HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm Reports /2008/04/23
AGENDA
MEETING OF THE
PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA
6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
City Hall
Executive Conference Room
276 Fourth Avenue
Chula Vista, CA
CALL TO ORDER:
ROLL CALUMOTIONS TO EXCUSE:
Planning Commission:
Tripp_Felber_Moctezuma_ Vinson
Bensoussan_ Clay ton_ Spethman_
MOTIONS TO EXCUSE:
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND MOMENT OF SILENCE:
OPENING STATEMENT:
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
April 9, 2008
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS:
Opportunity for members of the public to speak to the Planning Commission on any subject matter
within the Commission's jurisdiction, but not an item on today's agenda. Each speaker's
presentation may not exceed three minutes.
CONSENT ITEMS:
The Chair may entertain requests by Staff to continue or withdraw an agenda item. The Chair may
also entertain a recommendation by a Commissioner to approve certain non-controversial agenda
items as consent items.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Action Item:
Acceptance of Climate Change Working Group's Final
Recommendation Report.
Director's Report:
Commission Comments:
Adjournment:
To a Regular Planning Commission on May 14, 2008.
Planning Commission
-2-
April 23, 2008
COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
The City of Chula Vista, in complying with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), requests individuals who require
special accommodations to access, attend, and/or participate in a City meeting, activity, or service, request such
accommodations at least forty-eight hours in advance for meetings, and five days for scheduled services and
activities. Please contact Diana Vargas for specific information at (619) 691-5101 or Telecommunications Devices
for the Deaf (TDD) at 585-5647. California Relay Service is also available for the hearing impaired.
MINUTES OF THE
PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA
6:00 p.m.
April 9, 2008
Council Chambers
276 Fourth Avenue
Chula Vista, California
6:03:41 PM
CALL TO ORDER:
ROLL CALL I MOTIONS TO EXCUSE:
Members Present:
Tripp, Felber, Moctezuma, Vinson, Bensoussan, Clayton,
Spethman
None
Member Absent:
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Read into the record by Chair Tripp
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
February 27,2008 and March 12, 2008
MSC (FelberlSpethman) (5-0-2-0) to approve minutes of February 27, 2008 and March 12,
2008 as submitted. Motion carried.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS:
No public input.
1. ACTION ITEMS:
Planning Commission Chair's request to hold
informational and impartial public discussion and to
consider going on record in favor or opposed to
Proposition E.
Chair Tripp disclosed that since some members of the Planning Commission have publicly
made known their position on Prop E, at the advice of the City Attorney and staff, the
Commission will not be taking action or a vote on this item and will only be taking comments
from the public and Planning Commission members.
6: 13: 14 PM Cmr. Moctezuma recused herself from the dais due to a conflict of interest. She
also stated that due to the controversy of the topic, she wished to clarify that on this matter,
as with all items that go before the Planning Commission, although she may have an
opinion, she comes to these meeting with an open mind, and it is not until after she has
heard all of the testimony and reviewed all of the documentation that she forms her
conclusion to either support or opposes a proposal.
Public Comments:
6: 18: 16 PMJim Peterson, gave an overview of the many public meetings that were held
during the General Plan Update and the Urban Core Specific Plan in which there was an
overwhelming support from residents to maintain a 45 foot height limit for buildings along
Third Avenue between E and G Streets; the people have spoken and he too is in support of
Prop E
Planning Commission Minutes
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April 9, 2008
6:29:51 PM Peter Watry stated that people spoke their minds for the direction and vision they
wanted their city to move forward to at the last General Plan Update The General Plan,
although not perfect, is a document of compromise that for better or for worse, works for the
majority of the people. He expressed concern that the City Council shows little regard for what
the General Plan says and is readily willing to do a General Plan Amendment if a developer
lobbies enough in order to accommodate his project. Because this, Prop E is an attempt to give
back some control to the people and put it up for a vote.
6:43:23 PM Todd Hoff, Chief Executive Officer, Scripps Mercy Chula Vista Hospital, stated
they are a non-profit health care system and campus development is funded by a combination
of borrowing, net revenue and philanthropy. Prop E adds limitations to their ability to develop
their campus making financing more difficult because it adds cost and uncertainty to the
process. They have a limited amount of land and the proposed height limit further constrains
their ability to plan a facility that will meet the health care needs of our community. He urged the
commission to oppose Prop E.
6:46:03 PM Kevin O'Neill stated he is concerned with the imposition Prop E places on the
hospital and smaller uses, in addition to its permanency; it would take another election and
money to change it. Mr. O'Neill noted some irregularities in reasoning in the language of the
Proposition, i.e. "... high-rise buildings should be located where transportation systems have
been built to serve them... n. This statement is incorrect because transportation systems will not
be built without the necessary ridership already in place. Mr. O'Neill also stated that we need to
be mindful of how our decisions will affect future generations.
6:57:19 PM Jennifer Lanzrath a resident of Chula Vista and parishioner of St. Rose of Lima
Church stated their church received a Conditional Use Permit last summer to build a new
school, hall and church, but construction has not yet begun. As a non-profit, they are concerned
that their project would not be grandfathered in under Prop. E and would incur their project
additional review and expense.
7:03:21 PM Peter Rullan, 98 Cook Ct., and has a practice at 256 Landis, stated he is the
President and Founder of the Chula Vista Taxpayers and Responsible Planning group. Dr.
Rullan stated he lives and works in downtown Chula Vista and is saddened to see it slowly
deteriorating and dying; its time for a change to come to Chula Vista. We need an infusion of
optimism and vision of what we want our City to develop into and we need to partner and
support our City government to attract investment and development.
Conclude Public Comments.
7:07:24 PM Cmr. Clayton asked how would the City go about exempting hospitals from the
restrictions imposed by Prop E if it were to pass.
Mike Shirey responded that the City Council can put it to a vote of the people through a ballot
initiative. Additionally, under a Council-sponsored initiative, it would have to go through
environmental review.
7:08:54 PM Cmr. Vinson stated the importance of casting an informed vote because the effect
and permanency of this measure if it is passed. He urged everyone to get educated and
involved in spreading the word on what exactly this means regardless of what side you are on.
Planning Commission Minutes
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April 9, 2008
7: 13:40 PM Cmr. Felber echoed Cmr. Moctezuma's initial statement and also stated that those
who oppose Prop E don't necessarily want high rise building to be constructed, but are more in
favor of providing flexibility to be able to get the highest and best use of land commensurate
with the area. He also voiced the importance of casting an informed and educated vote. Adding
to Mr. O'Neill's comments about future generations; he would like to invite the Youth
Commission to be more involved and solicit their perspective and recommendations on major
proposal to the Planning Commission, CVRC and City Council.
7:21:44 PM Cmr. Tripp asked the City Attorney to give an overview of the CEQA process and
requirements. Mr. Tripp also inquired if any analysis had been conducted on potential financial
impacts or losses as a result of Prop E passing.
Mr. Sandoval responded that he is not aware of any economic studies, but stated that the
Planning and Building Department conducted a land use analysis.
