Title
Review and Comment on the Draft Climate Action and Resiliency Plan
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Erin Smith
Deputy Director, Public Works Department
BACKGROUND
Alameda is expected to face significant challenge in the coming years due to a changing climate. This means preparing for more frequent episodes of unhealthy air quality from wildfires, rising sea levels, more intense winter rain/wind storms, a rise in groundwater levels and longer, deeper droughts with impacts to transportation, power, communications, health, personal property, housing supply, and the economy, among others.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that human behavior- particularly burning fossil fuels-accelerates climate change by releasing harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The severity of predicted climate change scenarios are explicitly linked to global trajectories of GHG emissions. If emissions don’t decrease, and if Alameda does not prepare for sea level rise and more intense storms, many parts of Alameda will see frequent flooding in the near future, and some parts could be permanently underwater by mid-century.
Building on prior efforts, the CARP provides a roadmap for reducing Alameda’s GHG emissions and becoming more resilient through a number of strategies. The CARP updates and expands the scope of the City’s 2008 Local Action Plan for Climate Protection by adopting an integrated approach consisting of both adaptation and GHG reduction.
The 2008 Local Action Plan set a goal of reducing Alameda’s GHG emissions 25% below 2005 levels by 2020. Current emissions projections indicate that the City will have reduced GHG emissions by an estimated 23% by 2020. This is mostly the result of Alameda Municipal Power’s (AMP’s) shift to 100 percent clean electricity, which effectively eliminates Alameda’s GHG emissions from electricity consumption. In addition, Alameda’s GHG emissions from waste were cut almost in half due to the success of the Zero Waste Implementation Plan and its Update, and there was a steady downtick in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) from passenger cars. Alamedans’ investment-with AMP’s help-in the energy efficiency of their homes and businesses also played an important role.
Beginning in 2020, with AMP’s delivery of 100 percent clean electricity, almost 70 percent of Alameda’s annual GHG emissions will come from the transportation sector, with the remaining 30 percent largely coming from natural gas use in buildings. To reduce emissions from transportation, Alamedans need to shift from cars to biking and transit, and from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electricity-powered vehicles. Land use and housing can play an important role in reducing car use, and development requirements can facilitate adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by increasing the availability of EV chargers. Codes and requirements related to buildings can also catalyze a shift from natural gas to electricity use in buildings, reducing emission from the building sector.
To develop Alameda’s draft CARP, the Public Works Department contracted with Eastern Research Group, Inc. The development process took approximately one year and included significant collaboration among Alameda staff, community members, and outside subject matter experts. To date, Alamedans provided input on the CARP through a 2018 community survey, multiple community events, and two public input sessions. The draft climate action plan that is now available for public comment incorporates hundreds of suggestions, concerns, and questions that community members offered over the past year and a half. The last public input session is at the Elks Lodge, 2255 Santa Clara Avenue, from 6-8 pm on May 20.
Staff is seeking input on the CARP from various boards and commissions in May and June, and proposing adoption by the City Council on July 16.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this meeting is to solicit input on the Draft CARP (Exhibit 1). The CARP outlines a path to achieve eight targeted goals:
1. Reduce GHG emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050.
2. Protect assets from sea level rise and storm surges, plan future land use to avoid impacts and enhance shoreline habitat to mitigate impacts.
3. Increase resiliency and capacity of the storm water system to prevent flooding of assets during extreme precipitation events.
4. Reduce water consumption and increase drought-resistant landscaping.
5. Reduce heat island effect and protect vulnerable populations from heat impacts during heat waves.
6. Protect public health from smoke impacts during wildfire events, especially vulnerable populations.
7. Ensure that building and infrastructure retrofits and new design standards at high risk of liquefaction consider both seismic risk and sea level rise.
8. Develop financial and human resources and increase transparency, community engagement, social resilience and support for effective CARP implementation.
The CARP recommends specific GHG emissions reduction strategies in the following areas: Transportation, Land Use and Housing, Energy and Buildings, and Carbon Sequestration. The recommended actions in the CARP are in addition to already committed actions in the Transportation Choices Plan and Zero Waste Implementation Plan.
Land use and energy use are two important components for emissions reductions as they relate to the CARP. With research supporting the fact that dense housing and affordable housing contributes to lower greenhouse gas emissions, future land use and housing policy decisions should focus on:
1. Changing zoning to allow more multifamily use, reduced parking requirements, and increased allowable density while shortening overly lengthy permitting timelines.
2. Implementing anti-displacement policies, such as preservation of affordable housing, tenant protection, and guarantee of lease renewal. These would build on the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance.
3. Direct more funds to rail and bus rapid transit investments. Additionally, improve bus and other connections to rail and bus rapid transit, including increasing walking/bike infrastructure.
4. To address future regional housing needs, providing housing on fewer sites that support higher-density development is better than providing housing at more sites with lower densities.
5. Multifamily housing configurations are better than single-family configurations.
6. Eliminate minimum parking requirements and establish maximum parking requirements, similar to the standards adopted for Alameda Point in 2014.
