Sustainability Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes Sustainability Commission Monday, April 17, 2023 7:00 PM Online and Bay Conference Room (Room 145), City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 CALL TO ORDER Chair Wickham called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Bay Conference Room (Room 145) at City Hall. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Wickham led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 4 - Chair Kristel Wickham Vice Chair Douglas Kunz Commissioner Kristina Pistone Commissioner Tonya Veitch Absent: 3 - Commissioner Kathryn Besser Commissioner Jeffery Nabhan Commissioner Justin Wang Commissioner Besser's and Commissioner Nabhan’s absences were excused by general consent. Commissioner Wang’s absence was unexcused. Council Liaison – Councilmember Sell (present) STUDY SESSION 23-0439 Receive Comments on Draft General Plan Amendments to Chapter 1: Introduction (Environmental Justice); Chapter 6: Safety and Noise, and Chapter 7: Environmental Management (Air Quality) of the Sunnyvale General Plan. Project Planner: Mary Jeyaprakash, (408) 730-7449, City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes April 17, 2023 mjeyaprakash@sunnyvale.ca.gov Mary Jeyaprakash, Senior Planner, provided an overview of the Draft General Plan Amendments, highlighting the environmental and sustainability aspects of the draft plan. Ms. Jeyaprakash; Amber Blizinski, Principal Planner; George Schroeder, Principal Planner; and consultant Dimitri Antoniou with Ascent Environmental, provided answers to the Commissioners’ questions. Vice Chair Kunz asked procedurally what the Commission is being asked to do. Ms. Jeyaprakash clarified that the Commission is being asked to provide feedback on the draft plan. Commissioner Veitch inquired about outreach methods and whether staff collaborated with community-based organizations to enhance the environmental justice aspects of the draft plan. Ms. Jeyaprakash explained staff did engage various community groups as part of the outreach process, one of which was the Columbia Neighborhood which is a low-income community in Sunnyvale. Commissioner Veitch asked how flexible the General Plan is to include recent state and regional policy rulings. Ms. Jeyaprakash responded if the recommendations are within the scope and do not have large resource costs, they can consider including additional policies. Commissioner Veitch recommended staff consider including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s 2023 Amendment Regulation 9, Rule 6 on nitrogen oxide emissions from natural gas fired water heaters into the General Plan. Commissioner Pistone asked how noise pollution from leaf blowers and indoor air quality is measured and addressed in this plan. Staff reminded the Commission that General Plans are high-level, living documents designed to contain information that will live longer without frequent updates. Staff then clarified there are no new regulations on leaf blowers. The General Plan provides guidance and goals at a high level, but that Municipal Codes is where enforcement policies are developed. Staff explained that during development projects the City conducts noise assessments and require noise standards be met prior to occupancy of buildings. Chair Wickham asked if there is a requirement from the State on when General Plans need to be updated by cities. Ms. Blizinski responded there is no set timeline for when General Plans need to be updated, but some legislation will require cities to update certain elements of their General Plans. Vice Chair Kunz asked for more information on how staff plan to build affordable and City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes April 17, 2023 desirable housing close to train lines while also mitigating noise pollution from trains. Ms. Blizinski responded that the City will continue to build housing close to transit to promote the use of public transit and will continue to refer to other agency’s rulings to address noise and air quality concerns. Vice Chair Kunz asked staff about the access to healthy food environmental justice policy. Ms. Jeyaprakash explained that the policy will support the development of healthy food establishments in communities that lack access to healthy food, will support existing specialty markets and facilitate the establishment of new culturally derived markets walkable distances from low-income communities. Chair Wickham asked what the two stationary sources are in Sunnyvale identified under the California Air Resources Board’s emissions inventory for stationary sources. Ms. Jeyaprakash responded they are Northrop and Lockheed Martin. Chair Wickham asked what is included in the toxic air contaminants and if nitrogen oxides are included. Staff said they will provide that as a response later. Commissioner Pistone asked