7:29:34 PM Cmr. Bensoussan stated she is concerned with the amount of misinformation that
is circulating out there, Le., that if Prop E passes, projects would not be subject to environmental
review, therefore, she pointed to the City Attorney's Impartial Analysis, which stated, "...A
project proponent affected by this proposition would be required to comply with all existing
planning, design, and environmental review processes, but could not obtain final approval
unless and until voters approved the project."
2.
Permit Streamlining and measures to reduce cost and
time for development entitlements, encouraging economic
revitalization.
7:43:29 PM Mr. Sandoval stated that the City is looking at streamlining our entitlement
processes and evaluating the function, scope of responsibilities and where there is a duplication
of efforts in our seven land use boards and commission. Ms. Lytle will be giving a presentation
on those recommendations and would solicit the Commission's input.
7:46:37 PM Nancy Lytle stated that CEQA and the Permit Streamlining Act function together to
create a timeline for any development entitlement application in California, therefore, any
streamlining efforts needs to be done within the constraints of State law requirements.
Ms. Lytle indicated that the Planning and Building Department spends over $500,000 in support
of seven commissions that make land use decisions; they are: Planning Commission, ORC,
CVRC, RCC, RAC, GMOC and Board of Appeals.
The RCC acts as an oversight role for CEQA staff functions, which adds an additional
administrative step to the process. There is a potential to elevate the RCC to a policy-
recommending role for such policy directives like the Climate Working Group recommendations,
and no longer would be involved in formal review of CEQA documents, but focus on providing
advice to the Planning Commission, ORC, CVRC and Council on environmental policy.
RAC is advisory to CVRC and they act as a vehicle to obtain public input for quasi-judicial
entitlement applications. We are in discussions with a subcommittee of the RAC and CVRC to
look as the dual effort that they have.
Planning Commission Minutes
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April 9, 2008
With respect to the Planning Commission, DRC and CVRC, there could be cost and time
savings by delegating certain decisions that are currently made by these bodies to the Zoning
Administrator. By delegating more decisions to the ZA, this official can hold hearings and
decide on certain CUPs, variances, minor maps, design review and other common entitlements.
Appeals to these decisions would be carried forward to the Planning Commission and CVRC.
The DRC would handle major applications and the Chair could officially advise the ZA on all
delegated DRC applications, in or outside redevelopment territory.
8:05:34 PM Cmr. Spethman stated that the streamlining recommendations for the B/C/C's are
good, specifically elevating the role of the RCC to a policy-recommending role, delegating more
oversight to the Zoning Administrator and having a representative of the DRC be advisor to the
ZA. He expressed uncertainty about the effectiveness of the RAC for many reasons; the
duplicity in their role; extending the review process; its make-up, i.e. three members of the
Planning Commission wearing different hats; and their role in design review, when it is the
members of the DRC that have the professional expertise to do design review.
8:13:30 PM Cmr. Moctezuma stated she believes the role of the RAC is valuable and wished to
clarify that the RAC #2 meeting is not a mandatory meeting; oftentimes everything is covered or
fast-tract at the RAC #1 meeting; this is a topics she would like to discuss further when the RAC
and CVRC meet to discuss their roles and responsibilities. She also pointed out that projects in
the redevelopment area do not go before the Planning Commission and is supportive of
delegating more responsibility to the ZA.
8:15:50 PM Cmr. Tripp stated he agrees with elevating the RCC's role to a policy advisory body
and delegating more to the ZA. It would also be useful in expediting the process to have an
updated Zoning Code to provide specific, straightforward guidelines, even to the point of
defining design elements that mayor may not be allowed. With regard to alcohol CUP's, the ZA
can handle them administratively unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as an over-
concentration of businesses with liquor licenses andlor crime in a certain census tract.
8:21 :50 PM Cmr. Bensoussan stated that although she supports elevating the RCC, it is very
important that the make-up of this Commission be qualified professionals who have expertise in
environmental sciences, conservation and the like. With respect to entitlements for minor
projects, it is important, after public input is received, to define those thresholds, i.e. projects
under a certain size can be ministerially approved by the ZA. The design guidelines of the
UCSP are sufficiently detailed that if the applicant adheres to them, the design review aspect of
the RAC would be greatly reduced and their focus could be on other elements of the project.
Another way to cut down on costs would be to use community groups, like the City of San Diego
does, to serve as the vanguard instead of having staff-sponsored outreaches at venues such as
schools.
8:30:12 PM Ms. Lytle pointed out that Cmr. Benousssan's comment on using community groups
is excellent because there is cost savings anytime you can eliminate Brown Act public meetings
because of the notification requirements.
8:31:44 PM Cmr. Clayton asked how all of this streamlining helps reduce cost for the applicant.
By reducing the cost for the applicant, we will attract more of their business.
Ms. Lytle stated that the more we streamline our process and make it less costly and more
efficient, the more we save the development community. Right now they have to reimburse us
100% cost recovery for entitlements. Other Cities of similar size who are our competitors for
Planning Commission Minutes
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April 9, 2008
economic investment do not require 100% cost recovery, especially for smaller, straightforward
entitlements.
8:34: 17 PM Cmr. Vinson stated that streamlining is good news to any developer because time
equates money; he would also like to see what the development community has to say about
our process. Cmr. Vinson inquired what is the cost savings to the City with the proposed cuts in
staffing the B/C/C's and streamlining the process.
Ms. Lytle responded that we are cutting a management position and an administrative support
position out of the Administrative budget, which is a cost savings of approximately $200,000.
8:42:33 PM Cmr. Felber stated he disagrees with some of the comments that have been made
about the RAC doing predominantly design review. The RAC was created in an attempt to
streamline the review of projects in redevelopment areas that previously went through the DRC,
RCC and Planning Commission. He agrees that there should be a one-shot review by the RAC
and favors upgrading the Zoning Administrator to do ministerial approval of minor projects.
8:58:36 PM Cmr. Bensoussan stated that because the UCSP is a specific and detailed
document and has also gone through exhaustive environmental review, if a project complies
with this document, the EIR process for the redevelopment areas ought to not be as onerous,
particularly if the project is compliant with the UCSP.
8:59:46 PM Cmr. Tripp responded that if a project complies with the UCSP, then it ought to be
made a ministerial project and moved forward to the CVRC, eliminating the need to go to the
RAC.
9:00:38 PM Cmr. Clayton stated that this discussion has been of great value, however, it is
very preliminary and would like to see it come back once staff has had a chance to incorporate
the Commission's comments and have a more concrete plan.
3.
Debrief of the March 29th field trip to the business district
tour.
The commission consensus was that the tour was very beneficial and thanked Cmr.
Spethman for recommending that it be organized and staff for putting it together.
9:03:50 PM
Adjourned to a regular Planning Commission meeting on April 23, 2008.
Submitted by,
Diana Vargas
Secretary to the Planning Commission.
