HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-12-14 City CouncilCity
City of Palo Alto
Manager’s Report
TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
ATTENTION: POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE
FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT:CITY MANAGER
CMR: 416:00
DATE:NOVEMBER 14, 2000
SUBJECT: COUNCIL CONSIDERATION OF A SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
In order to facilitate the Policy and Services Committee’s
sustainability policy, staff has background information that
facilitating the discussion, including:
consideration of a City
may be of assistance in
o
®
Questions and Answers about Sustainability -
"Guiding principles" from other cities’ sustainability policies
From the City of Portland, Oregon, information on the Sustainable Portland
Commission, and the "Environmental Review of City Operations" and "Green
Building Initiative"
In response to Council direction, staff is planning a study session in January/February
200t on sustainability planning.
Prepared by:Emily Harrison, Assistant City Manager
Dan Firth, Environmental Protection Coordinator
Julie Weiss, Environmental Specialist
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
BENEST, City Manager
CMR:416:00 Page 1 of 1
City Sustainability* Policies (policies attached) -
City _Policy Structure Focus (environmental, economic, social)
Portland 10 guiding principles Environmental and economic focus:
Santa Monica
Oakland
Five guiding principles
are policy (attached)
Four recommendations
The City of Portland will promote a sustainable future
that meets today’s needs without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their needs, and
accepts its responsibility to:
¯Support a stable, diverse and equitable economy
¯Protect the quality of air, water,.land, and other
natural resources
~ Conserve native vegetation, fish, wildlife habitat
and other ecosystems
Minimize human impacts on local and worldwide
ecosystems
City elected officials and staff will:
...develop connections between environmental
quality and economic vitality
Include cumulative and long-term impacts in
decision making
¯Ensure commitment to equity
¯Ensure environmental quality
¯Use resources efficiently
¯Prevent additional pollution
¯Act locally to reduce adverse global impacts
¯Purchase produces based on long term
environmental and operating costs
~ Educate citizens and businesses
~ Report annually.
Environmental focus
The City of Santa Monica recognizes...that we need to
create...a more sustainable way of life locally and
globally through safeguarding and enhancing our
resources and by preventing harm to the natural
environment and human health. We are resolved that our
impact on the natural environment must not jeopardize
the prospects of future generations.
¯...sustainability guides City policy
¯protection, preservation and restoration of the
natural environment is a high priority of the City
Environmental quality and economic healthy are
mutually dependent
¯All decisions have environmental implication
¯Community awareness responsibility, involvement
and education are key elements of successful
wograms/policies
Social equity and environmental focus
Implement a sustainable development strategy as an
overarching principle guiding Oakland’s economic
development program
Link the sustainable economic development
strategy to...job training and continuing education
Encourage affordable in-fill housing, mixed use
development, and sustainable building practices
San Francisco
Boulder, Colorado
The entire plan (177
pages) is policy (one
section of the
introduction is attached).
¯Make Oakland operations and services a model of
sustainable community development practices
o Establish a process of community
participation/evaluation...businesses unions, and
education institutions using sustainable
comm8unity development as a way to build the
strengths of Oakland’s people.
Environmental focus
The policy is the actual sustainability plan, including
goals and actions.
Environmental focus
Within the resource limits and the population carrying
capacity of the Boulder Valley, the City ...seeks to
maintain and enhance the livability, health, and vitality
of the Boulder Valley and its bioregion now and in the
long-term future. Maintaining the long-term health of
the natural environment and the economy and
community livability in the Boulder Valley and beyond
are inextricably linked. The City and the County seek to
preserve choices for future generations and to anticipate
and adapt to changing community needs and external
influences.
San Jose
San Carlos
Los Angeles
San Diego
Other cities sustainability programs and plans
No sustainability policy, but sustainability efforts were
leveraged by green building policy and plans
Citizens group forming an initiative
Has plan, has not yet adopted policy
Becoming certified (ISO 14000) in environmental
services division with plans to expand
*Most Cities use a variation of the following sustainability definition which originated with the 1987 report, Our Common Future, by
the World Commission on Environment and Development (known as the Brundtland Commission). By that formulatiotb sustainable
development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs."
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT
SUSTAINABILITY
What is sustainability ?
"Development that meets ~the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." World
Commission on Environment and Development, 1987.
"The pursuit Of long-term management of our City that incorporates
environmental protection and restoration, social responsibility and equity,
and economic, growth and resilience." City of Palo Alto, draft.
"A city designed, constructed and operated to efficiently use its natural
resources, minimize waste, and to manage and conserve them for the use of
present and future generations." City of San Jose.
Is there a conflict between focusing on sustainability for Palo Alto and our,
commitment to regional solutions to regional problems?
Absolutely not. Sustainability goals are enhanced when tackled on a
regional level. The Cisco Project in South San Jose highlights the problem
a city-focused approach can create. It allows affected stakeholders (other
cities) no avenue to constructively resolve impacts one city can have on
another. Any sustainability plan should incorporate the philosophy that a
regional approach to problem solving will be the best long-term approach
for activities or programs that will have impacts outside the city.
What are examples of other sustainability efforts going on in the Bay Area? the
State?
In addition to the cities shown in the City Manager’s Report:
San Jose’s Sustainable City Programs. Sustainable City Major Strategy
adopted in 1994. Originally started in 1980 by a report to Council entitled,
"Toward a Sustainable City"
Oakland- In late 1998, the O’akland City Council adopted a Sustainable
Community Development Initiative
(www.oaklandnet.com/government/ceda/revised/planning&zoning/Sustaina
bility/default.html)
Joint Venture Silicon Valley- "Silicon Valley 2010"
(www.,jointventure.org/initiatives/2010/2010 index.html)
Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Development
(www.abag.ca.gov/planning/baasd/index.html)
o Cal EPA Environmental Management System Project
(www.calepa.ca.gov/ems)
Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group is participating in the Cal EPA project
identified above under the title of "Sustainable Silicon Valley"
(www.svmg.org/)
How would having sustainability policy and a sustainability plan benefit the
City?
A Plan would allow residents and city staff to share a common view of
what a sustainable Palo Alto would look like. It would encourage the
evaluation of all city activities, plans, and projects from the perspective of
sustainability. It could enable the different City departments and operations
to better communicate and evaluate the impacts of decisions on other
departments and operations. It could further define many of the elements of
the Comprehensive Plan and facilitate the establishment of specific goals
with long term benefits to the City.
Why do we need a sustainability plan - don’t we already have great programs?
If you don’t have a plan or a goal, how do you know that you will get to
where you want to go? Our mission statements may guide us to do our
work and create services that are high quality, but do they move us closer
or further away from sustainability? For example, the Utilities Department
may have a goal to provide power to residents. That is a very different goal
than providing power which "meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." A
sustainability plan would broaden our understanding of how it is we are to
do our jobs so that we move toward sustainability.
Can we have a policy without a plan?
You can, but the plan will elaborate how to accomplish the direction of the
policy. A policy by itself may not give folks enough direction to encourage
change.
How does the Comprehensive Plan relate to the proposed sustainability plan?
