Burlingame has joined a regional sustainability planning effort aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by cutting back commute times and creating infill housing close to jobs and services.

The Burlingame City Council on Jan. 18 voted to become a member of a San Mateo County committee that will administer the housing projection component of the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS).

State Senate Bill 375 mandates that all metropolitan areas in California create a 25-year land use strategy that integrates housing, transportation and environmental planning.

“Before we used to do planning for building separate from planning for transportation,” said Mayor Terry Nagel. “Now with this Sustainable Communities Strategy we are finally considering both at the same time.”

The plan is meant to help reach greenhouse gas reduction targets under the state’s global warming bill, AB 32.

Both the county’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation and Regional Transportation Plan must be consistent with the sustainability plan. These plans will be incorporated into the broader Bay Area strategy, which is lead by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).

“This is a way to stretch scarce dollars farther by concentrating more development within already urbanized areas that have the infrastructure needed to support it,” said John Goodwin, spokesman for MTC.

The sustainability campaign is dubbed One Bay Area.

Even though Burlingame has signed up for the regional effort, the city will still have control over local land use decisions, said Community Development Director Bill Meeker, at the Jan. 18 council meeting.

But some council members expressed concern that the SCS is redundant and is an unfunded state mandate.

“Without funding, it’s just more talk,” said Councilman Michael Brownrigg. “I would like to see the state pay for this, pay for staff time.”

Nagel said the city doesn’t have the option to opt out of SCS since state law requires it.

Plus, the city will be eligible for grant money targeting its Priority Development Area (PDA).

“It will make it less possible to build sprawl near major transportation connections,” she said.

Burlingame’s proposed PDA encompasses all of downtown and stretches between California Avenue and about a half mile from El Camino Real, Meeker said.

Council members said they may want to adjust the PDA boundaries, exclude some built out neighborhoods and include an area near the Caltrain corridor.

“We will be tweaking that map, but basically it gives us a huge opportunity and a lot of leeway to consider building smarter,” Nagel said.

Transit and government officials are expected to release a preliminary vision for the SCS in March. The City Council and will then be able to comment on the draft document.