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CITY OF
CHULA VISTA
Department of Conservation
& Environmental Services
DATE: April 10, 2008
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Michael Meacham, Director of Conservation & Environmental Services
Brendan Reed, Environmental Resource Manager
SUBJECT: Acceptance of Climate Change Working Group's Final Recommendations
Report
In 2007 staff reported to the City Council that Chula Vista's citywide greenhouse gas emissions
had increased by 35% from 1990 to 2005, while emissions from municipal operations decreased
by 18%. As a result, the City Council directed staff to convene a Climate Change Working
Group (CCWG) to develop recommendations to reduce the community's greenhouse gas
emissions or "carbon footprint" in order to meet the City's 2010 greenhouse gas emissions
reduction targets. Over the last ten months, the CCWG - comprised of residential, business and
community-group representatives - reviewed over 90 carbon-reducing measures that were
previously implemented by other communities to determine their applicability and potential
effectiveness in Chula Vista. The CCWG completed its review of these measures and selected
seven measures which it recommended to City Council on April 1, 2008. In response, Council
adopted all seven measures and directed staff to return within 90 days with more detailed
implementation plans. City staff is now working to engage multiple community and stakeholder
groups in the implementation planning process.
The Department of Conservation & Environmental Services staff is asking the Planning
Commission (PC) to accept the CCWG's Final Recommendations Report (attached). Once the
draft implementation plans are developed, City staff will return to the Planning Commission for
review and feedback. The PC may want to select a point of contact representative to help staff
maintain communication with the Commission during the implementation planning process and
to help solicit the PC's detailed responses to the proposed implementation plans.
Attachments
Climate Change Working Group Final Recommendations Report - April 2008
Council Agenda Statement
CCWG Council Presentation
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA STATEMENT
~{'f:.. CITY OF
.~ CHUlA VISTA
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
SUBMITTED BY:
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CHULA VISTA ACCEPTING THE CHULA VISTA CLIMATE
CHANGE WORKING GROUP'S FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
REPORT, ADOPTING RECOMMENDATIONS #1 AND #2 AS
AMENDED BY STAFF AND DIRECTING STAFF TO RETURN
TO COUNCIL WITHIN 90 DAYS WITH MORE DETAILED
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ITEMS #3-5 AND #7.
DIR. OF CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE MANAGER
CITY MANAGER
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ITEM TITLE:
REVIEWED BY:
4/5THS VOTE: YES D NO 0
SUMMARY
In May 2007 staff reported to City Council that Chula Vista's citywide greenhouse gas
emissions had increased by 35% (mainly due to residential growth) from 1990 to 2005,
while emissions from municipal operations decreased by 18%. As a result, the City Council
directed staff to convene a Climate Change Working Group to develop recommendations to
reduce the community's greenhouse gas emissions or "carbon footprint" in order to meet the
City's 2010 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Over the last ten months, the
Working Group - comprised of residential, business and community-group representatives -
reviewed over 90 carbon-reducing measures that were previously implemented by other
communities to determine their applicability and potential effectiveness in Chula Vista. The
Climate Change Working Group has completed its review of these measures and has
selected seven measures which it recommends for implementation to further lower the
community's carbon emissions by the City's 2010 Kyoto commitment.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 2 of9
The Environmental Review Coordinator has reviewed the proposed project for compliance
with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the project
qualifies for a Class 8 categorical exemption pursuant to Section 15308 [Actions by
Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment] of the State CEQA Guidelines.
Thus, no further environmental review is necessary.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that City Council (1) accept the Climate Change Working Group's final
recommendations report, (2) adopt recommendations #1 and #2 as amended by staff and (3)
direct staff to further evaluate recommendations #3-5 and #7 for future Council
consideration. Recommendation #6 does not require further action because mixed-use,
transit-oriented zoning has already been incorporated into City planning documents.
BOARDS/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
In February 2008 City officials requested that the CCWG's recommendation be presented to
City Council immediately. As a result, the CCWG has not had an opportunity to present its
report to the Resource Conservation Commission yet, but is currently scheduled for the
Commission's April 21 st meeting. City staff did present the 2005 Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Inventory to the Commission as an Information Item at their April 16, 2007
meeting.
DISCUSSION
Since the early 1990s, Chula Vista has been engaged in multiple climate change forums
including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto
Protocol Conference. As a result of this initial involvement, the City was the first local
government with fewer than 1 million residents to become a founding member of ICLEI -
the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives - and its Cities for Climate
Protection campaign. In 2000 Council voted to adopt the City's Carbon Dioxide Reduction
Plan establishing the goal of reducing the City's greenhouse gas (GHG) or "carbon"
emissions 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. The City reinforced this reduction commitment
through support of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) and the U.S.
Conference of Mayor's Climate Protection Agreement, which once again pledged that Chula
Vista would reduce its carbon emissions to pre-1990 levels.
The 2005 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory was the first formal evaluation of
the City's progress in reaching its emissions goals. The 2005 inventory indicated that Chula
Vista's annual citywide GHG levels had increased by 35% since 1990 due primarily to
residential growth. During the same period, the City did make significant progress in
reducing annual per capita emissions by 17% and avoiding nearly 200,000 tons of GHG
emissions annually. In addition, GHG emissions from municipal sources decreased by 18%
mainly due to energy-efficient traffic signal retrofits. As a result of its 2005 Greenhouse
Gas Emissions Inventory Report, the City Council directed staff to convene a Climate
Change Working Group (CCWG) to develop recommendations to reduce the community's
greenhouse gas emissions or "carbon footprint" in order to meet the City's 2010 greenhouse
gas emissions reduction targets.
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 3 of9
The Group was convened under the direction of the Council's ICLEI representatives,
Councilmember Castaneda and Councilmember McCann, who serve as the City's Climate
Change Subcommittee. The Subcommittee and their staff took an active role in establishing
the private sector categories on the Working Group, submitting participant names and
reviewing all potential representatives. The Planning Department, General Services, Public
Works and Community Development were also invited to participate. The final ten-member
group included seven Chula Vista residents and three participants who lived elsewhere but
were involved in the Chula Vista community. The Working Group was also supported by
three ex-officio members with strong interests in Chula Vista's climate reduction actions
(see Appendix A for full participant list).
To help direct the Group in their task of identifying effective emissions reduction strategies,
City staff provided them with the following five primary principles in developing their
recommendations: 1) the measure had been previously implemented successfully by an
ICLEI local government or California Climate Action Registry business, 2) the measure
would be financially feasible (i.e. require little or no additional General Fund support, 3) the
measure could be quickly implemented to have immediate impact on the City's efforts to
reduce emissions by 2010, 4) the measures' impacts could be quantified using the City's
emissions inventory protocol and 5) the measure would not cause a significant adverse
community impact. The CCWG's meetings were initially moderated by a trained and
independent City facilitator (Dawn Beintema), while Conservation and Environmental
Services Department staff provided administrative support.
The Climate Change Working Group's final recommendations are outlined in their attached
final report and analyzed by City staff below. The CCWG's final recommendations were
written collaboratively by Working Group members and incorporate responses to questions
and comments raised by the public and City staff during their meetings. The
recommendations represent a powerful strategy that, if followed, could slow the rate at
which the City's GHG emissions increase in the future and may ultimately contribute to
lowering emissions to below 1990 levels.