One of the tasks in developing a sustainability plan should be to evaluate
the elements in the Comprehensive Plan with an eye toward sustainability.
Because the community developed the Comprehensive Plan, the more we
can link the sustainability plan to it, the more likely we will have
community support. That said, the Comprehensive Plan was not tied in to a
larger set of guiding principles aimed at moving the city towards
sustainability, and there should not be an expectation that the two will
overlap completely - perhaps not even significantly.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of other Sustainability Plans that have
been adopted by other cities?
Strengths: Strong, succinct policy statements, guiding principles, plans with
metrics and deadline dates. Strong plans also have community input.
Weaknesses: No metrics, no staff accountability, and no projects with
deadline dates.
Why are metrics important in the implementation of the sustainability plan ?
Are there limitations on what can be measured? What are the benefits of using
metrics?
If we don’t have a way to measure some degree of success, there could be a
feeling that it’s busywork and has no real value. "Progress" is subjective.
To stay on task and have movement towards the desired outcome, we must
have a measurable goal and a baseline year to establish "where we started."
Not everything will be measurable but we should make an effort to identify
what can be. It’s a lot like Fire Prevention. It can be very difficult to prove
that fewer fires occurred because of an effective Fire Prevention program.
Same with sustainability. Some aspects will be measurable and others may
be very difficult to quantify.
How can the public beome actively engaged in a constructive way in developing
the Sustainability Plan ?
The community should provide input and be involved in implementation
wherever possible. A "blue ribbon task" force has been used effectively in
other cities to focus community input; this has also been effective in Palo
Alto for other efforts, such as the Tree Task Force. Staff can provide a
draft plan and perhaps samples of other plans as a starting point for
community involvement.
How can the plan be used to educate the general public about sustainability?
One of the plan’s components should be an education and outreach
program via the Internet, reports and presentations to the community. Also,
the plan could require an annual or bi-annual update on progress made on
the plan.
City of Portland Sustainable City Principles Page 1 of 2
CitFofPortland
SUSTAINABLE CITY PRINCIPLES
November 1994
Portland’s Work for Sustainability
Energy Office Home Page l Email the Energy Office I Index
Goal: City of Portland will promote a sustainable future that meets today’s needs without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, and accepts its
responsibility to:
Support a stable, diverse and equitable economy
Protect the quality of the air, water, land and other natural resources
Conserve native vegetation, fish, wildlife habitat and other ecosystems
Minimize human impacts on local and worldwide ecosystems
City elected officials and staff will:
1. Encourage and develop connections between environmental quality and economic vitality.
Promote development that reduces adverse effects on ecology and the natural resource capital base
and supports employment opportunities for our citizens.
2. Include cumulative and long term impacts in decision making and work to protect the natural
beauty and diversity of Portland for future generations.
3. Ensure commitment to equity so environmental impacts and the costs of protecting the
environment do not unfairly burden any one geographic or socioeconomic sector of the City.
4. Ensure environmental quality and understand environmental linkages when decisions are made
and regarding growth management, land use, transportation, energy, water, affordable housing, indoor
and outdoor air quality and economic development.
5. Use resources efficiently and reduce demand for natural resources, like energy, land, and water,
rather than expanding supply.
6. Prevent additional pollution through planned, proactive measures rather than only corrective
action. Enlist the community to focus on solutions rather than symptoms.
7. Act locally to reduce adverse global impacts of rapid growth population and consumption, such
as ozone depletion and global warming, and support and implement innovative programs that
maintain and promote Portland’s leadership as a sustainable city.
http://www.ci.portland.or.us/energy/sustcityprinc.html 11/6/00
City of Portland Sustainable City Principles Page 2 of 2
8. Purchase products based on long term environmental and operating costs and find ways to
include environmental and social costs in short term prices. Purchase products that are durable,
reusable, made of recycled materials, and non-toxic.
9. Educate citizens and businesses about Portland’s Sustainable City Principles and take advantage
of community resources. Facilitate citizen participation in City policy decisions and encourage
everyone to take responsibility for their actions that otherwise adversely impact the environment.
10. Report annually on the health and quality of Portland’s environment and economy.
P9 r_t_l;4n d ’_~ ~Wg_r k fo l~ _Su_sLaj_n_’_abilj_ty
Energy Office Home Page l Go to Top I Index
< City of Portland Energy Office <> 1211 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 1170 <> Portland, OR 97204 >
< (503) 823-7222 >< Fax 823-5370 >
< p~dx_e_ n~gy__@_ c i_. p or_tJ_a__n_d_, or_.u~>
Updated March 18, 1997
http://www.ci.portland.or.us/energy/sustcityprinc.html 11/6/00
S~A 1VLO~iCA S~STAINABLE CITY PROGRAM
Adop.tdd S~ptember 20,
’The City of Santa M~nica recognizes that we live in~ period of great environmental crisis. As
a community, we.need-to create the basis for a more .~ustainable way of .~e both locally and
globally through the ~afegu~ding and enhancing of our .resource,~ and by p~eventing harm to
the n~tural environment and human health. We are resolved that our impact on the natural
environrrient must Iio.t jeopardize the prospects of futur~ generations:
To pursue thes~ goals, we adopt.the foll0wing Guiding Princ.iples:
The Concept of Susta’inabil. ity Guides City Policy
¯ Santa Monica is cqmmitted to.meeting its .existing needs without Compromising
the.ability of. future generations to meet their own needs.’ The lo.ng-t.erm ¯
Protection, Preservation and Restoration ~of the Natural Envirolma~ent is a
,.High Priority of the City’:
S~ta Monica is committed t6 protecting, preserving and- restoring the natural
environment. City decision-making will be guided by a.mandate to maximize
environmental benefits and reduce.or eliminate negative .environmental impa.ets.
En’viromnental Qhality and Economic Health are Mutually Dependent
A healthy environment is integralto the long-~term eeOnomi.’e interests of the
City.. In achieving a .healthy environment, we must ensure that inequitable
burdens are not placed on any 6he geographic or socioecprtomie sector of the
population: ’ , ,
All Decisions Have Environmental Imp .lieatlons
The City will ensure that each of .its. policy ,decisions and programs ar~
haterconneeted through the eomm0n bond of sus .tajna.bility as expressed in these
guiding principles. The policy mad..decision-tnakhag processes of the City Will
reflect our environmental obje~tiv6s.
’Community Awareness, Respbnsibility, Involvement and Education are Key
Elements of Successful’Programs/Policies
Individu .al 9itizens, community-b~sed groups .and businesses must be aware of
their impacts on the environment,¯must take responsibility for redueing or "
NOV-08-O0 WED 12:10 PM RW~OP.PRLO ALTO.F~X NO, 6504943531 P,
CSM ~NVIRoHMEHTQL PROGRAMS HO.Q@~, P,R/~4
anVi~onmantal cor~¢erns, ?h~ CRy will therefore- be ~ Iead~r in ~m
and s~onsors~p of en~mnm~n~ edu~on op~o~ ~
O3
#
of each policya~e~, its targets, and ongoing and PrOPosed programs follows. For each
target, the base year is 1990 andthe target’year, is 2000. One of the important.tahks which.
wRl receive focus during the pi:ogram’s f~,st year is the development of baseline data and.
methodologies necessary to. measure progress toward aqhieving the quantified .targe~.s.
