Environmental Sustainability Council

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY COUNCIL (ESC) Thursday, June 6th, 2019, George Mason HS Library, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. MINUTES Call to Order: ESC Members: Andy Crawford (Chair), Andy Young (Vice Chair), Andrew Sakallaris. Liaisons: Kate Walker (City Staff), Dan Sze (City Council), Tim Stevens (Planning Commission). Guest speaker:, Shelley Mastran (City Staff – Planning). ESC ETS: Erika Meyers, Thomas Cash Public comments: Erika Meyers: We now have eight electric vehicle chargers at City Hall, which can be used to promote electric vehicle (EV) ownership in the City. Quietness and low emissions are key benefits of EVs. The City has an EV adoption rate comparable to other jurisdictions in the region but needs more charger locations and more EVs to meet our environmental goals. April and May 2019 ESC Meeting Minutes: Approval deferred until July meeting. DISCUSSIONS Item 1. Transfer of Development Rights Program Proposal (Shelley Mastran, CPEDS) Overall, ESC is supportive of the environmental protection opportunities offered by TDR but concerned about the loss of leverage in “Voluntary Concessions” in larger-scale mixed use development (option 3). Discussion items included:  Program needs seed funding – how much would be needed? Where would it come from?  Who would own the bank?  The use of transferred rights by developers would be simpler if floor-area-ratio were used in development planning (c.f. Arlington).  Options 1 and 2 seem reasonable, but option 3 might interfere with the benefits the City obtains through the special exceptions process.  Special requirements for environmentally sound construction should be placed on purchasers of development rights.  Concerned that the phrase “otherwise not permitted by City Code” opens the door to uncontrolled development. ACTION ITEM: Andy Crawford will draft ESC comments for review at July meeting. Item 2. Demographics & Housing Chapters of the Comprehensive Plan (Shelley Mastran, CPEDS) Discussion of the Demographics chapter draft included the following comments:  Data are circular – demographic trends drive demand for housing but are also the result of the inventory we have been building.  Lack of high-paid jobs in the City is partly due to the lack of Class A office space. We need to create better jobs here in the City.  The purpose of the stated strategies in this chapter is unclear – perhaps strategies are inappropriate in a chapter that is essentially data presentation. 1 of 3 Discussion of the Housing chapter draft included the following comments:  Not sure we can afford to become a diverse community. If trends continue, the City will become relatively less affluent.  What is mean by “neighborhood stability”?  There seems to be a disconnect between the stated vision and strategies.  This chapter should incorporate language about sustainability – housing stock is a key driver of greenhouse gas emissions.  Affordable housing should also be built to sustainable standards, to increase home comfort and reduce cost of ownership/occupancy.  Denser housing is generally more environmentally friendly. ACTION ITEM: Andy Crawford will draft ESC comments and solicit input from ESC members individually by email before submitting to City Council. Item 3. Natural Resources Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan (Kate Walker, Environmental Sustainability) Rewrite of Chapter 5 has been delayed, aiming for a redraft to a City Council work session in August and City Council approval in Fall 2019. Kate will take the lead on the rewrite, with Planning providing editorial services. Discussion of Chapter 5 included the following comments:  Andy Young has provided a good summary of ESC’s concerns. - Organization of the report is difficult to follow; we have concerns that the vision, goals, and strategies as outlined will generate a lot of confusion on the part of both City Council and the Falls Church Community; - The report does a great job of highlighting existing policies and programs, so much so that the inventory of them seems to overshadow the need for additional action; and - The Planned Policy Actions and Planned Programs and Projects seem to fall short of the content previously proposed by the ESC, particularly in the area of Solid Waste.  Need to avoid getting complicated; the chapter must be easy to navigate and digest.  A good executive summary is key. Tim Stevens volunteered to help crosswalk the City’s goals with the 100% adoption goals in MWCOG’s Region Forward plan. Additional agenda item: West Falls Church Economic Development Plan There will be a public meeting of the developers with Boards and Commissions Wednesday June 12th. All are encouraged to attend to show strong community support for environmental issues. Discussion points included:  Tree count/canopy has been increased on revised conceptual plan.  EYA, the West Falls Church development company, are capable of incorporating great sustainability features, e.g. The Wharf, DC, that could set this development apart from the rest. 2 of 3   Need to ensure PACE financing is considered as a way to enable additional sustainability features to be included.  Concerns around stormwater, solid waste, green infrastructure have yet to be addressed. Ongoing business and information items ETS Update (Tim Stevens)  Still working with EVGO to get fast chargers on public land if possible.  MWCOG are starting the next cycle of their GHG emissions inventory. They plan to include new methods to account for the contributions of trees.  Tim & Kate attended Arlington’s Community Energy Plan update meeting.  The next legislative session will likely include another attempt at something like the Solar Freedom Bill. MWCOG Update (Dan Sze) As Chair of the MWCOG Climate Energy & Environment Policy Committee, Dan will pursue legislative action on solar power and a ban on single-use plastics. Staff Request (Kate Walker) All ESC members are asked to sign up to the City’s Notify Me (http://www.fallschurchva.gov/list.aspx) service to ensure updates about meeting dates and locations are received promptly. Next Meeting July 18th, 7:30 p.m., location TBD. Abbreviations / Terminology: ESC: Environmental Sustainability Council ETS: ESC Energy Transition Subcommittee MWCOG: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments PACE: Property Assessed Clean Energy TDR: Transfer of Development Rights 3 of 3