The City Council unanimously chose to approve Plan Orinda despite an undisputed significant impact – Plan Orinda’s impairment of the City's emergency response and evacuation capacity. The Council’s Statement of Overriding Considerations explained that the choice was made because the several consequences facing Orinda of not meeting the City’s assigned Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirement “could ultimately threaten the quality of life in Orinda.”
However, choosing to proceed with the current plan without mitigating the impact on evacuation capacity will threaten the actual lives of Orindans – an unacceptable risk. We must find a way to reduce or avoid Plan Orinda’s impairment of the City’s emergency response and evacuation capacity.
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