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
Policy Goals:. Prom6te the use of conservation technologies and pmc.fices and reduce
the use ofnon-renewable resources. D.~velop.local, non-pollating, .renewable energy,
water and material r.~sources, and e×pand recycling technology in these areas.
Targets:
Programs:
Reduce energy usage 16 %..~
Reduce potable water usage 20 %
Reduce solid Waste volumes at l~ast.50% " ’
Achieve 50% average postconsumer recycled and/0r treeSfree content
in all City paper purchases
Convert 75 % of th4 City.vehicle fleet to reduced-emission fuels
Reduce w.a,itewate.r flows 1.5 % ,, ,,
Increase total number of t~ees on public property by350 "
SOLID WASTE
Curbside Recycling -, single family (ongoing)
Recycling Drop-Off Zofles (ongoing).
Mini Recycling Zones -- mtflfi-family (ongoing & proposed)
.Business Re.eye .l~ng (ongoing.& proposed) ..
Yard Waste Composting (ongoing & proposed)
Procurement’Policies (ongoiiag &proposed)
Volume-Based Rates (ongoing&proposed)
SourceReduction (ongoing & proposed)
Advance.Disposal Fees (proposed)
Market Development (propose)
D.emolition/Construefion Debris Recy.cling (proposed)
WATER
’®
& WAS~4EWATER..
Baysaver Toilet Retrofit Program (ongoing)
Retrofit Upon Sale Requkements (ongoing)
No-Net Water Gain from New Development (ongoing.)
Water.Re-use Projects (ongoing &.proposed)
Urban Water Conservation Best Man~gemeiat Practices (ongoing &
proposed) ":’°~ ’ .... "
Financial Incentives.for Business Water Conservation (ongoing &
p opos.ed)
Water Efficient Landscap.e Requirements (ongoing & proposed)
NOV-08-O0 WED 12:11PH
P, 4/,1,4
O5
gatiw irr~pacts frown whides and l!mit parchment ar~ to the
~rnp!ecn~nt work soh~dulea which reduce the numbsr of emDloye~
Advocate for the regiona! development ~f public ~a’anspoftatlon
;[noreass rld~rship on SanL~ Mortice Mur~dpal, Bus L~S (including
~hut~) by I0~
Ao~sv~ aVs~ge ve~da ~d~zship of 1,~ for ~ ~,m~loy~s ~ over
50 employees
PREVENTION & PUBLIC B.EALT~I PROTECTION’
and enh~c~ ~n~ronmdn~ h~th ~d ~ub~c h~h by r~uo]ng or’
u~o of h~dous ~d io~o mandrils by r~d~n~s ~d hus~e~es, ~mlz~g
4
environmental problem.~ pose to human health.. Ensure that no one g.eogra.phic or
socioeconomic group in the City is. being unfairly impacted, by emlironmental po~ution.
Targets:
Progrmus:
®
®
®
Reduce the total volume of dry weather s[ormdrain ..discharges to the ocean
60%
Reduce con~sumpfion of hazardous materials, including p.esficides, 15 %
Cleanup and close 75 % of all kno.wn Underground Storage Tank
dontamination sites
Control of Ozone-Depleting Chemicals (ongoing)
Water, S01l and Air Quality Testing/Monitoring (ongo’ing & propos .ed)
Household Hazardous Waste and Small Business Hazardous Waste
Collection (ongoi.ng & proposed) ,
Catch Basin Stencil Program (ongoing & proposedl " ’, ..
Hazardous Waste Minimization Programs .(ongoing & proposed)IllegalDumping Enforcement (ongoing& proposed). ’
Urban .Runoff Pollution Control Progr .m-n (ongoing and proposed)
NPDES Permit Best Management Practice~ (ongoing & proposed) ¯
Point of Sale Household Hazardous Materials Labeh’ng_..(Pr.0P6sed)
city ToNes Use Reduction Pdlicy (proposed) "
S.trengthened Hazardbus Spill Emergency Resppnse Capabilities (proposed)
Testing, Identification and Mitigation of Lead,. Asbestos and other
Hazard6us Substariees in the Community.(proposed).
Dry-Weather Urban Runoff Reclamation Facility (p~oposexi)
Reduced-Emis.sion Fuels Policy for City Fleet.(pmposed)
Underground’ Storage Tank Management Program (ort2goifig)
Noise Po!lution Mitigation Program. (on-going). .
Environmental ’Audit Program for:Public Facilities and Major Institutions
,(pr.oposed)
COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Po,li~y Goals: Encourage the development of compact, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented
projects designed to maximize affordable houging, encourage walldng, .bicycling, use of
existing and future public transit systems and creation of community gardens. Promote the
grow.th of local businesseswhich provide employment oppoi-tu.nifies to. Santa Monica
r~sidents, including Sap. ta M0nica. youth, and .have positive environmental:and soci .al impacts.
Facilitate education programs which enrich the lives ~fall members of the community.
.Targets:®Provide 750 additional affordable housing units "
Cr~i~[~.3 new cbmmunity gardens
Establish partnership with local schools to create and implemen! a
Sustainable Schools Program "
5
NOV-08-O0 WED
|
Ci~-Sponmrcd D~mons~afl~ Pfoj~ ~t~os~) . ’
~nV~onmen~ ~at~on C~oulum Devet~ment (on-going)
Ci~ You~ ~mployment Pfog~ (on-going ~
6
O7
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION
The strategy for.implementati0n of the Sustainable City Program is outlined :below. The underIying ~
premise wMch guides .the implementation strategy is that public education and ptiblic parO,’eipafion
.are preeminent’values, i. "
1,Def’me Program
Disseminate Proposed Sustainable City Program to the City Council and to all appropriate City
Boards and Commissions
Begin Cdmpilatio~i of a "State of the E~vir0nment" report for the .Ci6j which will serve as an
on-going instrument for mea.suring accomplishment~
Develop preliminary checklist s.imilar to an ~itia~ Study checklist to be utilized for evaluating
major C.ity d~cisions, The cheeldist would include, environmen.tal and soei0-ecoriomlc..
¢onsid~ra, tions..for., ~ch..a..cti’gn....or policy, The eheekl~.’st would encourage decisions that are
future-oriented, ~.0nsis~ent with }~ ~-us~~bi~-~i~ Visi-o~and-iriterc~ianed~ed With 0t/i~r Ci.ty
programs
Formulatecriteria and establish benchmarl~.s for measuring progress toward aehievem~nt of.
es .tablish~d goals ..
Raise Co .mmum’ty A~.areness and ,!nitiat~ Community Networking Process
Condu"ct pub,.lie hearings/community workshops on theSuS~able City Program to solicit
public inpu.t and support, and tb assist neighborhood groups in identifying and prioritizing (heir
s.p.e~ific .areas of concern " " ..