The CCWG's recommendations vary in their level of required City commitment (i.e. staff
time, funding, new programs/policies) and their impact on GHG emissions (i.e. reduction
magnitude and timeframe). To assist the City Council in evaluating the recommendations,
City staff has analyzed the recommendations' potential effectiveness to reduce emissions
and the required next steps for implementation. Unfortunately, the CCWG and City staff
did not have the resources to quantify exact emissions reductions created by each
recommendation, rather the Group relied on the information provided by other cities that
have successfully implemented these measures. Staff is able to provide a relative
comparison between recommendations on their potential to reduce citywide emissions.
More detailed emissions analyses would require the use of an outside consultant with more
advanced modeling capabilities. Each CCWG recommendation is reviewed below by City
staff for its fiscal impact, relative emissions impact and the necessary "next steps" to
implement the measure. In addition, City staff included their own recommendations on how
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 4 of9
certain measures could be amended to improve their effectiveness. It should be noted that
there are a number of current and future statewide regulations that will complement the
CCWG's recommendations below and assist Chula Vista in reducing its "carbon footprint."
1) Require that 100% of the replacement vehicles purchased for the municipal fleet be high
efficiency (hybrid) or alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).
Fiscal Impact: New higher efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles could be purchased using
the City's Equipment Replacement Funds when vehicles are replaced. Although the initial
costs for each replacement vehicle could be higher than a conventional replacement, fuel
savings may offset this initial price difference (ranging between $5,000 for small sedans to
$70,000 for heavy-duty trucks) over the vehicle's lifetime. For example, some hybrid
models recover their price premium in fuel savings within five years.l Some alternative
fuels may also be less expensive than conventional fuels on a price per gallon and price per
gasoline-gallon equivalent.2 It is estimated that the City's total annual vehicle replacement
costs would increase by at least $140,000 if hybrids and/or alternative fuel vehicle
replacements were required for light duty vehicles such as cars and small trucks. Large
equipment replacement with hybrids or AFVs would further increase the annual impact on
the Equipment Replacement Fund. As a result, there would need to be incremental increases
in vehicle replacement fees paid by each City department which could indirectly affect
future municipal budgets. Transitioning to some alternative fuels may also require
municipal infrastructure improvements. For example, the City has been ready to integrate
biodiesel into its large equipment and truck fleet, but is waiting for the capital funds
(approximately $440,000) to complete the installation of diesel and gasoline storage tanks at
the Public Works Corp Yard before implementing the program. Grant funds may be
available to offset a portion of the necessary infrastructure improvement costs for some
alternative fuels in the future.
Emissions Impact: City fleet vehicle emissions account for 54% of the emissions from
municipal operations but make up less than 1 % of the citywide emissions. A "green" City
fleet has a greater impact on the community as a demonstration of leadership and as a
catalyst for alternative transportation infrastructure than on reducing community-wide
emissions. To its credit, the City has added compressed natural gas buses and cars, electric
vehicles and forklifts and a fuel cell vehicle to its fleet over the years. The City began
purchasing hybrid replacement vehicles two years ago before the vehicle replacement fund
was altered to accommodate budget challenges. This measure is easily quantifiable and will
reduce municipal transportation emissions incrementally over the estimated 10-15 years that
it will take to replace the fleet and/or convert to alternative fuels. City leadership in
AFV /hybrid and alternative fuel purchasing has the potential to increase local markets and
infrastructure that could advance community-wide adoption and increase emissions
reductions. The measure could also provide a catalyst for local private investments in AFV
and infrastructure that would further expand the recommendation's emissions reductions.
Implementation Steps: This measure would require an amendment to the City's
purchasing/bid requirements stipulating that all new vehicle purchases should be either high
1 Consumer Reports, August 2006
2 Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, October 2007
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 5 of9
efficiency (hybrid) or alternative fuel vehicles. This measure has the added benefit of
improving local air quality by reducing the local generation of particulates and other air
emissions that contribute to asthma and lung disease.
Staff Suggestions: Staff recommends that this measure be implemented; however, the
measure may not be immediately applicable to public safety and large equipment classes.
Staff recommends that it be provided with the flexibility to test and phase in alternative
fuels, hybrid and/or electric vehicles into public safety vehicles and large equipment classes
to ensure that they are operationally-practical and technically-feasible. Depending on the
rate of vehicle replacement, there may need to be budget adjustments to cover increased
replacement fees paid by each City department.
2} Encourage City-contracted fleet operators to adopt the use of high efficiency (hybrid) or
alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) by stipulating that 100% of replacement vehicle purchases
should be alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles.
Fiscal Impact: The measure's implementation costs would be fully borne by contractors
and absorbed into their municipal contracts. The hybrid and/or alternative fuel vehicles'
increased initial costs may be offset by their future fuel cost savings resulting in long-term
savings for the contractor. There is a possibility that increased contractor costs from
measure implementation could be passed onto City ratepayers through higher fees.
Emissions Impact: Because the City's current emissions inventory protocol does not
directly quantify emissions from City-contracted fleet vehicles (ex. street sweepers and solid
waste trucks), estimating the measure's impact is problematic. However, the measure would
help increase local demand for alternative fueling and electric charging stations which may
help catalyze private investments in local AFV infrastructure and expand the measure's
emissions impact (similar to measure #1). Additionally, contractors' alternative fuel choices
could be coordinated with City practices to complement one another and potentially reduce
infrastructure costs. This measure also has the added benefit of improving local air quality
by' reducing the local generation of particulates and other air emissions that contribute to
asthma and lung disease.
Implementation Steps: This measure would require an amendment to the City's
contractinglbid requirements encouraging all contracted fleet operators to incorporate high
efficiency (hybrid) and AFV as their fleet vehicles are replaced. This requirement would not
pertain to vehicle classes in which there is not an operationally-practical, technically-
feasible hybrid or alternative fuel option.
Staff Suggestions: City staff recommends amending this measure to require City-
contracted fleet operators to fully incorporate hybrid and AFV as their fleet vehicles are
replaced when new contracts are negotiated or existing contracts are extended. The
requirement would only pertain to vehicle classes in which there is an operationally-
practical, technically-feasible hybrid or alternative fuel option.
3) Require Chula Vista-licensed businesses to participate in an energy assessment of their
physical premises every 3 years or upon change of ownership.
Fiscal Impact: As part of its 2009-2011 SDG&E Partnership proposal, Chula Vista has
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 6 of9
requested funding for City staff to provide businesses with free facility energy assessments.
These assessments allow business owners and managers to learn about opportunities
(technological and behavioral) to reduce energy consumption and costs. If the City is
awarded the Partnership in July 2008, there would be no costs associated with this measure
for the City or businesses through December 2011 or as long as external SDG&E funding
continues. If there is no external funding, the measure's implementation is estimated to cost
the City $250,000 annually.
Emissions Impact: While the measure does not require businesses to adopt energy-
efficiency improvements, it does help them to understand and apply for SDG&E rebate and
incentive programs that would lead to energy conservation. Over the last two years, City
staff has visited over 2,000 businesses and identified over 800,000 kWh in potential energy
savings (equivalent to 640,000 Ibs C02). Requiring an energy assessment as part of the
business license renewal process will greatly expand the potential for immediate emissions
reductions.
