Sustainability Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Sustainability Commission Monday, August 19, 2019 7:00 PM West Conference Room, City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CALL TO ORDER Chair Paton called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the West Conference Room. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Paton led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Chair Bruce Paton Vice Chair Kristel Wickham Commissioner Stephen Joesten Commissioner Douglas Kunz Commissioner Shana Padgett Commissioner Murali Srinivasan Commissioner Steven Zornetzer Council Liaison – Nancy Smith – (Absent) PRESENTATION 1 19-0658 PRESENTATION - Commissioner Presentation: Building Information Management Systems Commission Zornetzer presented an overview of the Building Information Modeling Systems (BIMS), a digital platform for virtual design and construction throughout the life cycle of a building. A BIMS promotes maximum building performance and leads to a high degree of resource efficiency. The Commission asked questions and provided suggestions as to how the City might implement these techniques. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT CALENDAR City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 19, 2019 2 19-0861 Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of July 15, 2019, 5:30 p.m. Commissioner Kunz pulled the draft minutes of the July 15, 2019, 5:30 p.m. meeting from the consent calendar to request that they be corrected to reflect that Commissioners Kunz and Srinivasan had abstained because they were not present at the June meeting. Staff noted the edits recommended by Commissioner Kunz. Commissioner Kunz moved, and Commissioner Joesten seconded, a motion to approve the consent calendar, as amended. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 6 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Joesten Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Srinivasan Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Padgett Commissioner Padgett abstained as she was not present at the July 15, 2019, 5:30 p.m. meeting. 3 19-0879 Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of July 15, 2019, 7 p.m. Chair Paton pulled the draft minutes of the July 15, 2019, 7 p.m. meeting to request that they be corrected to reflect the Climate Action Plan (CAP 2.0) Advisory Committee’s (CAC) and Commission's recommendation that the targets for Play 1.3 for electricity storage be accelerated, without explicitly referencing their connection to local solar. Staff noted the edits recommended by Chair Paton. Commissioner Kunz moved, and Commissioner Joesten seconded, a motion to approve the consent calendar, as amended. The motion carried by the following vote: City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 19, 2019 Yes: 6 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Joesten Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Srinivasan Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 Abstain: 1 - Commissioner Padgett Commissioner Padgett abstained as she was not present at the July 15, 2019, 7 p.m. meeting. PUBLIC HEARINGS/GENERAL BUSINESS 4 19-0832 Forward a recommendation to City Council to Approve the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan, Approve Budget Modification No. 7, and Find that the Action is Exempt from CEQA Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15308 Melody Tovar, Regulatory Programs Division Manager, and Liesbeth Magna, Senior Scientist at consultant firm EOA, presented information on the City’s Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Plan. A framework for this Plan was presented to the Sustainability Commission and approved by City Council in 2017. An approved GSI Plan is required to be submitted to the Regional Water Quality Control Board by September 30, 2019, per the requirements of the City’s Municipal Regional Permit (MRP). Ms. Tovar and Ms. Magna presented Sunnyvale’s GSI Plan, which includes a methodology for identifying and prioritizing areas for implementing GSI; an evaluation of funding opportunities; assessment of GSI potential in capital projects; and an implementation approach. Staff noted that preliminary modeling showed that Sunnyvale would likely meet its share of current pollutant reduction targets specified by the MRP through ongoing redevelopment. The primary approaches the City will focus on include: screening Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs) for GSI potential; integrating GSI with transportation projects; and requiring new development to treat adjacent roadways and surfaces (e.g., Moffett Park). The GSI Plan is accompanied by a Budget Modification No. 7 to add $100,000 for assessing GSI potential on planned capital projects. City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 19, 2019 The Commission asked clarification questions and staff and consultants provided responses on topics including: purpose of funds requested in Budget Modification No. 7; sources of mercury and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in urban environments; mechanism of operation of GSI features and effectiveness at removing pollutants; type of vegetation used in GSI features; and anticipated requirements for stormwater quality in the next MRP. Chair Paton opened the public hearing. No public comments. Chair Paton closed Public hearing. Commission Zornetzer moved and Joesten seconded, a motion to recommend Alternative 1: Approve the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan, Approve Budget Modification No. 7 in the amount of $100,000, and Find that the Action is Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15308. The motion carried by the following vote: Yes: 7 - Chair Paton Vice Chair Wickham Commissioner Joesten Commissioner Kunz Commissioner Padgett Commissioner Srinivasan Commissioner Zornetzer No: 0 STANDING ITEM: CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP 2.0) UPDATE Nupur Hiremath, Environmental Programs Manager, shared that the Climate Action Playbook (CAP) was adopted by unanimous Council vote. Staff and Commissioners expressed excitement over the passage of the Climate Action Playbook (CAP) and the launch of its implementation. Melody Tovar, Regulatory Programs Division Manager, shared that staff will be preparing the City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories for years 2017 and 2018 in fall 2019 and a scorecard for CAP implementation in fall 2020. The Commission expressed its interest and appreciation for the information as well as a desire for periodic updates to current CAP programs overtime. Vice Chair noted City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 19, 2019 it would be valuable to report on project management of the Moves and their progress, as many Moves were foundational in nature. STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES Nupur Hiremath, Environmental Programs Manager, reviewed the new Study Issue (SI) process and key dates for the 2020 Study Issues cycle. Chair Paton recommended that Commissioners submit any SI forms by the September 11, 2019 deadline to allow for the 30-day period for staff feedback before the October meeting. Commissioner Srinivasan noted some ideas he intended to submit SI forms for; these included reducing Single Use Plastics (SUPs) and establishing a recycling program in City parks. Staff clarified the former was already captured in Study Issue ESD 19-01 in the 2019 Study Issues cycle, and that this study was currently underway. Staff also clarified that the latter idea had been proposed in 2018 by the Commission but had been dropped from consideration as a potential Study Issue due to staff clarifications provided regarding the logistical challenges of implementing a successful recycling program in City parks. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Chair Paton shared that he attended the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission’s (BPAC) study session on the City’s Active Transportation Plan on August 15, 2019 at which community members expressed concerns regarding the lack of connectivity in bike routes and that safety issues were inadequately addressed by city policies. He also shared information on a book entitled “Life After Carbon: The Next Global Transformation of Cities” by Pete Plastrik and John Cleveland. Commissioner Kunz shared that he attended the City Council meeting on August 13, 2019 and was excited about the adoption of the Climate Action Playbook. He also noted that the City had begun to install 15 miles per hour speed limit signs near schools. Commissioner Joesten shared that Barry Cinnamon had radio podcasts on electrification and could be invited to present at a future Commission meeting. He also shared that in most parts of Europe, sidewalks were carved out to have a bicycle lane clearly marked as a part of the sidewalk and considered whether that could be adopted for U.S. cities. City of Sunnyvale Page 5 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes - Final August 19, 2019 -Staff Comments Nupur Hiremath, Environmental Programs Manager, announced that Elizabeth Greenfield had joined the sustainability team as an Environmental Programs Specialist. Ms. Hiremath also noted a number of upcoming City events, including the State of the City on September 14, 2019, and Coastal Cleanup Day on September 21, 2019. Staff would distribute information on these via email. Melody Tovar, Regulatory Programs Division Manager, encouraged the Commission to have the CAP At-a-Glance (Attachment 5 from the Report to Council) handy as a valuable document for reference for the future. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS 5 19-0807 Updated Annual Work Plan August 2019 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 6