.Meet with neighborhood g~oups., chamber of.Commerce; school 6istrict, Santa Monica
College.and¯ other community representatives .to solicit input and’support "
Prepareand distribute public ~hformation materials on Santa Morfica’s Sustainable City
program
UtilizeCity Council Study Sessions and public hearings to communicate the program concepts
NOV-08-O0 WED 12:12 O9
and ss~, to u~ify people throughout City gov~msnt ~d in th~ ~mm~
’
mrtra~ntzl Warldng G~oup to coordlnat~ integration of Sustainab1~ City
opetation~ a¢flvlfles and ’policies, and raise, the .awar~r~#S of C.ity ~taff
n~S~ry ,
City Ptog~am s~ccss~es’io other local governments and to stat~ and ’
rcptes~rRatlVe~,,’
support for s~stalnable ciW programs, ~md dev~Iop medium-~rm ~d
s~te#~ fez ~ Sus~n~bta ~ ~ogram through a ~mb~afion of
Support On-Going community Dialogue on Sustainab~ity
.Disseminate information about S .ta Monica’s Sustah ableCit Programt .hrough existing ......
.media (newspaper artieles~ cityTV,.Seascape, PEN; utility b!ll irlserts, direct mail brochures,
school and 6ommun’ity group presentations). Deyelop new public information media for
presen~tion and discussion of .the Sustainable City Program (Santa Monica !’Greertbo.ok", ..
curriculum for.seho91s, Sus .t0inabie City Education Center,. etc.)
b.Sponsor co.mmunity events/celebrati0ns to raise awarenesa of Sus~a. dble City Program
c.Participat.e "m regi~n~/state..wide networldiag activities
Assess’f~sib.ility of.establishing a Sustainable City Roundtable,, corn]prised of Task Force .on
Enviror~ment members and representati~,es from Chamber Environment Committee, I-Iousing
Commission, Ne(ghbofhood .SUpport Center, locai environmental grb.ups, and Other
¯ appropriate individuals and groups to meet pei’i0clicaily and diScuss/evaluate the Cit~,’s
progress toward its adopted program goals .. . .
9
NOV-08-O0 WED 12:12 PM
&IANTA MI
1990
14.3 million
107,000
Unkn own
Unknown
!0,4 million
gallons/day
28,000
t05,400
.Unknqwn
10%
28,000 trees
11,4 million
gallon~/~lay
million
28,3~0 trees
18,0 million 20,9 million
1,34 AVR t, 5 AVR
SUSTAINABILITY
INDICATOR
Dry Weather
.Stormdrain Discharges
to 0Cean1°’
Usb of Hazardous
Materials (ci.tywide)11
Known’Underground
Storage Tank Sites
Requidn g....le..an U p 1~ ......
Db.ed Restricted
Affor.dable Housing
Units~3
Community Gardens14’
Creation arid
Implementation of a
Sustainable Schools
Program~~ ......
.Public Open Spacele
1990
(ActUal)
500,O00
gallons/day
Unknown
1,172 units
2 gardens
164 acres
1993
(Actual).
350,000
gallons/day
Unknown
25 sites
1,313 units
2 gardens
N/A
164.8 acres
2000
2oo,0oo
gallons/day.
15%
reduction
¯ 6 sites .
1,922 units
5 gardens
Implemented
.180 acres
suscity 9/12/94
1, The clty, wide energy efficiency target is based on preliminary analysis of ~verall energy usage
in S~nta M~nica (electrici.ty and natural gas).from all non-mobile sources. It’is believed that the
’potentiaJ cost savings from. energy efficiency to Santa.’Monica businesses and residents are substantial.
As a result of the development of a oomprehen~iv.e City energy policy’ over the next few months, the
16% target which is set:forth in this document maybe msdified, based on a comprehensive cost-
effectiveness analysis,
2 o Water usage reduction of 20% by’the" year.2000 is believed to be an aggressive yet highly
achievable target based on results of existing water efficiency programs a.nd anticipated impact
from planned 15rograms. Currently, the. costs associated with achieving incre’ased water efficiency
are about one-half the cost of purchasing the same amount of’ imported water,
3, The 50% solid’waste diversion ta.rget for the year 2000 is currently mandated by. State law
(AB9391..Santa Monica is already we.II on its way towards achieving the interim 1995 diversion
target of 25 %.
RNQO£POLO aLTO
CSH E,NV~ROI’,I~I, tTRL FROGRFIHS
FaX NO, 6504943531
NO,
m ~x~ pa~alnlng t~ th~ a~l baseline, DurTn~ ~he fir~ year f~!loWi~g
=~le-ciw Pfegram; ~ ~et of poU¢ias governing Ci~-paper pur~hasea-w~ll b~-
chase of foWcled andlot trea4ree paper to fo~tet devel.opment Of ~ongar
zbl~,pri~es fo~ the~ environmentally preferable psper produ~,
leer, An a~rasslve conversion targot by the C[~ will both
nat a one fol one ~rralatlon between.water usage reductions and
approxlmatafy ~5% of total water u=e i$’for exterio~ purposes Ilandsooplng,
w~st~wata~ f!~WS were unusually low due 10 v~fious naoqeourrlng fa;t~rs, Th~
~r, it l~ antlcipatad that the City will strengt’han ffs tre~ inventot~ dat~ colle~tion
,s. !~ add]tlo~,.a mo~a ~amplet~’a~aly~is of the possible site~ available for new
i ifl cdnjunctlo~ with a mare thorough evaluation of potential resource mllo~t{on
led tree p!~nt~ng progra~ for City depa~ments,
"she~ion’s Intense promo~n af publi= transit ~lternatlvBs tb the U~ offor increasing ~anta Monaco Bus Lines ddersh~p is currently uoder
fldershrp between 1 Be0 ~nd t993 is baUeved ta be attr]butabf= primarily ~o
for 1990 a~ the C~ty’~ Transp~rtatlon Management Program Ordiriance
’lhs target f’~r the year 2000 reflect~ CoUrldl adapted otd]nano~
~mes ¢unstru~tion and ~art-up of the. C~y’s Pmpos~ dry-weather flow
dl!;y which Will ~=tplure and t~gat dry-weather flow= from the Pieo Kente#
the foa~lb~ll~ analys~s f~r tht~ treatment fadlity is cOmplata~ over the.
~ult i~ ~ modlfi~ation of the ~arget, Redudng d~-weathet storm dtain flows
,~ the d~scharge of poilu;ants in~ tan~ M~nl~a Bay,
4rrantly ~xI~s for "~hi~ indicator, Nevertheless, ff Is believed that the indicator
:In d~t~rmlnlng whether.th~ hazardous matarMs management an~ hazardou~
ms Implemented W th~ City are havin~ a t~ng[b/e lmRaet In the oommuni~,
~anths en ~esaman~ will be c~rr(ed out to as~e~fn ~hathaf current data
:ai.ns io under~mund ~mrage tank lUST) ~Ites Wht=h, are unda~ the rogul~to~
Since/~))able dale ~n the ORy’a UBT management program ~ no~ available
3lch were known In 1993, will b~ identified between new and the y~ar
xpe~tad that by tee first year ~atu~ r~po~ ~o Council on the SU~alnabla
13.