Implementation Steps: Implementation of this measure would necessitate an addition to
Chula Vista's municipal code requiring businesses to have a free energy assessment of their
premises every 3 years or when ownership changes in order to be issued a business license.
Staff would need to develop the code's specific-language and return to City Council within
90 days for their review and consideration. This requirement would not pertain to mobile-
type businesses such as plumbers and electricians.
Staff Suggestions: Staff would provide up to a 3-year exemption to businesses occupying
newly-constructed and remodeled facilities that meet Recommendation 4's green building
standards. Staff would also provide an annual exemption to businesses that participate in the
California Climate Action Registry's GHG emissions reporting process.
4) Adopt community-wide green building standards that are comprehensive in coverage and
mandatory. New and substantially remodeled structures will be required to be built to
LEED Silver (or to an equivalent 3rd party certification green building program standard),
with the effect of having an energy efficiency impact of at least 20% over Title-24.
Fiscal Impact: The measure's cost would be fully borne by residential, commercial and
industrial developers. Building construction costs can increase between 1-11 % when
meeting green building criteria and vary based on location, project type and green building
standard (ex. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) "Certified" vs.
"Platinum") according to numerous published studies.34 However, the additional
construction costs associated with green buildings in California average 2% and frequently
result in operational cost savings of more than 10 times the initial investment over the
building's lifetime according to a recent study commissioned by the California Integrated
Waste Management Board.5
Emissions Impact: Emissions from building energy use represent 52% of the community's
"carbon footprint" and have increased dramatically since 1990. In order to produce a
citywide net reduction in building-related emission levels, additional new buildings would
3 LEED Cost Study, US General Services Administration, October 2004
4 Analyzing the Cost of Obtaining LEED Certification, American Chemistry Council, April 2003
5 Cost & Financial Benefits of Green Buildings - California's Sustainable Building Task Force, Oct. 2003
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 70f9
need to be zero energy structures and/or their energy consumption would need to be more
than offset by increased energy efficiency in remodeled existing buildings. The CCWG's
recommendation, applying to new construction and major remodels, would minimize future
emissions increases from new "Greenfield" development and lower emissions from
redevelopment projects. Because the City has direct authority over community-wide
building standards, this CCWG recommendation represents the greatest potential to
immediately avoid increased citvwide greenhouse gas emissions and could significantly
reduce emission levels over time.
Implementation Steps: Implementation of this measure would require an addition to Chula
Vista's municipal code requiring all new buildings to meet specified green building
standards. Staff would need to develop the code's specific-language and return to City
Council within 90 days to present a detailed plan for their review and consideration.
Staff Suggestions: To minimize any potential or perceived burden on consumers and
developers with higher construction costs, staff recommends that a tiered and phased
approach to the program be applied. Another option would be to require new construction
to exceed Title-24 by 20% and meet a green building standard which has no third party
verification costs. This may help lower developer costs associated with hiring green
building consultants and certifying projects through a 3rd party green building program (such
as the US Green Building Council - LEED). Additionally, staff would like the opportunity
to continue to incorporate incentives which encourage builders to exceed any green building
standard adopted by City Council.
5) Facilitate widespread installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on commercial,
residential and municipal facilities by developing and implementing a solar energy
conversion program. Proactively enforce existing codes requiring pre-plumbing for solar
hot water.
Fiscal Impact: The exact fiscal impact of developing and implementing a solar energy
conversion program is unknown until the program's detailed work plan can be developed.
In addition to federal and state incentives, there are numerous external financing
mechanisms that could reduce costs to consumers and limit the City's cost for implementing
a solar conversion program (such as the creation of voluntary assessment districts).
Emissions Impact: Because solar energy programs replace grid-source energy with
renewable energy, they can lead to quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Building energy use accounts for 52% of citywide carbon emissions. If there is a high level
of program participation, this measure could lead to very significant decreases in Chula
Vista's community GHG emission levels.
Implementation Steps: In order to develop and implement a comprehensive solar energy
conversion program, staff would need to return to City Council within 90 days with a work
plan detailing staffing needs, funding mechanisms and ordinance revisions (if necessary) for
their review and consideration. The measure's second component - actively enforcing
existing codes which require pre-plumbing for solar hot water - can be immediately
implemented with minimal additional staff training and expenses.
Staff Suggestions: Staff strongly believes that a solar energy conversion program will
provide ratepayers with the best return on investment if it includes an energy conservation
,
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
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component.
6) Facilitate "Smart Growth" around the H St., ESt. and Palomar St. Trolley Stations.
Fiscal Impact: Because mixed-use and high-density redevelopment around transit centers
is already required under the Council-approved General Plan and Urban Core Specific Plan,
the measure does not increase City funding commitments.
Emissions Impact: Transportation emissions represent 48% of Chula Vista's "carbon
footprint." The City inventory protocol quantifies community transportation emissions by
using traffic congestion values, specifically Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). Smart Growth
around transit facilities will help reduce dependency on personal automobiles by creating
pedestrian and transit-friendly communities and lowering VMT values, thus creating
emissions reductions. Although full reductions would not be apparent until redevelopment is
completed (approximately 15-20 years), transportation behavioral changes could begin to
could occur as redevelopment is initiated resulting in incremental emissions reductions.
Implementation Steps: The H St. and E St. trolley station areas have already been
designated for mixed-use, high-density redevelopment under the approved Urban Core
Specific Plan requiring no further Council action. Likewise, the General Plan envisions the
Palomar station as a "transit-focus area" surrounded by mixed-use, high-density residential
development. The area's specific land uses, densities and development standards will be
further refined through the Southwest Specific Plan process. Therefore, no Council action is
required at this time. However, the Group wanted to highlight that these development
project types are critical for reducing VMT and decreasing community emissions from
transportation sources.
Staff Suggestions: Staff strongly reiterates the Working Group's recommendation for the
City to continue to encourage transit-focused redevelopment around its trolley stations.
Because it is under direct municipal authority, community and land use planning is the
City's strongest tool to reduce transportation emissions which comprise 48% of Chula Vista
total GHG emissions. Land use planning along with renewable energy and energy-
efficiency codes/regulations are the top areas identified by State agencies as the keys for
local government leadership.
7) Coordinate with Otay Water District, San Diego County Water Authority and the
Sweetwater Authority to convert turf lawns to xeriscape. Converting lawns to water-wise
landscaping has been shown to reduce outdoor residential water use by 40%.
Fiscal Impact: The exact fiscal impact of developing and implementing a turf lawn
conversion program is unknown until the program's detailed work plan can be developed.
Providing the public education and promotion for a water agency-based incentive program
could be of little or no cost to the City. If the program incorporates a City-funded incentive
to supplement existing water district incentives, the measure's implementation costs would
be increased.
Emissions Impact: The California Energy Commission has stated that 19% of all energy in
the state is consumed by the transfer or treatment of water and are developing a conversion
factor for kilowatts (kW) saved per gallon. The San Diego Water Authority has also
APRIL 1, 2008, Item_
Page 9 of9
identified outdoor irrigation as a primary target for water conservation. The City inventory
protocol does not directly quantify emissions from water use (i.e. energy used to import,
treat and dispose of water), rather it only includes energy associated with locally pumping
and treating water within municipal boundaries. Therefore, water conservation may only
lead to minimal locally quantifiable emissions reductions in the short term. Once the Energy
Commission completes its kW per gallon conversion, water conservation's contribution to
GHG reduction will be quantifiable and may be significant.
