Environmental Sustainability Council

Environmental Sustainability Council (ESC) Thursday July 18, 2019 City Hall Dogwood Room 7:30-9:30 pm MINUTES Call to Order: ESC Members: Andy Crawford (Chair), Andy Young (Vice Chair) Andrew Sakallaris, Jennifer Tabola Student representatives: Niharika Singhvi, Alec Autor Liaisons: Kate Walker (City Staff); Tim Stevens (Planning Commission and ETS) Guest Speaker: Alan Dalton, Senior Engineer DPW Members of the Public: Tina Ho, Chris Thompson Public Comments: None Approval of Minutes April, May and June 2019 meeting minutes  Minutes were approved for the May 16, 2019 and June 6, 2019 meeting  Minutes for the April 25, 2019 were deferred until the September 2019 meeting Agenda Item 1. Stormwater Management Priorities and Needs presentation by Alan Dalton, Senior Engineer DPW Alan Dalton spoke about the recent July 8, 2019 rainstorm and its impact and effect on the City of Falls Church. He shared a map of the areas and homes in the city where flooding and damage had been reported or assessed (see attachment 1).  For private properties, planter boxes, rain barrels, and on-site infiltration trenches can be used to retain water from sump pumps and down spouts.  The City may need to consider increasing capacity of some undersized stormwater intakes, and will continue relining/repairing existing pipes to reduce infiltration, although it will not necessarily increase capacity.  Further discussions were held about the need for a city wide Master Plan for storm water management, obtaining information on how other jurisdictions manage storm water runoff, and the need for greater City Code enforcement and possible financial incentives for storm water infiltration.  Possible actions to encourage public support for storm water system maintenance and runoff management were discussed. The ESC offered to provide help and support as needed. Agenda Item 2. Subcommittee and staff reports: HRT, ETG, ETS, Staff Liaison  Habitat Restoration Team (HRT): The HRT is always looking for volunteers for their projects, which generally take place in Spring and Fall. A strategy meeting will be held later in the summer. An ESC liaison is needed for the HRT.  Education Task Group (ETG): The transfer of Operation EarthWatch financial management to the Village Preservation and Improvement Society has gone smoothly. New sponsors this year mean the organization has more funds, and will meet before the academic year begins to plan how best to use them.   Energy Transition Subcommittee (ETS): ETS Chair Tim Stevens reported that there will be an introduction to electric vehicles and a demonstration of the charging stations at the City Hall Farmers Market from 8:00 to 12 noon on August 3 and August 10, 2019. Tim and Kate are looking for volunteers to help in the demonstration. Currently the eight charging stations located at City Hall are available at no charge. No charging stations are shown in current plans for the new High School.  Staff Liaison Report: Glass collected in single stream recycling in the City is not currently recycled. It contaminates other recyclable materials and potentially damages sorting machinery at the materials recycling facility. We need to consider separate pick-ups and/or a drop off model, or take glass out of the recycling stream. There will be further discussion by the ESC as market opportunities develop. Agenda Item 3. Transfer of Development Right (TDR) proposal comment Discussion continued on the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) concept which was previously presented by city staff at the June 6, 2019 ESC meeting. The ESC Chair and Vice Chair presented draft ESC comments on the TDR concept:  ESC supports the concept in principle  ESC supports City efforts to increase green space and restore flood plains and other environmentally sensitive areas  ESC believes that TDR represents an innovative tool that the city should explore pursuing  ESC recommends that City staff develop the concept more fully  ESC has some key questions o How much money will the City allocate for the funds initial operation? o Should developers need to follow certain green development principles when building in receiving (higher density) areas? o What are the prospects for receiving federal and other grants to support this initiative? The ESC will revisit TDR at a future meeting when the concept is more fully developed by City staff.  ACTION ITEM: ESC Chair will draft a letter to the Planning Department in support of the TDR concept. Agenda Item 4. Roundtable Introductions  The Vice Chair led a round of individual introductions. Next Meeting: 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. September 19, 2019, Dogwood Rooms, City Hall Attachment 1