City Program a modified i.ndicator on UST site cleanup which addresses .the dynamic "moving target"
nature of the indicator, will have been developed.
13 o ;This indicator is consistent with pre~i.ously adopted affordable I~ousing’targets ,for the City
and has been reviewe’d/endorsed by the City’s Housing Commission, The actual numbers for 1990
and. 1993 refer to the ihventory of."publicly assisted" affordable .l~ousing in the City, All. of these
units are deed-restrlcted. An analysis will be undertaken during the. next seve’r~l months to identify
any privately developed, deed-restricted affordable housing units which have co’me on line since
1990 and should be included in the totals,
:[4. The community garden targe, t pertains to the.develop’ment of gardens on City and/or school
district sites. The initial activities in pursuit of this indicato’r will include an evaluation of available
parcels witl~in the City and outreach/surveY/efforts todetermine the, general lev. el of.interest for
.community gardens withi.n various Santa Monica neighborhoods.
15. It is..anticipated that the T~sk Force on ~he E.nvironment, City officials and City staff will play
a ~oie of advising, facilitating and supporting the School District in the creation of a,. Sustainable
Schools Program, Alth’ough preliminary discussiods have taken place, no official positior~’ on this
issue by.t, he school district has yet be~n taken,
16, According to standards used by the Santa Monica Recreation arid Parks Commission, 2.5
acres of open space should, be provided for every 1~000 .City residents. Given Santa Monica’s 1.99’O
population of 86,905 residents, 217.26 acres of total open space is reoommended for the City. A
1 80 acre target fo~ the.year 2000 is believed to be both aggressive and achievable based on the
additional open space resburces (including the Civic Center) which can be madeavailable during the
next five years. The total acreage numbers include dedicated public open space on private sites in .
the City.
OaklandNet/Industry Attraction: Oakland Sustainable: Oakland Sustainable Initative Page 1 of 10
~tN DU S~Y~ATTP~C~IO N~
Sustainable Oaldand
BUSINESS TAX INCENTIVES I TARGETED INDUSTRIES I TECHNOLOGY S__U_SZA_I_NA__B_L__E
OA~KLAND
City of Oakland Sustainable
Community Development Initiative
Goals of the City of Oakland Sustainable Community
Development Initiative:
=Implement a sustainable development strategy as an
overarching principle guiding Oakland’s economic
development program.
[]Link the sustainable economic development strategy to a
comprehensive approach to job training and continuing
education.
[] Encourage affordable in-fill housing, mixed-use
development, and sustainable building practices.
[]Make the City of Oakland’ s operations and services a model
of sustainable community development practices.
[]Establish an on-going process of community participation on
sustainable development initiatives by community
organizations, businesses, unions, and education.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION STEPS
Adopted by the Sustainable Community Development Working
Group
October 19, 1998
Adopted in Concept by the Oakland City Council
November 10, 1998
Part One: Background
Part Two: Approach to Sustainable Community Development
Part Three: Policy Recommendations and Action Steps
Implement a sustainable development strategy as an
overarching principle guiding Oakland’s economic
development program.
2.Link the sustainable economfc development strategy to a
comprehensive approach to job training and continuing
education.
3. Encourage affordable in-fill housing, mixed use
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development, and sustainable building practices.
Make the City of Oakland operations and services a model of
sustainablecommunity development practices
Establish an on-going process of community
participation/evaluation by community organizations,
businesses, unions, and education institutions - using
sustainable community development as a way to build the
strengths of Oakland’s people.
Sustainable Community Development initiative
RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION STEPS
Part One: Background,
The Sustain-able.Community Development Initiative flows from
prior actions by the City of Oaklan_d. The Mayor’s Economic
Development Strategy briefly discussed sustainable economics.
Then, in July, 1997, the City Council addressed sustainable
development more extensively and Unanimously adopted the policy
framework, Building the Sustainable Economy: An Opportunity for
Oakland.
This policy framework presented a conceptual understanding of
sustainable development, examples of success, the foundation of
public and private programs that already exist in Oakland, 23
different initiatives that have been successful elsewhere, and an
implementation timeline.
As a next step, the City Council established the Sustainable
Community Development Working Group as a Sub-Committee of
the Economic Development Committee of the Council and charged
the Working Group with formulating a set of policy
recommendations and action steps to guide sustainable community
development efforts in Oakland.
The Working Group formed Sub-Committees dealing with City
Operations and Services, Business, Communi(y Based
Organizations, and Education. These Sub-Committees reported on
strengths and challenges in their areas and made recommendations.
In association with the Working Group, a task force of City staff
identified the large number of relevant programs taking place in the
City and prepared the Matrix of Ci.ty Programs and Services. (See
attachment.)
Based on therecommendationg of the Sub-Committees and the City
staff task force, the Working Group formulated the Sustainable
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Community Development Initiative presented below. In preparing
the Initiative, the Working Group followed the strategy of:
Identifying and building on Oakland’s strengths and
momentum.
Formulating a small number of fundamental policy .
recommendations with more detailed action steps..
Proposing that City government, in association with the
business, community, and education sectors, implement the
Initiative.
TheWorking Group held extensive discussions with Oakland
Sharing the Vision (OSV) in relation to OSV’s decision to
incorporate sustainable community development as a key principle
in the new version of the Oakland Strategic Plan and to add a
section on the environment.
The Working Group views the Sustainable Community
Development Initiative as one of a series of steps in Oakland’s on-
going effort to become a sustainable community - to be followed by
a broadly participative process of community planning coordinated
by OSV and other partner organizations leading to the new Oakland
Strategic Plan.
Part Two: Approach to Sustainable Community Development
At the Earth Summit in 1992, the assembled nationsof the
world accepted the United Nations definition of sustainable ~
development as, "meeting the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs."
The President’s Council on Sustainable Development and the
Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Development have further
defined sustainable development as the accomplishment of
three integrated goals, which have been characterized as the
"three Es" - economic prosperity, social equity, and
environmental responsibility.
The Sustainable Community Development Initiative views a
sustainable community as one that benefits its people,
building housing for its people, jobs and businesses for the
benefit of its people, and a healthy safe environment for
protection of its people.
The following vision statement for the Initiative is based on
these definitions: ’We envision an Oakland, now and for
future generations, where: the economy is robust, community
friendly, and globally engaged; the natural ecosystem is
protected and restored; and all people have equitable
opportunities to share’in the benefits of a good job,
affordable housing, a prosperous economy, a healthy
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¯enviJonment, a vibrant and diverse culture, continuing
educationl and a satisfying quality of life.’
Part Three: Policy Recommendations and Action Steps
Each p61icy recommendation is followed by a brief rationale and.
then a set of action steps.
Recommendation #1 - Implement a sustainable development
strategy as an overarching principle guiding Oakland’s
economic development program.
Sustainable development is enhanced economic development -
economic development for the 21st Century. Sustainable economic
development is a strategy to produce more jobs and a healthier
environment’. By incorporating sustainable development into its
economic, development strategy, Oakland can combine economic
-prosperity, environmental responsibility, and social equity.
