Environmental Sustainability Council

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL (ESC) Thursday, October 18, 2018, MEH Library, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. DRAFT MINUTES 1. Call to Order: Members: Cory Firestone Weiss (Chair), Jon Ward, Chris McCloud, Andy Young, Andy Crawford, Thomas Cash, Joy Page, Katie Deal (student rep), Tim Stevens (ETS Chair). City Staff: Alex McMillen (Health & Human Services (HHS)), Kate Walker (Environmental Programs Coordinator). City Council Member/Liaison: Dan Sze. Public: Nicholas Costa, Kathy Philpott Costa, Abbey Cantolina, Christopher Thompson 2. Public comments: Eagle Scout candidate Nicholas Costa presented his plans to install along Harrison Branch in Crossman Park four new educational signs on the topics of stormwater management, the benefits of streams, need for buffer land around streams, and stream restoration. 3. September 2018 ESC Meeting Minutes: Approved unanimously 4. Affordable Living Policy: Alex McMillen from the City’s HHS department presented a proposed “Affordable Living Policy,” to update the “Affordable Housing Policy.” The new Policy would encourage developers to make their Affordable Dwelling Units (ADUs) permanent, vs. the current 20-yr allocation. The Policy proposes that, when in the best interest of the City, developers could pay a fee in lieu of building ADUs. Some attendees expressed concern that this could reduce the inventory of ADUs. The ESC suggested HHS could help lower ADUs utility bills and improve indoor air quality, through use of funds and/or tapping into Arlington’s Energy Masters program. The ESC noted the benefits of having ADUs available close to workplaces and to public transport options, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and commuting costs. The ESC made a plan to draft and approve by 11/8 a comment letter to City Staff. 5. Legislative Agenda: The ESC provides comments on a legislative agenda to City Manager by early November, for forwarding on to the Virginia legislature. Dan Sze briefed the environmental items in the agenda produced by the Virginia Municipal League (VML):  Give localities the option to regulate single-use plastics (e.g., shopping bags)  Many items from the Solar Freedom bill that the ESC has previously endorsed, including lifting the 1% cap on solar net metering and allowing up to 5 MW solar on government property to be used to offset usage by other local school and government properties.  Stormwater funding support to localities to meet TMDL mandates and other stormwater management requirements. MOTION APPROVED: The ESC will support the VML planks and the Solar Freedom proposal, pending no objections from the ESC after reading the VML document. ACTION ITEM: Andy Crawford will draft an ESC letter to the City Manager by 10/26 for ESC approval by 11/3, so stating this support. 6. Miscellaneous:  The Mary Riley Styles upgrade will strive to achieve LEED Silver certification.(?)   There will be a Nov 19 Planning Commission meeting that will review the George Mason High School site plan and consequently may be of interest to ESC members 7. Subcommittee Reports:  Energy Transition: Tim Stevens reported that the Energy Transition Subcommittee had a good meeting on October 4 on electric vehicles, with the Director of Research for the Smart Electric Power Alliance, Erika Myers, as the guest presenter.  Habitat Restoration Group: Has three events planned for Fall 2018. 8. Next Meeting  Thursday, November 15, 2018. MEH Library, 7:30 p.m. Abbreviations / Terminology:  MW: Megawatts  TMDL: Total Maximum Daily Load (pollutants entering a waterbody)