Chair Riley asks about DCP's role in capital planning and infrastructure investment

Can you expand on what DCP role is in the capital planning process, given that the department does not have their own capital budget?

I know you spoke about different partners with DOT, Parks Department, but it kind of felt like you was kind of pushing the capital projects on those other agencies.

Is there any planning with DCP with those agencies as you're developing this plan?

Sure.

So when we complete neighborhood plans, for instance, and there are a suite of capital commitments and other infrastructure commitments, those agencies who are the experts who are in charge of implementation lead and fund that work.

DCP has a role, though, in coordinating and making sure that those projects are moving forward, particularly if they're connected to a neighborhood plan and publicly reporting that and making sure that that's happening.

Big picture, DCP has a role in our city's overall 10-year capital planning process, and I know we're going into an upcoming.

And as we do that, we are factoring in all the things that are new, right?

We have a fair housing growth strategy.

We have neighborhood plans underway.

We have new tools in priority neighborhoods through the fast track.

And so we're bringing all of that into our upcoming planning process so that we can really ensure that our agencies who are planning for climate and resiliency and infrastructure needs are also attuned to where we see the potential for growth.

The other note that I would add is...

What makes the 10-year plan relevant to DCP?

So it's relevant, and DCP has duties outlined in the charter with respect to the 10-year plan because we are the agency that's planning for the future, right?

We should be able to...

So shouldn't your role in capital investments be a little bit more than letting that go to the sister agencies, being that you guys are in charge and playing the future?

Sure.

I mean, I think that our role is really being able to plan for the future, plan for growth in the future, but not necessarily.

I don't see DCP as an implementation agency and implementing complex capital projects necessarily.

We do also have a role now, based on the last ballot measures, of also assessing some of the city's capital assets and city facilities and making that information publicly available.

So we've been taking that on.

But, you know, our role as a planning agency is to really make sure that whether it's through zoning, through our demographic work, really that we understand and help plan the future of the city and that we're ensuring the many agencies that play a role, whether it's.

developing school seats, whether it's dealing with our sewers and our infrastructure, parks planning, et cetera, that those agencies are armed with that information and that approach so that we're planning in concert.

The last thing I would also add is that we obviously also have a role in working with community boards and their district need statements.

And, you know, we want to make sure that as we go into our upcoming planning process that the priorities that are coming from our community boards are also factored into how we're considering city investment.

I just want to emphasize, I hear you, Chair, and I thank you for that answer.

I just feel like, you know, being that we're planning specific neighborhoods and we're developing, I just think the role of DCP when it comes to infrastructure investment, I think within a lot of the members here today, you didn't hear that there was a hesitance of them actually wanting

development in their district.

It was just the planning aspect of the infrastructure, the investment in certain communities.

And I don't want to beat that drum, but that's what you're going to hear, because a lot of these communities, it's a tremendous disservice to add people to a community that hasn't had that investment.

So just thinking about, you know, the structure of how DCP has any influence on those capital improvements, I just think you guys need a little bit more influence on that when we're talking about comprehensive planning in communities.

We're in alignment, for sure.

And I will say, as I mentioned earlier, coming into this role, that was certainly one of my first priorities.

We do have a centralized team that coordinates across the capital agencies.

And so we're making sure that we're taking a stronger role in that process.