Additionally, Alameda’s GHG emissions from the building sector will come primarily from natural gas consumption. Accordingly, the CARP’s recommended new actions for the building sector focus on reducing GHG emissions related to natural gas use in buildings. The new GHG emissions reduction actions in the CARP that are intended to reduce buildings emissions are detailed in Table 3-6 of the plan and summarized below:
E1. “Fuel switch” in existing buildings. Convert natural gas consumption to electricity use in residential and commercial buildings. Require fuel switching from natural gas-powered appliances and heating to electric-powered appliances and heating when existing residential buildings are being substantially expanded. Draft ordinances to establish fuel switching requirements. If all-electric construction is more expensive than units with gas utilities, consider exemptions for 100% affordable housing projects. The City of Alameda will support programs that encourage homeowners/commercial building owners to implement electrification retrofits.
E2. Electrification of new residential construction. Prepare ordinances requiring all new residential construction to be 100% electric-powered with no gas hookups.
E3. Programs to encourage fuel switching in certain appliances. Encourage the PUB to continue implementing AMP rebate programs encouraging residential customers to install ENERGY STAR-labeled electric clothes dryers and electric heat pump water heaters.
E4. Green roof installations on new developments at Alameda Point. Requires at least 10% of roof areas on new development in Alameda Point to be installed as green roofs. This action aligns with the Alameda Point Stormwater Management Plan requirements.
Addressing the risks posed to buildings in Alameda is possible through a combination of policy or code changes and implementation of flood protection and other hazard reduction actions. In terms of flood protection, the strategies in Table 4-18 are intended to help buildings and communities withstand and/or avoid temporary flood events. Some of the strategies described in Table 4-18 and below (e.g., composting, solar panels, green/cool roofs) have co-benefits in terms of GHG mitigation:
1. Encourage implementation of flood-proofing
2. Engage the community in climate adaptation efforts and build grassroots support
3. Manage costs associated with growing flood risk
4. Investigate and adopt requirements for managing runoff from impervious surfaces using green infrastructure
5. Implement requirements for managing runoff from impervious surfaces using green infrastructure
6. Study groundwater to better understand current groundwater conditions and the impact of sea level rise
7. Promote retrofit efforts to reduce the impact of earthquakes and liquefaction
8. Encourage installation of solar panels and storage
9. Modify building codes to encourage implementation of heat reduction techniques
The CARP contains several strategies to integrate with these new plans and protect existing Alameda neighborhoods from sea level rise. Some of these strategies are specifically focused on shorelines and protecting the many homes, businesses, infrastructure public services, and natural resources close to the shoreline. As sea level rises over the decades, it will take more resources to continue keeping all shoreline neighborhoods dry. As such, a series of strategies are proposed in Table 4-20 and below to encourage the City to limit development of critical facilities and infrastructure near the shoreline and encourage new development in low flood risk areas:
1. Limit building and encourage open space in risk zones
2. Encourage development in lower-risk areas
3. Disclose shoreline risks
4. Limit building and encourage open space in risk zones
5. Use open space for flood control
6. Restrict development in flood-prone areas
7. Engage the community in climate adaptation efforts and build grassroots support
Climate mitigation and adaptation, by their nature, require solutions that extend beyond city boundaries. Alameda must continue to partner on adaptation with key stakeholders, including, but not limited to, Caltrans, East Bay Regional Park District, Port of Oakland, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Pacific Gas & Electric, AT&T, and other telecommunications.
It is also in Alameda’s interest to track the evolving landscape of state, regional, and county governance structures around GHG reduction and climate adaptation and to seek leadership opportunities to help shape those structures and policies. For example, creation of a regional sea level rise governing body could influence the direction of local shoreline adaptation projects.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The CARP does not authorize expenditure of any City funds. However, the CARP suggests that, if fully implemented, the City would likely require an additional 8 full time employees, one or more of which would work to implement recommendations related to transportation. If the CARP is adopted, City staff will return to City Council with recommendations for how to implement the strategies laid out in the CARP, and at that time will ask for funds to be allocated.
The economic analysis in the CARP suggests that adaptation strategies are a good investment. Even when using conservative assumptions and quantifying the value of only buildings, property and infrastructure, the benefit to cost ratio is at least 3.5 to 1 in all scenarios assessed, suggesting that every dollar spent on prevention avoids at least $3.50 in economic losses. Other benefits to consider, which make the benefit-cost ratio even higher (more favorable), are commerce disruption and loss of non-market benefits associated with Crown Beach and other parks, as well as other non-monetized benefits such as improved safety for people within the city.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Adoption of a Climate Action Plan is a project subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act. An initial study is being prepared evaluating the potential impacts of adoption of the Climate Action Plan on the environment. The environmental review documents will be available for public review prior to final consideration of the Plan by the Alameda City Council.
RECOMMENDATION
Provide Comment on the Draft Climate Action and Resiliency Plan Update
Respectfully submitted,
Liam Garland, Public Works Director
By,
Erin Smith, Public Works Deputy Director
Exhibits:
1. Alameda’s Draft Climate Action and Resiliency Plan with Appendices