Dear President Hughes and Members of the Metro Council, MPAC, and JPACT

OAPA, Page 1of 2

October 29, 2014

Dear President Hughes and Members of the Metro Council, MPAC, and JPACT:

The Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association represents more than 800 professional and citizen planners in the state of Oregon.

We commend the attention you are giving the Climate Smart Scenarios initiative. Through listening, leadership, innovation, and investment, we know that we can make a difference on greenhouse gas reductions from the land use and transportation sectors in Oregon. We acknowledge that progress on the proposed climate smart strategies can also contribute to other goals shared by Metro and the state including environmental protection, community resilience to natural hazards, social equity, and economic development. We applaud your efforts to identify Climate Smart implementation measures that achieve multiple community objectives. It is possible to affirm that our communities, ecosystems and future generations are worth the considerations and necessary investments you are weighing. Course correction is both possible and responsible.

The changes you are considering to the Regional Framework Plan are commendable. OAPA agrees that for this effort to yield desired results, we must:

-Provide resources to track, respond and invest accordingly in strategies to implement the preferred scenario.

-Support implementation of locally adopted plans aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

-Increase support for transit and associated transit oriented developments.

-Invest in transition to cleaner fuels.

-Implement a price on carbon pollution to fuel a cleaner Oregon economy.

-Commit that we can grow cleaner and better.

-Require, rather than encourage, climate responsive actions in Policy 11.3 of the draft Regional Framework Plan amendments.

OAPA members stand ready to help implement the Climate Smart Communities Scenario. We urge you to adopt the Scenario and allow our communities to advance to the work of implementing strategies to reach our desired future conditions.

Please contact us about taking our next steps, together.

Sincerely,

Jason Franklin, AICP, President

American Planning Association, Oregon Chapter