HILLS 2000

FRIENDS OF THE HILLS

“Los Altos Hills is God’s Little Acre. . .” — Wallace Stegner

June 21, 2022

Assemblymember Laura Friedman

Housing and Appropriations Committees
c/o Jim.metropulos@asm.ca.gov
Via Legislative Portal

RE: AB 2097 (Friedman) Land Use Development: Residential, commercial,

or other development types: parking requirements
Dear Member Friedman and Appropriations Committee:

Hills 2000 — Friends of the Hills strongly opposes AB 2097.

This bill would remove parking criteria for commercial and residential projects.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2021-2022
Reduction in parking criteria has always been a Density Bonus Incentive offered to
developers in order to get more affordable housing in a project. It offered develop-
Jitze Couperus ers a cost savings but required affordable units in return.
President
AB 2097—why is it bad?
Duffy Price
Secretary • Offers cost savings to a developer with no mandate to make the development
affordable. None of the cost savings will be required to either lower rents for
Indu Kadambi residents or actually offer affordable units.
Treasurer
• Imposes hardship to people that need a car. An individual’s future job potential
Ann Duwe
is limited when it is tied to an inadequate public transit system. It has been
proven that one can reach 30 times more jobs with a car. Why support a bill that
Carol Gottlieb
makes it harder for people to survive in California?
Dot Schreiner
• Raises safety concerns for people leaving work or going home in late hours of
Ginger Summit the night who must walk to and from remote street parking. It unfairly burdens
residents who carry equipment or who cannot walk the distance to their car due
John Harpootlian to health or age. It also creates a burden on charging electric vehicles. Where
will they be recharged?
Scott Vanderlip
It makes no sense to take away parking without offering a real alternative, like pub-
lic parking structures with shuttles. Making life more difficult for people is not the
way to solve our equitable, affordable housing problems.

This bill is not on the right track. We welcome the opportunity to work on afforda-
ble housing legislation to preserve communities and protect the environment.

Sincerely,
Jitze Couperus
Box 31
Los Altos, CA 94023
Jitze Couperus, President
Tel. 650-941-4808 Hills 2000 — Friends of the Hills
jitze@couperus.org

www.hills2000.org