Implementation Steps: In order to develop and implement a comprehensive turf
conversion program, staff would need to return to City Council within 90 days with a work
plan detailing staffing and funding needs for their review and consideration.
Staff Suggestions: Staff suggests that the measure's effectiveness could be increased if
included as part of a broader community water conservation strategy which could also
include mandatory toilet retrofits, commercial garbage disposal prohibitions and additional
new construction and landscape requirements.
DECISION MAKER CONFLICT
Staff has determined that the recommendations requiring Council action are not site specific
and consequently the 500 foot rule found in California Code of Regulations section
18704.2(a)(l) is not applicable to this decision.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact of implementing each recommendation varies. Recommendations #2
(City-contracted Fleets), 3 (Business License Energy Assessments), 4 (Green Buildings) and
6 (Smart Growth) would not directly affect the City's General Fund through new
appropriations, while recommendation #1 (City-fleet AFV Requirement) would cause higher
replacement costs for City fleet vehicles. Because Equipment Replacement Funds would be
spent more quickly, it is expected that there would need to be incremental increases in
vehicle replacement fees paid by each City department which could indirectly affect future
municipal budgets. The potential fiscal impact of recommendations #5 and 7 will not be
known until more detailed work plans are developed and presented to City Council for
review and approval.
ATTACHMENTS
Climate Change Working Group Final Recommendations Report - April 2008
2005 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
Prepared by: Carla Blackmar, Sr. Office Specialist, Conservation & Environmental Services
Brendan Reed, Environmental Resource Manager, Conservation & Environmental Services
CITY OF CHULA VISTA
CLIMATE CHANGE WORKING GROUP
Final Recommendations Report
April 2008
Summary:
The Climate Change Working Group of the City of Chula Vista was tasked with
identifying climate protection actions that provide the best opportunity for the City to
meet, or make the most progress towards meeting its ICLEI/Kyoto commitment of
reducing citywide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 20% below 1990 levels. After
reviewing over 90 climate protection actions implemented by other cities, the Climate
Change Working Group has selected the following measures that it feels are most likely
to reduce Chula Vista's greenhouse gas emissions in the next few years:
Require that 100% of the replacement vehicles purchased for
1 the municipal fleet be high-efficiency (hybrid) or alternative fuel
vehicles.
Encourage City-contracted fleet operators to adopt the use of
2 high-efficiency (hybrid) or alternative fuel vehicles, by
stipulating that 100% of replacement vehicle purchases should
be alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles.
Require City of Chula Vista-licensed businesses to participate
3 in an energy assessment of their physical premises every three
years and upon change of ownership.
Adopt community-wide green building standards that are
comprehensive in coverage and mandatory. New and
4 substantially remodeled structures will be required to be built
to LEED silver or to an equivalent 3rd party certification green
building program, with the effect of having an energy efficiency
impact of at least 20% over Title-24.
Facilitate widespread installation of solar photovoltaic (PV)
systems on commercial, residential and municipal facilities by
5 developing and implementing a solar energy conversion
program. Proactively enforce existing codes requiring pre-
plumbing for solar hot water.
6 Facilitate "Smart Growth" around the H Street, E Street and
Palomar Street Trolley Stations
Coordinate with Otay Water District, San Diego County Water
7 Authority and the Sweetwater Authority to convert turf lawns to
xeriscape.
CCWG Final Recommendations Report
April 1, 2008
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Back2:round:
The Climate Change Working Group was convened in July 2007 under the direction of
the Council's ICLEI representatives, Councilmember Castaneda and Councilmember
McCann, who serve as the City's Climate Change Subcommittee. The Subcommittee
and their staff took an active role in establishing the sectors to be represented in the
Working Group, submitting participant names and reviewing all potential representatives.
The Planning Department, General Services, Public Works and Community Development
were also invited to participate. The final ten-member group included seven Chula Vista
residents and three members who lived elsewhere, but were involved in the Chula Vista
community. In addition, three ex-officio members with strong interests in Chula Vista's
climate reduction actions supported the Working Group (see Appendix A for full
participant list).
To help direct the Working Group in their task of identifYing effective emISSIons
reduction strategies, City staff provided the following five criteria to guide
recommendations: l) the measure had been previously implemented by an ICLEI local
government or California Climate Action Registry business, 2) the measure would be
financially feasible (i.e. require little or no additional General Fund support, 3) the
measure could be quickly implemented to have immediate impact on the City's efforts to
reduce emissions by 2010, 4) the measures' impacts could be quantified using the City's
emissions inventory protocol and 5) the measure would not cause a significant adverse
community impact. CCWG meetings were initially moderated by a professional City
facilitator (Dawn Beintema), while Conservation and Environmental Services
Department staff provided administrative support.
The Working Group process was divided into three sets of meetings. The first set was
spent reviewing the City's 2005 GHG emissions inventory, learning about each of the
sectors that generate emissions (energy, land use/transportation, waste and water) and
investigating what actions other cities had taken to reduce emissions from each sector.
These actions were compiled into a list of 90 measures (see Appendix E) which could
then be evaluated by the five criteria listed above. In the second set of meetings the
Group reviewed these lists, and selected the measures from each sector that had the most
potential to reduce emissions significantly while still meeting the five criteria (the list
was narrowed to approximately 20 recommendations). The final set of meetings was
spent distilling the list down to seven recommendations, and collaboratively writing and
editing the text explaining these recommendations.
In writing the recommendation text, the Climate Change Working Group strove to create
implementation strategies that were neither overly specific and prescriptive, nor overly
general. The Working Group's goal was to create recommendations detailed enough to
lay the groundwork for speedy implementation, but also general enough to be adaptable
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under changing circumstances. In the end, the Working Group's approach to the
recommendation text was guided by its original charter, which was to create
recommendations for Council but to leave the implementation details to staff specialists
who are more familiar with municipal codes and processes.
Many broader climate reduction actions, such as recommendations to re-organize Chula
Vista's land use and transportation systems to favor transit, are absent from this list.
While large-scale, system-level changes of this nature are likely to be necessary for
sustained GHG emissions reductions, the Group felt that these recommendations were
often too complex to be implemented and measured in the short term. The Chula Vista
Carbon Dioxide (C02) Reduction Plan (2000) contains an excellent list of broader
policies that should guide the City in the 21 st century as it seeks to reduce its "carbon
footprint" (See Appendix C). The Climate Change Working Group would like to reiterate
the importance of these broader policies, while at the same time acknowledging that the
implementation of these policies is often outside ofthe City's purview.
The Climate Change Working Group's recommendations represent an important strategic
opportunity for the City. Council has reiterated its commitments to reducing GHG
emissions, yet if the City continues with a "business as usual" approach, emissions are
sure to increase further. On the other hand, if the City follows the Working Group's
recommendations (especially pertaining to Green Building standards and solar energy
conversion), Chula Vista could begin to slow its community-wide increase in GHG
emissions and eventually lead to reduced citywide emissions. Council is strongly
encouraged to adopt the Climate Change Working Group's recommendations, and to
speed their implementation into municipal code and practice.
