Growth Management
Measure C (1988), and Measure J (2004) contain two key components: first, a half-cent sales tax program that generates in aggregate $3 billion in new revenues for transportation improvement projects and programs; and second, a Growth Management Program (GMP) that is designed to help Contra Costa County plan for and accommodate the continued increases in population, households, and jobs that are expected to occur through the year 2035.
The overall goal of the Growth Management Program (GMP) is to “achieve a cooperative process for Growth Management on a countywide basis, while maintaining local authority over land use decisions and the establishment of performance standards.”
Overview
One of the key principles underlying growth management is to ensure that “future residential, business, and commercial growth would pay for the facilities required to meet the demands resulting from that growth,” while sales tax revenues would be used to alleviate existing congestion.
The GMP has made real improvements in managing growth in Contra Costa County.
Most importantly, the GMP:
- Gives local jurisdictions several new forums in which they cooperate to address transportation land use issues, and develop joint objectives and plans to achieve them.
- Creates a regional mitigation program that, through the imposition of new transportation fees, has generated almost $250 million to fund improvements needed to meet the demands resulting from growth.
- Subject local land use decisions and actions on jobs and housing to increased scrutiny by the public and adjoining jurisdictions. The Growth Management Implementation Guide sets forth the procedures for review of General Plan amendments and development projection accordance with the Cooperative Planning requirements of Measure J.
- Provides a consistent set of tools and performance standards for streets and public services under which projects and changes to general plans are thoroughly evaluated.
Growth Management Compliance Checklist
To receive its share of funds from the Measure J 18 percent Local Street Maintenance and Improvement (LSM) program and to be eligible for funds from the Transportation for Livable Communities (CC-TLC) program, Measure J requires each jurisdiction in Contra Costa to comply with all of the components of its Growth Management Program (GMP). The Authority assesses compliance with the GMP through the review and approval of a jurisdiction’s GMP Compliance Checklist. Each jurisdiction must complete the checklist (below), prepare the detailed information requested in the attachments section, approve the completed Checklist and attachments, and transmit a fully-executed and signed original to the Authority.
