Title
A Public Hearing to Review and Comment on the Draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan
Body
To: Honorable President and Members of the Planning Board
From: Danielle Mieler, Sustainability and Resilience Manager
Date: September 27, 2021
Re: A Public Hearing to Review and Comment on the Draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Alameda (“City”) is seeking feedback on its Draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan ("Plan", Exhibit 1) to serve as the City’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Plan updates the 2016 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan and the adaptation chapter of the 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP). Some of the information contained in CARP is directly translated into this Plan, and some of it is updated and adapted for this Plan. The Plan is aligned with the draft General Plan Safety Element and Emergency Management Plan.
The purpose of the Plan is to help Alameda adapt to climate change, reduce the impact of future disasters, and help us recover more quickly when disasters do occur. Local governments with a FEMA approved LHMP may be eligible for the following benefits:
• Create a more disaster-resistant and resilient community and region;
• Eligibility for hazard mitigation assistance programs, including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, Building Resilient Infrastructure and Community (BRIC) Grant Program, Flood Mitigation Assistance and Severe Repetitive Loss grant programs as required by the Federal Emergency Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000);
• Eligibility for points under the National Flood Insurance Programs Community Rating System (CRS), and;
• Eligibility for waiver of the 6.25% local match for Public Assistance money after a disaster.
Per DMA 2000, Local Hazard Mitigation Plans must be updated every five years. The Plan addresses natural and climate induced hazards that impact the City of Alameda and lays out a strategy for mitigating natural hazards and adapting to a changing climate. The success of this plan rests not only on our ability to implement the strategies laid out in this plan, but also on our ability to implement the City’s Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP). The goal of CARP is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 50% below 2005 levels by 2030 and become carbon neutral soon as possible. By taking strong actions to reduce our GHG emissions, Alameda will do our part to achieve a climate safe path and avoid some of the extreme climate effects we may face.
The Plan's vision is that the City of Alameda will be better prepared for future hazards and climate impacts by reducing the impact of disasters and by being prepared to equitably recover from disasters. The goals of the Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan are to:
• Reduce exposure to hazards where possible;
• Protect the health, safety and welfare of City of Alameda residents, workers and visitors;
• Minimize damage of public and private property;
• Minimize damage of the natural environment;
• Minimize disruption of essential services, facilities, and infrastructure.
• Timely and complete recovery;
• Increase understanding and awareness of hazards and hazard mitigation by City employees and the public;
• Participate in mitigation and resiliency by all stakeholders, as appropriate, and;
• Protect the City’s character.
BACKGROUND
In 2021, the City convened an interdepartmental planning team tasked overseeing and guiding the update of the City’s Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan to enhance the city’s preparedness for natural disasters, comply with FEMA requirements, and make the city eligible for adaptation and mitigation grant funding. An open public involvement process was determined essential to the development of an effective plan. As such, staff established a page on the City’s website dedicated to the plan update (www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigationPlan <http://www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigationPlan>). The City conducted a survey to solicit community input on natural hazards that pose risk to Alameda and to understand their level of personal preparedness for the disasters we face. In addition, City staff convened three virtual community workshops to seek input on the draft plan on September 16th, 22nd and 28th.
The Plan emphasizes improving existing buildings and infrastructure and designing new buildings and infrastructure to better withstand the impact of future disasters in Alameda. Examples of proposed actions that could influence planning include:
• Soft-Story Buildings Program Expand the City’s Soft Story Program to include mandatory requirements for substantially improving the seismic performance of multi-family wood frame residential buildings with open ground floor parking or commercial spaces known as soft stories that remain on the City’s inventory.
• Wood Framed Buildings Program Educate residents about the City’s Wood Frame Building Program, which includes voluntary requirements for substantially improving the seismic performance of one- and two-story wood frame residential buildings with vulnerable “cripple walls”. Encourage residents to take advantage of the California Earthquake Authority’s Earthquake Brace and Bolt Program grants and other financial assistance programs.
• Resilient City Buildings Strengthen and rehabilitate City-owned buildings.
• Resilient Shoreline Facilities Make shoreline facilities more resilient to earthquake, storm and sea level rise hazards to maintain functionality and to protect inland facilities, community vitality, and recreational opportunities.
• Concrete Buildings Develop a program to identify, evaluate and require seismic retrofits of non-ductile concrete and tilt-up residential and nonresidential buildings that are vulnerable to collapse in earthquakes.
• Incorporate Groundwater Study in the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan Include information about rising groundwater surface and the potential for contaminant mobilization into CARP analysis of priority locations for adaptation.
• Citywide Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan Develop a comprehensive citywide sea level rise adaptation strategy for Alameda following the model of the Master Infrastructure Plan for Alameda Point. The plan will identify the range of shoreline protection, groundwater management, land use, and building and infrastructure design standards needed to help Alameda adapt to rising sea and groundwater levels and fill critical information gaps related to shoreline condition, jurisdiction and approach to ensure uniform protection for the city and to create additional shovel-ready adaptation projects or programs.
• Northern Shoreline on Bay Farm Island Adaptation Develop a shovel-ready shoreline project along the northern shoreline of Bay Farm Island including the Veterans Court seawall, the wooden bicycle/pedestrian bridge and the lagoon outfall.
• Doolittle Drive Adaptation Work with Caltrans, Port of Oakland, City of Oakland, East Bay Regional Parks District and other key stakeholders to create a project concept to mitigate flooding and sea level rise, provide additional capacity for tsunami evacuation, and enhance adjacent shoreline habitat with nature-based solutions and recreational opportunities on the San Francisco Bay Trail.
• Northern Shoreline near Posey/Webster Tubes Adaptation Work with Caltrans, City of Oakland and other key stakeholders to create a project concept that combats flooding and sea level rise in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary.
• Shovel-ready Adaptation Projects Design and permit shovel-ready adaptation projects at areas of location-based priority flooding.
Following revisions from the public engagement period, the final Local Hazard Mitigation plan will be submitted to the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for approval pending formal adoption of the plan by the City Council.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
The community is invited to participate in the Draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan via an online survey, flyer, public events, and presentations to community groups and City Boards and Commissions. All information will be available at www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigation <http://www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigation>Plan.
Presentations to other City Boards and Commissions:
• Historical Advisory Board, October 7th
• Commission on Persons with Disabilities, October 13th
• Transportation Commission, October 27th
• Social Service and Human Relations Board, October 28th
• Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth and their Families, October 28th
To join the mailing list, select “Resilience” among the options here: www.alamedaca.gov/RESIDENTS/Subscribe <http://www.alamedaca.gov/RESIDENTS/Subscribe>
The plan can be viewed online at www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/city-manager/documents/adaption-and-mitigation-plan/climate-adaptation-and-hazard-mitigation-plan_sept-2021-draft.pdf <http://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/city-manager/documents/adaption-and-mitigation-plan/climate-adaptation-and-hazard-mitigation-plan_sept-2021-draft.pdf>
or at <https://www.alamedaca.gov/HazardMitigationPlan> under “Review draft plan”.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Adoption of the Plan is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because general policy and procedure making of this nature does not constitute a “project” that is subject to environmental review (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2)).
RECOMMENDATION
Review and comment on the draft Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan
Respectfully Submitted,
Danielle Mieler,
Sustainability and Resilience Manager