Title
Review a Draft Work Scope for the City of Alameda’s Climate Plan Update
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Liam Garland, Acting Public Works Director
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Date: October 23, 2017
Re: Review a Draft Work Scope for the City of Alameda’s Climate Plan Update
BACKGROUND
On May 2, 2017, the City Council unanimously approved a high-priority referral directing staff to update Alameda’s 2008 Local Action Plan for Climate Protection (Climate Action Plan or CAP). Staff were directed to return to City Council by December 2017, with a proposed scope of work for the Climate Action Plan’s update, and to ensure involvement of Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA) and other Alameda environmental and other organizations.
On May 23, 2017, City staff and CASA co-sponsored a community workshop to discuss accomplishments of the CAP and progress to its goal of reducing 2020 emissions below the 2005 baseline by 25 percent. Exhibit 1 is this workshop’s presentation.
On July 23, 2017, a Green Team was re-convened. This project team is comprised of CASA representatives and staff from Alameda Municipal Power, Community Development, Public Works and Transportation Planning. This Green Team has drafted a proposed work scope for the Climate Action Plan update, and is soliciting input on the scope from the Public Utilities Board, Transportation Commission and Planning Board.
On October 5, a second public workshop was held at 6:30 pm at the Alameda Main Library. Exhibit 2 is this workshop’s presentation. Members of the public were encouraged to participate in the workshop and/or fill out a web survey: (<https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/198/Issue_5414>) designed to solicit ideas for how the City’s Climate Action Plan update should proceed.
Staff also are doing the following activities related to the Climate Action Plan update:
• Applied to become a site in the Resilient by Design Challenge <http://www.resilientbayarea.org/>, advanced to the second round, and hosted a citywide site-visit with 80+ experts. In the next few weeks, the City should learn whether it is a finalist in the competition.
• Hired a Climate Action Fellow and secured support for the Fellow through a grant from East Bay Energy Watch.
• Secured a grant from Stopwaste to perform neighborhood-level vulnerability assessments for climate change and rising seas.
• Selected a consultant to complete the City’s emissions inventory, which will be completed and publicly available by November 1.
DISCUSSION
Exhibit 3 is the draft work scope on which staff seeks input. The scope includes development of a new roadmap to reduce greenhouse emissions and increase the City’s sustainability, and establishment of a new climate action goal beyond 2020. In addition to a focus on GHG emission reduction strategies, the draft work scope includes a climate awareness campaign, a public opinion survey, and adaptation. Adapting to rising seas is an area that Alameda has devoted attention for Alameda Point and new development along the Northern Waterfront, but needs greater attention for the remainder of the City. See Exhibit 4, What is Alameda Doing About Sea Level Rise? The update will identify climate risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities, and will assess options for the City to adapt to rising seas. The Climate Action Plan update also is proposed to include sustainability to cover the entire carbon footprint of Alamedans beyond the city boundaries, and to focus on how Alamedans can have more ecologically-oriented lifestyles for improved health, economy and environment.
The Climate Action Plan update will be completed by a team composed of City staff, CASA representatives, and technical consultants. The consultants will provide technical expertise, best practices, high-end graphics, and specialized engineering. City staff’s role will be to provide institutional knowledge, and staff will take responsibility for draft work products, public outreach and process, staff reports and implementation, which includes applying for grant applications. The planning process should not exceed an 18-month period, and should include community, CASA, and staff outreach, draft plan development and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance. For more information on the Climate Action Plan update, please refer to the project web page: <https://alamedaca.gov/go-green-public-works/local-action-plan-climate-protection>.
Staff is requesting that the Planning Board review and comment on the proposed work scope for updating the 2008 CAP.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
As a planning-level document, the adoption of the proposed Plan by itself is not anticipated to have significant environmental impacts. When individual projects are advanced in the implementation process, a more detailed, project-specific analysis will be conducted to determine if there are any significant environmental impacts requiring mitigation. More generally, the proposed Plan is anticipated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this action is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3), which states “The activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.”
RECOMMENDATION
Review a Draft Work Scope for the City of Alameda’s Climate Plan Update and provide comments as appropriate.
Respectfully submitted,
Liam Garland, Acting Public Works Director
By,
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. May 23, 2017 Workshop Presentation
2. October 5, 2017 Workshop Presentation
3. Draft Work Scope for the Climate Plan Update
4. Excerpt from 2017-2019 Capital Budget, What is Alameda doing about Sea Level Rise?