In the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy, Oakland has
adopted an economic sector based orientation (telecommunications,
biotechnology, software, multimedia, transportation, healthcare,
fbod products, recreation, business services, and environmental
services). These sectors should be assessed to determine their
contributions to building a sustainable community in Oakland. This
assessment may lead to the targeting of additional sectors. By
assisting businesses in targeted sectors to adopt sustainable
development practices, Oakland can become more effective at
attracting/retaining desired businesses, and businesses can attain
competitive advantage.
[]Incorporate evaluation of sustainable development practices
(e.g. pollution prevention, energy/resource efficiency, waste
minimization, reuse, recycl!ng, local hiring, livable wages,
job training, continuing education, and community benefits)
in identifying for-profit and non-profit businesses to
attract/assist/retain; and deyelop a promotional campaign
presenting Oakland as an optimal home for businesses using
these practices.
[] Establish a Community Economic Development Agency
(CEDA) Business Attraction and Retention Unit staff person.
responsible for assisting businesses in Oakland to implement
cost effective sustainable development measures and for
attracting businesses wi~h a sustainable.development
orientation to Oakland. (This may mean the City needs to
hire a specialist in sustainable business development.)
m Meet with large, small, micro and non-traditional businesses
systematically by economic sector (both currently targeted
sectors and other sectors that may be targeted in the future) to
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learn what they need to become more sustainable; develop
written materials for businesses which demonstrate the return
on investment available from implementing sustainable
development practices; provide referrals to technical
assistance resources; and establish an educational program to
encourage businesses to move toward sustainable
development.
Disseminate materials on sustainable development practices
and technical assistance resources at the time businesses
apply for business licenses or permits.
Assist in implementing the City of Oakland Living Wage
Ordinance establishing that employers should pay a living
wage.
Support Oakland’s local hiring and local purchasing
initiatives and explore additional incentives to hire local
residents and support local businesses.
Encourage green retail in appropriate sites in Oakland (e.g.
near the new IKEA store.)
Work with the Ethics Commission and other appropriate
bodies to assure that development encouraged by Oakland
meets ethical standards for environmental safety, anti-
violence orientation, and other relevant concerns; and explore
methodology and feasibility for developing an impact
analysis to assess targeted economic sectors and economic
development projects in relation to community economic,
environmental, an.d equity costs and benefits.
Recommendation #2 - Link the sustainable economic
development strategy to a comprehensive approach to job
training and continuing education.
Job training is at the heart of sustainable developm6nt. Successful
businesses need a well prepared workforce which requires
appropriate job training and continuing education. Job training is
essential to the achievement of social equity (a key to sustainable
development) for welfare recipients, the unemployed, and people
living below the poverty line.
[]Use the Job Training Roundtable - a groul~ of the educational
organizations, businesses, unions, public agencies, and job
trainers - to encourage collaboration and linkage among job
seekers, job trainers, unions, and businesses.
[] Research economic growth trends and future labor needs in
Oakland.
[]Identify the job skills that are requisite for the specific
economic sectors Oakland is targeting now and additional
sectors that may be targeted.
m Link job training programs to the City’s targeted prospective
employers.
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[]Fund job training programs that focus on the economic
sectors t.argeted now and in the future.
¯Create a database of job training programs, listing placement
and retention data.
,Evaluate all job training programs that the City funds. ’ .
[]Encourage employers, unions, and educational institutions to.
expand .apprenticeship programs and other forms of
workforce development, and continuing education.
¯Work with the educational institutions in the city to improve
quality basic education/basic literacy for children and adults.
Recommendation #3 - Encourage affordable in-f’fll housing,
mixed use development, and sustainable building practices.
The Oakland General Plan encourages in-fill housing and mixed
use development. Linking affordable housing with commercial,
office, and (where appropriate) manufacturing development brings
jobs in proximity to housing, reduces automobile dependence, and
makes more livable communities. Sustainable (green) building
practices are cost effective ways t6 benefit the environment, the
quality, of life, and the bottom line.
¯Develop a systematic strategy for each of the city’s
redevelopment areas that integrates affordable, rental, and
¯ owner-occupied in-fill housing construction with mixed use
development of office, retail, and, where appropriate,
manufacturing.
,, Support the Fruitvale Transit Village and encourage Transit
Villages at other transit centers such as the MacArthur and
Oakland West BART stations and the proposed transit center
at the Eastmont Mall.
¯Organize a green builders program tO encourage developers,
architects, and construction firms operating from a
sustainable community development perspective to locate
and]or do business in’ Oakland.
¯Formulate and provide information (a comprehensive check
list as well as printed, web, and organizati6nal resources) on
sustainable building design, construction, and operation’
practices (e.g. use of fresh air, natural lighting,
energy/resource efficiency, deconstruction, waste
minimization, recycled materials,,etc.) to for-profit and non-
profit developers and builders as part of the permit
application process.
~Establish sustainable development criteria (formulated also
as a comprehensive check list); review building
developments financed by the City of Oakland on the basis of
these criteria; and include the criteria in scoring for selection
~f architects and contractors.¯~ Research and develop a "tool kit" of financial, code, and
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permitting incentives (such as location efficient mortgages
and tax incentives) to encourage businesses to preserve
existing buildings, undertake new construction, implement
retrofits, and conduct operations in a more sustainable.
fashion.
Recommendation #4 - Make the City of Oakland operations
and services a model of sustainable community development
practices.
The City of Oakland has initiated a wide range of different specific
sustainable community development programs. There are City
programs in the areas of waste prevention/reduction, recycling,
Recycling Market Development Zone, energy efficiency, clean air,
transportation alternatives, environmental protection, hazardous
materials treatment, Brown field redevelopment, open space, parks,
recreation, land use, and neighborhood quality. (See the matrix of
sustainable community development municipal operations and city
services.)
By highlighting existing programs, adding additional ones,
establishing a process of coordination, adopting clear goals, and
monitoring implementation, Oakland can become a model of
sustainable community development - a community where all
residents are treated with respect and nurtured to be productive
members of the community.
[]Launch a high profile, high level interagency City staff task
force to guide Oakland’s sustainable community
development programs and to report semi-annually to the
City Manager and the City Council on progress.
[] Establish a City staff person to coordinate the City’s
interagency task force and other aspects of the City’ s
Sustainable Community Development Initiative and identify
management level sustainable community development
champions in each City Agency.
[] Determine one year and two year goals for the City
sustainable development programs described in the attached
Matrix of City Programs and Services and monitor the
accomplishment of those goals.
[]Develop a City sustainable community development training
workshop for City Council, Council Committees, City
Commissions, and staff; and mandate participation in it.
[]Create an Oakland Green Map to: present Oakland’s progress
in sustainable development; promote for-profit and non-
profit businesses, community organizations, educational
institutions, and government agencies in Oakland who have
adopted a sustainable development orientation; present
environmental amenities and recreational opportunities; and
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describe sustainable community development
resources/services.
[]Support adoption and implementation of an Estuary Plan that
preserves open space and an .accessible waterfront.