CCWG Final Recommendations Report
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Recommendation 1: Require that 1000/0 of replacement vehicles purchased for
municipal fleet be hi!!h efficiency (hvbrid) or alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that City of Chula
Vista require all replacement vehicles purchased for the municipal fleet be either high
efficiency (hybrid) or alternative fuel vehicles (AFV s).
Background:
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City of
Chula Vista expand its use of high efficiency fuel vehicles including electric, biodiesel,
ethanol, hybrid, hydrogen and natural gas based on appropriateness for vehicle task,
fueling infrastructure, petroleum displacement, overall cost and environmental benefit.
Further, the Group recommends that the City develop policies to efficiently use the
vehicles that it currently has, implementing concepts like "right sizing", "trip chaining"
and maintenance in order to derive the most benefit from each "vehicle miles traveled"
(VMTs ).
The City of Chula Vista has long been a pioneer in the use of high efficiency/alternative
fuels. The City's transit fleet and some light-duty vehicles run on compressed natural gas
and the City has its own compressed natural gas fueling station and hydrogen fueling
station. Many cities throughout California have also successfully adopted the use of high
efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles from passenger cars to heavy-duty trucks.
Additionally, the State of California has made the growth of the use of alternative fuels
and alternative fuel vehicles a high priority and passed myriad legislation creating
funding mechanisms to drive this growth. Alternative fuel vehicle options exist in most
every class of vehicle in use by the City of Chula Vista, so it is recommended that the
City consider all high-efficiency/alternative fuel appropriate options when considering all
future vehicle acquisitions.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
Performance could be measured by setting aggressive goals for increasing the City's use
of alternative fuel vehicles (i.e. number of AFV s/high efficiency vehicles) and alternative
fuels (i.e. gallons used), as well as development of associated fueling infrastructure. The
effectiveness of the new measure could also be measured by tracking the average fleet
"miles per gallon" (MPG) in gasoline, and setting ambitious goals to lower this MPG.
Not only would this measure encourage greater adoption of AFVs, it would also focus the
City on making the existing fleet as efficient as possible.
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Fiscally Feasible:
The City can purchase high efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles as vehicle replacement
funds become available. Substantial grant funding and incentives for light, medium and
heavy duty alternative fuel vehicles are also currently available and expected to increase
in years to come. Grant funding for fueling infrastructure may be available and private
industry may also invest in necessary fueling infrastructure with local commitment to
use. Because high-efficiency vehicles use less gasoline and alternative fuels are typically
less expensive than conventional fuels, hybrid and AFVs can often recoup any additional
upfront costs over their lifetime. Tax rebates on qualifYing alternative fuels also exist,
bringing their cost below that of petroleum-based fuels.
Short Timeframe:
Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles can be implemented into the fleet immediately as
vehicles are replaced, or new vehicles are purchased. Alternative fuel vehicle fueling
infrastructure can be accomplished in 2008 and 2009.
Quantifiable Results:
The use of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles will permit a reduction in the use of
petroleum-based fuels. All targeted alternative technologies/fuels can have significant
greenhouse gas emissions benefits over petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline and
diesel.
Prior Execution:
Various cities including Burbank, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vacaville, CA, as well
as Boulder, CO.
No Adverse Effects:
While some alternative fuel vehicles may cost more than their gasoline and/or diesel
counterparts, billions of dollars in current and future State and Federal incentives, grants
and tax credits can bring the cost of those alternative fuel vehicles near or below that of a
comparable gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle. In some cases, grant applications may
need to be written and reports may need to be filed in the process of securing funding for
vehicles and/or infrastructure; however, an increase in City staff would not be
anticipated. Additionally, private industry may invest in necessary fueling infrastructure
to meet the City's needs. Many alternative fuel vehicles currently offer significant fuel
and maintenance cost savings over gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.
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Recommendation 2: Encoura2e City-contracted fleet operators to adopt the
use of hi2h efficiency (hybrid) or alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). stipulatin2
that 1000/0 of replacement vehicle purchases be alternative fuel or hybrid
vehicles.
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City of
Chula Vista work with fleets under City authority and influence their expanded use of
alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles (AFV s). All replacement vehicles
purchased by City-contracted fleets should be either AFV s, high efficiency vehicles or
vehicles otherwise able to demonstrate significant reductions in carbon emissions.
Background:
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City of
Chula Vista work with fleets under City authority to influence their expanded use of
alternative fuels and high-efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles including electric, biodiesel,
ethanol, hybrid, hydrogen and natural gas based on appropriateness for vehicle task,
fueling infrastructure, petroleum displacement, overall cost and environmental benefit.
While there are a number of fleets operating in the City of Chula Vista, few are under
direct authority of the City with the exception of taxis and refuse trucks. There are
currently over 200 taxis permitted by the Police Department to pick up passengers in the
City of Chula Vista and over 50 refuse trucks authorized to collect household discards.
There are currently hundreds of alternative fuel taxis and refuse trucks operating
throughout California. Helping these fuel-intensive fleets adopt hybrid/alternative fuel
vehicles should be the City's near-term priority. Additional fleet operators not directly
under the City's authority that the City may be able to influence include United Parcel
Services (UPS) (which uses alternative fuel vehicles at various hubs throughout the
country), as well as other local manufacturers, distributors and service providers.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
Performance could be measured by setting aggressive goals for increasing fleet operators'
use of high-efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles (i.e. number of hybrid and AFVs) and
alternative fuels (i.e. gallons used), as well as associated fueling infrastructure.
Fiscally Feasible:
Fleet owners can purchase alternative fuel vehicles with existing vehicle replacement
funds, ultimately meeting percentage targets set through contract negotiations.
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Substantial grant funding and incentives for light, medium and heavy duty alternative
fuel vehicles are also currently available and expected to increase in years to come.
Grant funding for fueling stations may be available and private industry may also invest
in necessary fueling infrastructure with local commitments to use. High-
efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles often recoup their higher initial costs by life-cycle
savings on fuel. Tax credits on qualifYing alternative fuels also exist, bringing their cost
below that of petroleum-based fuels.
Short Timeframe:
High-efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles can be implemented into fleets immediately with
all scheduled vehicle replacements and/or new vehicle acquisitions. Alternative fuel
vehicle fueling/charging infrastructure expansion can be accomplished in 2008 and 2009.
Quantifiable Results:
The conversion to high-efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles will reduce the use of
petroleum-based fuels. All targeted alternative fuels have significant greenhouse gas
emissions benefits over petroleum-based fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
Prior Execution:
Various cities and agencies in our neighboring South Coast Air Quality Management
District, as well as Smithtown and Brookhaven, NY and San Antonio, TX.
