Sustainability Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Sustainability Commission Monday, August 17, 2015 7:00 PM West Conference Room, City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Srivastava called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. in the West Conference Room. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Vice Chair Srivastava led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 6 - Chair Bruce Paton Vice Chair Amit Srivastava Commissioner Gerald Glaser Commissioner Brian Glazebrook Commissioner Petya Kisyova Commissioner Dan Hafeman Absent: 1 - Commissioner Barbara Fukumoto Chair Paton arrived at 7:07 p.m. Commissioners Fukumoto’s absence is excused. Council Liaison – Tara Martin Milius (absent) PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS None. CONSENT CALENDAR 1 15-0798 Draft Minutes of the Sustainability Commission Meeting of July 20, 2015 Commissioner Glaser moved, and Vice Chair Srivastava seconded, a motion to approve the June 15, 2015 meeting minutes. The motion carried by the following vote: City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 17, 2015 Yes: 3 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Srivastava Commissioner Glaser No: 0 Absent: 1 - Commissioner Fukumoto Abstain: 3 - Commissioner Glazebrook Commissioner Kisyova Commissioner Hafeman Commissioners Glazebrook, Hafeman, and Kisyova abstained as they were not present for the meeting. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 2 15-0727 Election of Officers Commissioner Glaser nominated Chair Paton to serve as Chair of the Commission for the next year. Commissioner Paton accepted the nomination. Commissioner Glaser nominated Vice Chair Srivastava to serve as Vice Chair for the next year. Vice Chair Srivastava accepted the nomination. Commissioner Glaser moved, and Vice Chair Srivastava seconded a motion to elect the Chair and Vice Chair. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Srivastava Commissioner Glaser Commissioner Glazebrook Commissioner Kisyova Commissioner Hafeman No: 0 Absent: 1 - Commissioner Fukumoto 3 15-0799 Study Issue Process and Proposal of Study Issues City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 17, 2015 The Commission discussed the annual Study Issues process and potential study issues that the Commission should consider sponsoring. The Commission identified through a brainstorm process the following potential topics in each issue area: LAND USE • Incorporate housing and traffic impacts more realistically into the EIR for large office developments BUILT ENVIRONMENT • Creation of Green Building Ordinance (more expansive) • Study the benefits to City of Green Building Ordinance (more expansive) • Walkable City standards • Increase affordable housing (Residential) • Adopt Zero Net Energy requirements before State imposed deadline (Commercial/Industrial) • Build a green building ordinance similar to Palo Alto’s (Commercial/Industrial) TRANSPORTATION • Increase Transportation Demand Management requirement for all commercial/industrial projects. • Feasibility of high frequency shuttle • High TDM requirements in exchange for FAR increases • Sunnyvale sponsors shuttle from Moffett and Peery Park to downtown • Ways to increase use of public transportation and reduce the number of cars on the road • Explore in partnership with North Sunnyvale companies (Moffett Park) and VTA on how to build a high frequency bus plan that travels from North Sunnyvale to Downtown and El Camino ENERGY SOURCES • Solar power requirement for new construction (residential and commercial) WATER/STORMWATER • Evaluate new options for surface water runoff and permitting • Promote green roofs and other runoff reduction methods • Code changes for artificial grass stormwater runoff • Decrease water consumption EMERGENCY PREPARATION City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 17, 2015 • Assess risk of catastrophic damage from extreme rainfall events FOOD WASTE • Feasibility of food waste ban for commercial and residential • Ban on food waste in solid waste stream • Study partnering with San Jose to incorporate anaerobic decomposition of food scraps and harvest methane for energy NATURAL HABITATS • Build a plan to increase the density of the Urban Canopy in Sunnyvale to 20% DECISION PROCESSES • Internal carbon tax on city operations to fund future projects • Full cost evaluation for key city decisions above $100K • Incorporate environmental and social cost impact into CBA process for projects • Green procurement guidelines for City • Appoint a sustainability advocate for each major city department • Reduce • Quantify • Prepare EDUCATION • Study the possibilities to educate staff and the City Council regarding sustainable ways to manage and run the City. Commissioners agreed to draft potential study issue scopes (i.e., What are the key elements of the study? What precipitated the study?) and send the draft write-ups to Commission Liaison Marshall for inclusion in the meeting packet for consideration at the next meeting as indicated below: • Commissioner Kisyova: Develop a Green Building Ordinance • Commissioner Hafeman: Food Waste Ban • Commissioner Glazebrook: City Carbon Accounting • Chair Paton and Vice-Chair Srivastava: High Frequency Transportation (CalTrain/El Camino/Moffett Park); and Increase TDM requirements (and/or strengthen enforcement) for commercial/office development NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Vice Chair Srivastava spoke about the upcoming August 18th City Council Study session that would include discussion on the VTA’s 2016 proposed ½ cent sales tax measure and identification of possible projects. Through TransForm, City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 17, 2015 Commissioner Srivastava has learned about some key issues that should be considered: VTA does not currently provide low income passes to ride public transit; there are currently no public transit options to local community colleges (DeAnza, Foothill); and the need for high frequency shuttles to Moffett Park area. Commissioner Hafeman attended the last Master Composter meeting and learned about Monterey Hospital’s effort to get food out of their waste stream and about a non-profit called Organics to Energy (http://organicstoenergy.org/) which now operates a dry fermentation anaerobic digester. Commissioner Hafeman also shared that Californians Against Waste is sponsoring legislation to ban food waste from landfills. Commissioner Kisvoya shared information about Toyota’s new electric/hydrogen hybrid vehicle and plans for constructing hydrogen fueling stations in the Bay Area. -Staff Comments Elaine Marshall, Environmental Programs Manager, announced that a joint Boards and Commissions Workshop on the Civic Center Modernization Project has been scheduled for August 26th at the Community Center and that all Commissioners are invited to attend. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:13 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 5