City Council

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Information: 360.753.8447 Meeting Minutes City Council Tuesday, March 11, 2014 7:00 PM Council Chambers Special Study Session 1. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Jones, Councilmember Jim Cooper, Councilmember Julie Hankins, Councilmember Steve Langer, Councilmember Jeannine Roe and Councilmember Cheryl Selby 2. BUSINESS ITEM 2.A 14-0234 Discussion and Potential Guidance on the Comprehensive Plan Update including Background Information, Process and Next Steps, and Three Specific Topics: Sea Level Rise, Carbon Footprint and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Minimizing Outdoor Nighttime Lighting (Dark Skies) Mayor Buxbaum outlined the meeting agenda and acknowledged Planning Commissioners Judy Bardin and Jerome Parker, and City staff, whose presence will help facilitate the Council's understanding of goals and potential policies regarding the issues of sea level rise, carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizing outdoor nighttime lighting. Community Planning & Development (CP&D) Deputy Director Leonard Bauer introduced the new Associate Planner Michelle Sadlier. He explained how the Comprehensive Plan (CP) can be accessed on the City website, demonstrated how to locate key information areas, and pointed out new features which can assist in understanding the history and progress of the plan process. CP&D Associate Planner Stacey Ray spoke about the dark skies issue and described how safety concerns are addressed in policy PN10.1: design nighttime lighting that is safe and efficient by directing it only to the areas where it is needed . Allow and encourage reduction or elimination of nighttime light sources where safety is not impacted. She answered questions about the recent ordinance adopted by the Tumwater City Council to curb light pollution. Public Works Engineering and Planning Supervisor Randy Wesselman explained how the current (in the last six years) fixtures used by the City are dark sky friendly. He demonstrated how the lighting fixtures work and explained features which direct the City of Olympia Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes March 11, 2014 light outward and downward, with very little upward shine. He answered questions about public concern regarding the new LED street lights and discussed areas downtown where lighting may be inadequate and could be improved. Ms. Ray explained how the lighting fixtures used by commercial buildings are regulated. CP&D Director Keith Stahley answered questions about the international building code and Washington State energy code requirements. He explained how state standards are effective in addressing this issue; however, additional research would be needed in order to adopt local codes to focus on the issue. Public Works Director Rich Hoey answered questions about specific targets for carbon reduction and how those might be implemented. He discussed targets specified in the Sustainable Thurston Plan. Planning Commission Vice Chair Judy Bardin discussed some of the specifics of the 1994 CP and stressed the importance of open spaces for carbon sequestration , water management, and an urban agriculture emphasis. It was recommended that the goals of the Sustainable Thurston Plan be integrated into the public hearing draft with prescriptive language regarding solar-ready buildings and an elevation of the profile of climate change. Planning Commission Chair Jerome Parker spoke about the CP goals for transportation and land use, natural environment chapters, and carbon neutrality. It was recommended that the word "expanding" be inserted for the word "providing" in PN9.5: Reduce the pollution and energy consumption of transportation by providing accessible and inviting alternatives. City Manager Steve Hall explained the purpose of the Study Session is for engendering a general discussion rather than specific policies. Comment was made about the positive efforts of Thurston Energy and addressing the retrofit of existing buildings. Ms. Bardin spoke about the effects of light pollution and the evolution of the human being without light interference. Public Works Engineering and Planning Supervisor Andy Haub shared approaches used by Public Works in which work plans have focused on traditional , fragmented approaches and have not sought to institutionalize the issue of sea level rise. This is a new approach because of the imperative of climate change and changing the shoreline, for example, is an engineering challenge that does not have a previous example. He underscored the need for new policy direction where the emphasis would be on a non-adversarial relationship with nature and would combine proactive City of Olympia Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes March 11, 2014 adaptation with event management. Comment was made about defining what specifically is being protected and partnering with affected stakeholders. Mr. Stahley emphasized a capital facilities and regulation approach for a path to implementation. The topics were discussed and the session closed. 3. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3