Agenda - Planning Commission - 10/04/2007

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services. SIDw emplDyment periDds can cause day labDrers already using the wDrker center tD return tD the street CDrner. Even if a general slump is the cause, a dDwnturn can create the perceptiDn in the minds Df SDme day labDrers that they might have better prospects Dn the street. Attracting and retaining the maximum pDssible prDportiDn Df employers to the wDrker center can mitigate this effect tD SDme extent, but SDme leakage Df labor supply will in alllikelihDDd still DCCUr. TherefDre, lDcal gDvernment Dfficials and staff need tD under- stand that there will always be a residual amount Df day labDr activity at the original day labor CDrner and ensure that the public under- stands iias well. Expectations need to be kept in check, especially during the initial stages Df operatiDn when the center is establishing its worker center should include a public infDr- mation cDmponent to dispel the myths dis- cussed earlier. How,ever, pDlitics should not be allowed tD overs,hadDw the basic loca- tiDnal criteria that largely determine whether Dr not the center will effectively serve workers and address the cDmmunity's CDncerns. Primary amDng these criteria is the dis- tance tD the Drigin?l infDrmal day labDr CDr- nero CDrners almDst never take rDDt ran- dDmly. They are strategic IDcatiDns that arise because they meet the needs of both day laborers and theiriprospective employers. Day labDr CDrners are Dften IDcated near 'building stDres wHere cDntractDrs and 'hDme owners alike buy their supplies (HDrne DepDt being the rrost famous example), with cDnvenient access tD majDrthDrough- reputatiDn with wDrkers and emplDyers, SD that unreasDnable demands dD nDt lead tD frustratiDn. SiTiNG DAY L.~BOR CENTERS In the hDpe that we have laid the most CDm- man misinfDrrnation about day labDr and worker centers to rest, we nDW discuss the siting and regulatory criteria that are most relevant when considering a new day labor center. In tDO many communities, the only factor considered when deciding Dn a 10catiDn for a worker center is the level Df opposition that IDcal politicians and staff are likely tD encounter. PDlitical feasibility is an impDrtant consideratiDn, and any effort tD establish a 70 fares and close proxiT11ity to work sites (either bDoming suburban tDwns Dr redevel- oping inner cityneighborhDDds). In SDme cDmmunities, nearby social services used by day laborers can alSD exert an influence Dn the cDmer's fDcation. As time passes and a site becDmes more established, SDme day labDrers will likely mDve intD hDusing within closer walking or cDmmuting distance, reinfDrcing the significance Df fts IDcatiDn. In the grea~er ChicagD area, fDr instance, the three biggest CDmers are IDcated near expressways that offer quick access to the bDoming Duter-ring suburbs west Df the city, but are also near gentrifying ChicagD neighborhoods. MDreDver, they are in areas where day labDrers can affDrd tD live, within walking distance of transit, and close to building supply stores. Similarly, many infDrmal day labor CDrners in SDuthern CalifDrnia are acrDSS the street from (or in the parking lots of) Home Depot stDres, close to freeway access ramps, and near rapidly devel- Dping areas. By situating near the Driginal infDrmal day labDr CDrner, the wDrker center can use these locational pull factors tD help draw both prDspective employers and day labor- ers. However, if locating the center close to the corner is nDt feasible, planners sOhDuld make effDrL5 tD ensure that any substitute IDcatiDn offers advantages cDmparable tD thDse at the original site. Otherwise, the center will face an uphill battle to attract emplDyers andworkers, while the informal day labDr comer and its undesirable effects continue unabated. REGULfi..TiNG THE H:!:?ACTS Of VtfORKER CENTERS Any use will generate impacts on its surround- ing neighborhoDd, and worker centers are no exceptiDn. While the pDtential fiscal and sDcial impacts of wDrker centers are a topic wDrthy Df consideratiDn, this article is focused Dn more immediate CDncerns abDut parking demand, traffic generatiDn, and cDmpatibility with nearby uses. P::rking E.nd Tramc For most uses, planners base parking require- ments and traffic impacts on estimates of the number of custDmers (fDr commercial uses), employees (for commercial and institutiDnal uses), and residents. WDrker centers resemble cDmmercial uses in that both have a relatively large volume Df "custDmers" (i.e. pDtential employers) as well as staff and workers. HDwever, estimating the number Df people in each group is likely tD be difficult fDr several reasons. First, because day labor is heavily oriented tDward cDnstruction, painting, yard work, and other types of Dutdoor labDr, the number of employers and wDrkers using the center fluctuates widely from one season to the next, particularly in nDrthern climates. If planners base parking requirements Dn peak summer demand, the wDrker centers parking IDt will be empty in the winter; conversely, what was ample parking in the winter and fall mDnths may be inadequate during the busy summer mDnths. ZONINGFP~"oCTKE 9.07 AMERIC.~N PLANNING ASSOCIAi10N 1 page 4