

San Jose Trail Program Status Update

Trail Program Update 4/1/2012

The San Jose Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee received an update on trail status at their last meeting from Yves Zuetty, Trails Manager. Here are some visuals to convey the progress that the trails department is making.


Here is a link to the Green Vision 100 mile status goal in pdf format.

Strong Towns Chuck Marohn presenting tomorrow in Rancho Cordova

Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento to hear a presentation by Chuck Marohn of the non-profit Strong Towns (strongtowns.org). I have featured Chuck's TED talk on this blog titled "The Important Difference Between a Street and a Road". His presentations often center around capturing value from our streets in the form of net tax revenue over the useful life of the project. I'll explain more on this when I get back in a later post.

He often mentions Joe Minicozzi, who also talks about the type of development and its relation to value capture in the form of property and sales taxes. I know locally, here in the Silicon Valley the talk is always about the fiscalization of land use. However, this talk is always centered around a real simple discussion of shops vs. homes, commercial vs. residential. Their argument centers on the type of development; traditional commercial development, mixed use buildings, increased density are promoted as a way of creating a fiscally sustainable community.

Anyway hope you have a great weekend.

San Jose Bike Party BIRDS meeting

Selecting themes for the next three months Bike Party rides tonight at Stanley's Sports Bar at Logitech with a curling exposition going on down below. Curlers sure use a lot of brooms.

Themes to be announced later.

San Jose city council approves downtown bicycle project

City of San Jose file photo

This afternoon San Jose set in motion the first among several new bicycle projects that will make downtown a convienent, safe, and easily navigable business and residential district.
With a unanimous vote; the council approved actions that will involve the addition of eight miles of new bikeways in support of implementing a Downtown Bike Share system in 2012 using various grant funding sources.

The following streets will now see the installation of new bikeways in accordance with California Vehicle Code section 21207.

(1) Almaden Boulevard between Grant Street and Santa Clara Street;
(2) Notre Dame Street between Santa Clara Street and St. John Street;
(3) Third Street between Julian Street and Reed Street;
(4) Fourth Street between Julian Street and Reed Street;
(5) Tenth Street between Hedding Street and Keyes Street; and
(6) Eleventh Street between Hedding Street and Keyes Street.

In addition the project will authorize the removal of vehicle travel lanes on specified segments of Almaden Boulevard, Third Street, Fourth Street, Tenth Street and Eleventh Street and installation of bicycle lanes consistent with Envision 2040 goals for developing "complete streets" as described in this memorandum.