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Home My WebLink About2019-09-23 Stormwater Management Oversight Committee Summary Minutes Storm Water Management Oversight Committee 1 Monday, September 23, 2019 Special Meeting Embarcadero Room, Rinconada Library 1:00 PM Committee Members Present: David Bower, Marilyn Keller, Hal Mickelson, Dena Mossar, Ron Owes, Bob Wenzlau, Committee Members Absent: Peter Drekmeier Staff Present: Maybo AuYeung, Pam Boyle Rodriguez, Chris Fujimoto, Rajeev Hada, Peter Jensen, Christine Luong, Tom Marshall, Karin North, Silvia Santos Call to Order: 1:02pm by Chairperson Mickelson Oral Communications: None Old Business 1. Meeting minutes from the March 20, 2019 meeting was approved, meeting notes from April 9, 2019 accepted. New Business 2. Consultant (Woodard & Curran) Report on Preliminary Green Stormwater Infrastructure Funding Option Analysis Presenter: Hawkeye Sheene • Sheene: Why evaluate GSI Funding? It is a significant investment for upfront costs and long-term operation and maintenance costs. Current funding is only from 7% of the ballot measure approved fee • Wenzlau: What are the needs now and in 10 years, and what is the funding gap? Concern about raising money without clear needs identified. • Mossar: we depend on residents’ support and should take detail steps in evaluating needs before coming up with a high target amount needed that may shock the community. • Keller: Can developers pay into O&M by paying Development Impact Fees? Boyle Rodriguez: Not particularly through the Development Impact Fees, but a specific program or in-lieu fee could be created 2 September 23, 2019 In-lieu Fees • Mossar/Mickelson: How common is it in Palo Alto that development projects are unable to achieve the requirements? Any examples? How is it resolved? Boyle Rodriguez: For example, a reconfiguration of a parking lot that is larger than 5000 sq ft which cannot install GSI features onsite, and must treat the stormwater runoff in the city’s right of way, then the project is subject to an in-lieu fee. Right now, in lieu fee is not very common in Palo Alto, but if the threshold of the project size is lowered in the future, then more projects will be subject to the requirement and compliance rate may drop. • Jensen: The Palo Alto requirements are not very difficult for developers to meet, and people opt in to pay in lieu fee if the fee is not very high or if they choose not to install the features. For example, in Santa Monica, new residential project must keep runoff onsite or pay a $18,000 fee, and the city uses this fee revenue to build infiltration pumps along the coastline. Stormwater Credit trading (Sheene) • A marketplace where developers or owners can buy from others who voluntarily implement and/or include excess capacity Public Private Partnership (Sheene) • It creates long-term partnership and increase awareness. • Example at Culver City Costco where Costco paid the same amount they would have into a parking lot project, along with agencies’ funding a larger project with a sealed tank for storage and treatment was completed, along with a long-term O&M agreement. Business Improvement Districts • Boyle Rodriguez: it’s very unlikely we can increase this fee for stormwater / GSI purposes in the near future. • Sheene: the projects or benefits must remain within the BID. An example was a newly established Green Benefit District at the San Francisco Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill area. • Boyle Rodriguez: Staff believes the North Ventura development project could be an opportunity to explore this option. • The dog patch example is an approach which is more focused on the community needs than businesses interests. 3 September 23, 2019 Development Impact Fee • Collected to offset impacts of new development. • Example in San Mateo is replacing a Transportation Improvement Fee with a Sustainable Streets Fee. Committee members comments • Mickelson: the principle and charter of this committee is to oversee the existing fee expenditures, raising any funds from the community may be surprised by many. • Wenzlau: We should look out for the future needs and anticipated requirements, and begin thinking about how to prepare for that. North: Staff knew the current fee will not cover all funding needed for future increased requirements. But staff is also looking into the co-benefits to achieve S/CAP goals. • Boyle Rodriguez: Stormwater permit requirements have 5-year terms, it is difficult to predict what new requirements will be in place beyond that, however they will only be more stringent meaning the city will have to do more • Mossar: we need to emphasize interdepartmental coordination, especially on sidewalk project where the long cycle could be over 40 years • Bower has serious reservation on PPP because companies can go out of business; BID may not be applicable; and establishing an additional development impact fee in the city could be difficult when there’s a few impact fees in place already. 3. Staff Report on progress on Green Stormwater Infrastructure Plan Implementation • Junko Bryant from Grassroot Ecology gave an update on the GSI community stewardship pilot that focused on specialized maintenance for GSI measures. • The proposed pilot location is at South Gate neighborhood. • Volunteers will be trained and can pick up trash, clear inlets, maintain landscaping. • The next training event will be during the Martin Luther King Day weekend. • Mossar: the bulb out at South Gate is a trip hazard with sharp corners, safety need to be considered at new feature sites • Wenzlau: Repair café has a trailer donated by GreenWaste where tools and supplies are store, if this pilot become a program, it can include a similar trailer, and to partner with the existing gardening community. 4 September 23, 2019 Committee Member Comments and Announcements • Wenzlau: Potential of developing a “Stormwater dashboard” to show progress on NPDES requirements; Guest speaker on using art to increase awareness on stormwater. • Owes: Staff should be considering the negative impacts such as impacts to cyclists and pedestrian accessibility and residential parking when designing and installing GSI features. Tentative Agenda Items for Future Meetings • AuYeung: Next meeting will be on October 31, 2019. Adjournment: 3:07 by Chairperson Mickelson