	Volume 14 - No. 2- Spring 2004

The Endangered Habitats League is dedicated to the protection of the diverse ecosystems of Southern California and to sensitive and sustainable land use for the benefit of all the region’s inhabitants. The EHL Newsletter is published quarterly to chronicle our plans, activities, and successes.

To learn more about the Endangered Habitats League and to access prior issues of the EHL Newsletter, please visit our website:

www.ehleague.org

If you are not already a member of the Endangered Habitats League, please join us in the ongoing effort to protect the irreplaceable plants, animals, and places of Southern California.

Free Membership Sign Up

SANDAG’s Regional Comprehensive Plan released for public review

The San Diego Asociation of Governments (SANDAG), in its draft REgional Comprehensive Plan, makes a strong attempt to better link transportation with land use decisions. As a "council" of city governments plus the county, SANDAG has no direct authority over land use yet allocates regional transportation funds to proposed projets.

As a stakeholder in the planning process, EHL has advocated making these connections, particularly so that transit stations are supported by nearby housing, and pedestrian-friendly communities are created. The draft Regional Comprehensive Plan proposes “opportunity areas” wherein higher density “smart growth” could occur in coordination with transportation facilities. Incentives would be offered to encourage local governments to implement the opportunity areas. In addition, performance indicators are proposed to evaluate progress toward more sustainable patterns of development.

EHL will continue to participate in this promising program, which complements our efforts to preserve outlying rural areas and natural open space.