for clarity on General Plan Policy, Chapter 6, SN-8.8, which states to avoid construction of new residential uses when the day-night average sound level is greater than 70 DBA as a result from train noise. Staff explained there are ways to mitigate the noise and that specific policy will not prevent housing from being built. Chair Wickham opened the Public Hearing at 8:01 p.m. Mike Jennett urged the Commission to advocate to change the south flow aircraft paths to San Jose Mineta International Airport in the winter that cause frequent disturbances in specific neighborhoods in Sunnyvale. John Howsler spoke on public health impacts aircraft noise has on communities and asked for policies on aircraft noise disturbance and an aircraft noise contour map be added in the General Plan updates. Richard Kittler commented on south flow aircraft impacts from the Federal Aviation Administration’s NextGen project on the community and asked for General Plan policies to be added to address aircraft noise in Sunnyvale. Evelyn Breakstone urged the Commission to regulate leaf blowers in the City and aircraft patterns that cause noise and air pollution. City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes April 17, 2023 Chair Wickham closed the Public Hearing at 8:13 p.m. Chair Wickham opened up Commissioner Comments and reminded them they have until April 26 to provide comment on the Draft General Plan. Staff reminded the Commission and the public that all comments and concerns will be included with the draft plan as it moves through its review process. Chair Wickham asked for staff response to the public’s concern about aircraft noise disturbance. Ms. Blizinski responded that cities have no authority over airspace, and they will continue to advocate to the FAA for change. Ms. Blizinski stated City Council had created a subcommittee in 2017 to work with the FAA and submitted reports to them detailing noise issues in Sunnyvale. Councilmember Sell commented that several Councilmembers are working with Congressman Ro Khanna to address the FAA on aircraft disturbance impacts on the Sunnyvale community. Chair Wickham asked if there are specific metrics that are used to measure targets in the General Plan. Staff responded that the General Plan does not specifically track metrics, but many other documents like the Climate Action Plan and Environmental Impact Reports do. Chair Wickham asked that the electrification section of the General Plan cover more than lawn equipment. Ms. Jeyaprakash clarified that the General Plan includes more than just electrification of lawn equipment throughout the document and that the Climate Action Playbook also set electrification goals. Vice Chair Kunz applauded the environmental justice elements to the draft plan. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT CALENDAR 1 23-0510 Approve the Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes of March 20, 2023 Vice Chair Kunz moved, and Commissioner Veitch seconded, a motion to approve the consent calendar. City of Sunnyvale Page 4 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes April 17, 2023 Yes: 4 - Chair Wickham Vice Chair Kunz Commissioner Pistone Commissioner Veitch No: 0 Absent: 3 - Commissioner Besser Commissioner Nabhan Commissioner Wang STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES No new Study Issues were submitted. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioner Veitch reminded commissioners that April is Earth Month and Cupertino and Milpitas are hosting Earth Day events on April 22. She also shared information about borrowing an induction cooktop kit from the Sunnyvale Public Library as part of the City’s Cool Cooktops Program. Chair Wickham shared Menlo Atherton High School’s Earth Day Festival is April 22. She also shared that the five high schools in the Fremont Union High School District are hosting Earth Day events the week of April 23 and encouraged attendance. Fremont High School’s Earth Day event is April 25 from 4 to 8:30 p.m. and Homestead High School’s Earth Day Festival is April 28 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. She also encouraged Commissioners to review the resources shared through the answer point from Acterra’s Code Red program. -Staff Comments Christina Raby, Environmental Engineering Coordinator, reported nearly 300 people attended Sunnyvale’s Earth Day Fair on April 15 and reminded Commissioners of upcoming events. She noted that the next Sustainability Commission Meeting is scheduled to be in the Bay Conference Room (Room 145) in the new Sunnyvale City Hall on May 15. INFORMATION ONLY REPORTS/ITEMS 23-0511 Updated Annual Work Plan April 2023 City of Sunnyvale Page 5 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes April 17, 2023 ADJOURNMENT Chair Wickham adjourned meeting at 8:40 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 6