[].Create the CitY Council authorized Greenhouse Gas
Emissio.ns Reduction Plan for Oakland which will identify
Oakland’s contribution to greenhouse gasses and specify
measures to reduce Oakland’s contribution such as a
communitY energy/resource efficiency program.
[]Cooperate with other public agencies to develop an
integrated Transit Plan to promote walking, bicycling, public
transit, and other non/low-polluting forms of transportation
in Oakland, and ensure representation of the plan at the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Alameda
CountY Congestion Management Agency.¯[] Encourage the Port of Oakland to adopt a sustainable
development initiative addressing di.’fferent aspects of the
Port’s operations.
[]Collaborate on sustainable community development with the
Port, the Oakland Unified School District, AC Transit,
BART, East Bay MUD, the Metropolitan Transpo.rtation
Commission, University of Califgmia, State Universities,
Parks, Economic Development Alliance for Business
(EDAB), Alameda County Waste Management Authority and
Recycling Board, and other agencies.
[] Use the Sustainable Community Developmerit Initiative’s
policy recommendations and action steps as a guide for
budget priorities and allocations for the next two year budge~
cycle and investigi~te modification of the city’s accounting
system to account for the impacts on environmental and
social capital, costs, and benefits caused by CitY operations,
services, and extemal policies and actions.
Recommendation #5 - E~tablish an on-going process of
planning/participation/evaluation by community organizations,
businesses, unions, and education institutions - using .
sustainable community development as a way to build the
strengths of Oakland’s people.
Extensive community planning, participation, and evaluation Will
be needed as Oakland proceeds With its Sustainable Community
Development Initiative.
Oakland’s communitY organizations c.an play a significant role in
assessing, evaluating, and implementing the Initiative. There are
already many educational programs in Oakland (K-12, community
college, universitY, citY, county, and private organizations) that are
presenting different aspects of a sustainable development
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Introduction
To begin to fulfill our responsibility to our own futures and that of our children is the aim of
this sustainability plan.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tsu
However, you must keep moving in approximately the same direction.
Common Sense
The Plan’s Sponsors
The sustainability plan, now a City document, was drafted by a community collaboration in
which City staff contributed on equal footing with members of other sectors of the
community.
In 1993, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors established a Commission on San
Francisco’s Environment, charged among other things, with dr~fting and implementing a plan
for San Francisco’s long-term environmental sustainability. Knowing theycould not produce
a plan that would actually be implemented without working with a broad cross-section of the
community, several commissioners and others in the community formed Sustainable San
Francisco: an ad hoc steering committee of city agencies, including The City Planning
Department, the Bureau of Energy Conservation, the Recreation and Park Department, and
the Solid Waste Management Program, and others; businesses; environmental organizations;
elected officials; and concerned individuals, to develop a plan for the city’s future.
Nearly 400 people, from every wa/k of life, volunteered their time to produce this plan.
Sustainable San Francisco structured the dratting process so that people with expertise on the
issues covered in the plan could produce a draft in a fairly short time-frame.
This has beenan enormous undertaking, with thousands of hours of time committed to
discussions, drafts, revisions, and meeting management. The hope was to produce a draft that
was comprehensive enough to make a very solid foundation upon which a wider public could
make suggestions for improvement. With this broad base of support, the finalized plan has
the best chance of being effective.
Structure of the Plan
Volunteers spent the early part of 1995 researching sustainability plans from around the
world and created a format with the best chance of producing a plan that would really be
implemented. This plan uses a "general goals / specific objectives / actions" approach
iv
Introduction
modeled on the European,Community’s Agenda 2-I" Implementation Plan (for the United
Kingdom). A supplemental section of indicators, which ~v~ a measurable sense of whether
the city is moving in the right direction, is based on work done by Sustainable Seattle.
For each topic, the plan sets out:
Broad, long-term social goals, meant to be very general, that speak to the basic human
and ecosystem needs that are to be addressed.
Long-term objectives to achieve a sustainable society, describing the state of the City
when it reaches sustainability.
Objectives for the year 2002, describing the proposed state of the City within five years.
These objectives are quantified and meant to be feasible within a five:year time-frame.
They include objectives for businesses and individual residents as well as for city
programs.
Specific actionsto be taken to achieve the objectives. They include actions for all
sectors: govemment,.busi~ess, the non-pro.fit community and individuals. Some are
suggested for specific entities; most are not. These proposed actions.are just
that--proposals. The City of San Francisco has endorsed the goals and objectives of the
plat~, anu wm ~u~,~u~r tu~ ~p~,u~ a~fiuu~ in the future a.~ more fleshed-out proposals on
which the public have had further opportunity to comment are brought before the Board
or the various City Commissions.
A separate section lists indicators for all topic areas. The indicators were designed to-be
numerical measurements that:
¯A~re obvious in what is being measured,
¯Can be found at low cost given the current.information-gathering machinery,
¯Clearly indicate a t~end toward or away .from sustainability,
¯Are understandable to everyone and easily presented in the media.
Agenda 21 is the United Nations action strategy for sustainable development.
Introduction
Topics Addressed in the Plan
Section I
Specific Environmental Topics
Air Quality
Biodiversity
Energy, Climate Change and Ozone
Depletion
Food and Agriculture
Hazardous Materials
Human Health
Parks, Open Spaces and Streetscapes
Solid Waste
Transportation
Water and Wastewater
Section ,11
Topics that Span Many Issues
Economy and Economic Development
Environmental Justice
Municipal Expenditures
Public Information and Education
Risk Management
(Activities of High Environmental Risk)
Clearly, several topics are overlapping. While, for instance, nearly every environmental
section addresses public education, environmental justice, and the other topics from Section
II, special groups were formed to focus exclusively on these topics, in order to ensure that
they were addressed in depth.
Topics not Addressed in the Plan
Sustainability planning includes equal parts environmental, economic and community
planning. The primary focus of this version of San Francisco’s sustainability plan is the
environmental component, with a section on sustainable economic development, and one on
the social issue of environmental justice. Over the coming months, the mayor’s office will
work to broaden the economic and community aspects of the plan.
Even with a focus primariy on the environmental component, some limits had to be set to
address an issue as broad as environmental sustainability. This plan addresses primarily the
physical systems of the planet that often get short shrift from planners, and the social systems
that have a direct impact on them.
Land-use is a vital issue that does not have a separate section; there are land-use implications
to almost every section’s proposed actions. It is addressed to the greatest extent in the
Transportation, Economy and Economic Development, Food and Agrieulture, and Parks
sections.
Differing Structures in Different Sections
Anyone reading this plan straight throug’h will notice that different sections have slightly
different numbering systems and different Way~s of addressing each topic. The numbering
vi
Introduction
systems follow the approach that each drafting group took to its proposals, and could not be
made uniform without violating the logical structures put forward. The numbering .
differences reflect the collaborative nature Of the planning process, and is irrelevant to ~e
content of the sections. ~
What’s the B.aseline?
In 1994, the Commission on San Francisco’s Environment published a baseline study of San
Francisco’s current environmental situation, the Environmental State of the City Report.
(As of this writing, it is out of print.) It provides a baseline for re.any of the issues covered in
the plan. However, some of the top~cs listed above were not covered in the State of the city
report. This sustainability planning effort has been evolving over time,and the topic list has
expanded since the report was done. More research will be needed.
Baseline data for the i~dieators section has yet to be compiled.
The Plan Drafte-rs
In order to produce a draft reasonably quickly, people wererecruited for the various topics
who already knew a lot about the issues. Volunteers came primarily from the environmental
". advocacy communities, city agencies, businesses, and the academic community. Members of
¯the general public who contacted Sustainable San Francisco in time to attend all the meetings
also participated. Everyone volunteered their time.
Although there was remarkable unanimity among the plan drafters about the basic attributes
of a sustainable society, as would be expected in any exercise of this size and scope,
participants didn’t always agree on the best strategy for achieving it. Some feel strongly that
the plan does not go far enough and contains too man:~ compromises; others feel that it has
gone too far and is unrealistic. That it is incomplete is beyond doubt. The plan would be
incomplete at twice its length, and aspects of it.will loose their timeliness as circumstances
change every day after its publication. Nonetheless, while not aspiring to b.e a perfect
treatise, the document can provide the rough game-plan that is n~eessary for a concerted
effort to achieve a sustainable society, an effort that has been orchestrated by as broad a
cross-section of the community as has been gathered in many years for a common purpose. ¯
The only goal of producing this plan is to begin implementing it.
As large as the drafting group is, it represents only a tiny fraction of the public in San
Francisco who must make the plan part of their personal agendas for it to succeed. This draft
represents an invitation to all San Franciscans to think about a common’ .future, and an
opportunity to make a choice of the routes to that end.
vii
Introduction
Public Comment
Public comments were solicited in four day-long public hearings in June, 1996, andwere
accepted in writing throughout the summer. Comments were-distributed to all participants in
the drafting groups, who finalized this draft in September of 1996. Further opportunities for
public comment occurred during consideration of this plan by the advisory Commission on
San Francisco’s Environment (October, 1996), the new charter Commission on the
Environment (November, 1996) and by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (July, 1997).
Endorsement of the Plan
The Sustainability Plan became policy of the City and County of San Francisco in July, 1997.
City Planning Department staff are currently working a several-year strategy to update and revise
the City’s General Plan. Work will continue to appropriately combine the two documents.
Implementing the Plan
The plan is meant to be a blueprint, but because of its comprehensive nature, implementation
of the various actions within it will take a great deal of (choose one or more) formal
environmental review, advocacy before the commissions responsible for implementation of
that area, legislation, regulation, finding new money, securing public support, and so forth.
A new Department of the Environment, the In’st in San Francisco’s history, was formed over
the winter of 1996-7. One of the main responsibilities of this new agency is to begin
implementing the sustainability plan. This central focus within the structure of the city itself
will go a long way toward ensuring that the plan is more than a community writing exercise.
The fact that a new agency has been created, however, should not minimize the importance of
the work of the City’s older environmental agencies, many o’f which participated in the
drafting process. They are already implementing of some of the actions proposed here, and
plans for more are in the works. Several of the City’s agen.eies are on the cutting edge of
environmental program leadership, and it is hoped that the focus on sustainability provided by
this plan will help secure them the resources and support they need to move forward even
more aggressively on an agenda for San Francisco’s future, and will make them role models
for agencies that have been slower to share this common vision.
A number of the plan’s actions are suggested for the private sector and individuals.
Implementation of these actions will be essential for a fundamental change in the way San
Francisco interacts with the natural world, and the various advocacy groups, city agencies,
and activist individuals involved in drafting the plan will work with the Department of the
Environment to ensure that these changes move forward.
VIII
Introduction
Many of the actions suggested in this plan will go nowhere without new sources of funding. It
is up to the creativity of our City leadership, including business and the non-profit community,
to find this funding through new money and more efficient use of current resources. ’
Changes of.law and regulation must be addressed one. at a time, and will take more concerted
drafting and public discussion than has been possible in this preliminary drafting process.
They will take time and persistence..
This plan is a first step in the long process of changingattitudes ~at sepa~-a.te humans from
the rest of the natural world mad ignore the long-term results of human behavior. It is a
process of developing the wealth of the community, and strengthening the health and
capacities of all the City’s residents. Through vision, persistence, and a plan of action, San
Franeiseans will be able tb create, a healthy society that respects the needs of all its members,
and the needs of the natural systems of which they are a part.
Beryl Magilavy
Director
Department of the Environment
APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................................A
Requests received from the public for changes to the Plan:
Sustainability .............................................................................................................................A-1
Growth Requirements ........................................................................................................A-2, A-3
Growth to Pay Fair Share of New Facilities ...........................................................................A-2,A-3
Balance of Employment and Housing ...................................................................................A-2, A-3
The Arts ...................................................................................................................................A-4
Glider-towing at the Boulder Municipal Airport ............................................................................A-5
Conservation Area to Prevent Lowering the Water Table in North Boulder .....................................A-15
City of Boulder Designated and Potentially Eligible Historic Districts Map ..............................................A-18
1. GENERAL POLICIES
SCOPE AND APPLICATION OF THE BOULDER VALLEY COMPREHENSIVE PI.AN [
POLICY 1.01
JOINT CITY-COUNTY PLAN ADOPTION AND IMPLEMENTATION. The structure, administration, and
implementation of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan, hereafter r&erred to as the Comprehensive Plan, shall
be based on specific and nonconflicting policies jointly adopted by Boulder County and the City of Boulder. The
Comprehensive Plan, consisting of a series of maps together with explanatory statements, shall be derived to the
maximum extent possible from the policies jointly adopted by Boulder County and the City of Boulder.
POLICY 1.02
DEFINITION OF THE BOULDER VALLEY PI.ANNING AREA. The Comprehensive Plan shall generally
encompass the Boulder Valley which is defined as those areas bounded by the mountain backdrop on the west, 9 5th
St. on the east, Davidson Mesa and the 9U’ Creek and Coal Creek drainage on the o,,,ac,,t-a-nd-southeast, the south
county line on the south, Mineral Road CZ~nbarre! H!!! on the northeast, Neva Road and Niwot Road on the north,
!and= north and ;ve=t efthe Pc’_’!der’P.e~er;’e:’r and !and ;ve~t of Left Hand Va!!ey P.e=er;’cir cn the nerth, and as
specifically delineated on the Comprehensive Plan Map.
Rationale:. Staff is proposing to slightly modify the Planning Area policy to better define the conceptual boundaries.
POLICY ~ (moved from Chapter 2 to Chapter 1 with proposed changes)
COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY. Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Within the resource limits and the population carrying
capacity of the Boulder Valley, the City and the County seek to maintain and enhance the livability, health, and
vitality of the Boulder Valley and its bioregion now and in the long-term future. Maintaining the long-term health
of the natural environment and the economy and community livability in the Boulder Valley and beyond are
inextricably linked. The City and the County seek to preserve choices for future generations and to anticipate and
adapt to changing community needs and external influences.
Rationale: The proposed changes clarify the definition of sustainability.
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