No Adverse Effects:
While some high-efficiency/alternative fuel vehicles may cost more than their gasoline
and/or diesel counterparts, billions of dollars in current and future State and Federal
incentives, grants and tax credits can bring the cost of those alternative fuel vehicles near
or below that of a comparable gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle. In some cases, grant
applications may need to be written and reports may need to be filed in the process of
securing funding for vehicles and/or infrastructure; however, an increase in staffing
would not be anticipated and private industry partnerships are available to incur these
costs on behalf of fleet owners. Additionally, private industry may invest in necessary
fueling infrastructure to meet fleet owners' needs. Many alternative fuel vehicles
currently offer significant fuel and maintenance cost savings over gasoline and diesel-
powered vehicles.
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Recommendation 3: ReQuire City of Chula Vista-licensed businesses to
participate in an ener2V assessment of their physical premises every three
years and upon chaD!!:e of ownership.
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that City of Chula
Vista-licensed businesses be required to participate in an energy assessment of their
physical premises every three years and upon change of ownership.
Background:
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that City of Chula
Vista-licensed businesses be required to participate in an energy assessment of their
physical premises every three years as a way of helping businesses take advantage of
rapidly evolving energy-efficiency practices and technologies. The City of San Diego
has had a similar code in place since the early nineties requiring that all buildings
receiving water service from the City of San Diego obtain a Water Conservation
Plumbing Certificate upon change of ownership. This requirement has led to widespread
installation of water-conserving equipment in the building stock. The City of Berkeley
has a similar municipal code in place requiring businesses to complete an energy
assessment upon change of ownership. This code has been shown to create a heightened
awareness of energy conservation among citizens.
The proposed recommendation is based on the City of San Diego/ City of Berkeley codes
and would require assessments for businesses every three years and upon change of
ownership. The proposed code would integrate the assessments into the existing
Business License Renewal Program, with assessments to be conducted by City staff with
support from the SDG&E Partnership Program. Energy assessments would vary by
business type, but would be designed for flexibility in order to help take advantage of
available incentive and rebate opportunities. Because water use and energy consumption
are directly linked, water-conserving practices and technologies would also be
encouraged under this program.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
The implementation of this measure requires a change to the City's business licensing
code stipulating the energy assessment requirement. Before the code could be written it
would be necessary to establish who would perform the assessments (likely City staff
supported by SDG&E), what standards were to be met and how the assessments would be
integrated into the business licensing process. Once the code was in place, performance
could be gauged by measuring the number of assessments completed.
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Fiscally Feasible:
City staff currently conduct ~nergy assessments as part of the SDG&E-City of Chula
Vista Energy Efficiency Partnership Program. The required business assessments would
be an outgrowth of that effort. In the last year, the City has completed approximately 400
business assessments. The City currently licenses approximately 3,500 businesses with
physical premises, meaning that the assessment efforts would need to be stepped-up to
assess an additional 700-800 businesses per year. This is not unmanageable under the
existing program format, but would require efforts to be re- focused on business
assessments rather than residential lighting exchanges.
Short Timeframe:
Increased business energy assessments could result almost immediately in energy
conservation behaviors and efficiency improvements. Reduction in carbon emissions can
reasonably be expected within a 2-3 year time frame.
Quantifiable Results:
Reductions in energy use are among the easiest measures to quantify in the City's GHG
emissions inventory. Effective energy assessments that change business behaviors can be
expected to yield quantifiable, albeit modest, GHG reductions.
Prior Execution:
Berkeley, CA, San Jose, CA, San Diego, CA (water assessment)
No Adverse Effects:
While requiring businesses to complete an energy assessment every three years would
add an additional complication to the business licensing process, the benefit to businesses
in cost savings through energy use reduction can be expected to overwhelm the hassle of
completing the assessment. It is possible that the assessments would create additional
complexity for the City's business licensing staff.
Relevant Links:
1) City of San Diego Plumbing Retrofit Ordinance:
http://vvww .sandicgo.gov /watcr/ conservation/selling.sbtml
2) City of Berkeley Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id= 15474
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Recommendation. 4: Adopt community-wide 2:reen buildin2: standards that
are comprehensive in covera2:e and mandatory. New and substantially
renovated structures will be reQuired to be built to LEED silver or to an
eQuivalent 3rd party certification 2:reen buildin2: pr02:ram. with the effect of
havin2: an ener2:V efficiency impact of at least 200/0 over Title-24.
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that City of Chula
Vista adopt community-wide green building standards that are comprehensive in
coverage and mandatory. Permits shall not be given to a building unless it is designed and
built as LEED silver, or equivalent from another 3rd party certification green building
program, with the effect of having an energy efficiency impact of at least 20% over Title-
24. This requirement would then be regularly updated to meet Architecture 2030 goals of
energy net zero construction by 2020 for homes and 2030 for businesses.
Background:
Energy use by existing building stock accounts for half of Chula Vista's community
greenhouse gas emissions. The City's Climate Change Working Group recommends that
the City take action to reduce emissions from buildings by changing the municipal code
stipulations to require builders to exceed Title-24 standards. Requiring builders and
building managers to meet higher energy efficiency standards would help support the
long-term value of the City's building stock by encouraging upkeep and assuring the
future reliability and comfort of structures.
Building energy efficiency standards are currently set by California Code of Regulations
(CCR) Title 24.l2. Though Title-24 energy standards are among the most rigorous
energy codes in the U.S., buildings constructed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) standards are at least l4% more efficient than buildings simply
built to current Title-24 standards. Opportunities for energy savings are particularly great
in the residential sector, where Title-24 requirements are comparatively less stringent.
The Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City take advantage of this
potentially tremendous energy savings by creating a municipal code requiring buildings
to exceed Title-24 standards.
A variety of different approaches could be taken to mandate the construction of energy
efficient structures within the City of Chula Vista. Requiring that builders construct green
buildings, which are designed to maximize energy efficiency and sustainability, can be an
effective way to exceed Title-24 requirements. The Working Group's recommendation
both encourages the use of green building methods and focuses specifically on energy
efficiency.
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Furthermore, the Climate Change Working Group recommends the following guidelines
for implementation of these recommendations as to properly capture the letter and spirit
of the Working Group's findings:
1. Any energy code/green building measure must be required for both public and
private development.
2. The requirements must be comprehensive in the size and types of structures
covered.
3. The requirements should include participation in an already existing green
building 3rd party certification program with an energy efficiency component.
If there is a phase-in period, it must be relatively short as to be relevant to the 2010 GHG
emission deadline and must be connected to a clear and concise timetable for
implementation.
Prior Execution:
While the Climate Change Working Group strongly recommends that the City enact
codes to make both new and remodeled buildings more efficient, the logistics of creating
a Green Building Code for Chula Vista require research time and effort beyond the scope
of the Working Group. By approving this measure, Council will direct staff to research
and develop an implementation plan for this recommendation.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
The implementation of this measure requires an addition to the City's municipal code
outlining the new green building standard. Performance would be gauged by the number
of building permits applied for, the number accepted, and the number of compliant
buildings built.
Fiscally Feasible:
The City of Chula Vista currently has building code requirements that must be met before
a building can be permitted. This recommendation would require a modest addition to
these existing building standards. The new codes should be designed to work within pre-
existing implementation and compliance mechanisms to allow for cost-effective
enforcement. While additional training for existing staff may be required, it is not likely
to impose significant additional costs upon the City.
Short Timeframe:
The implementation of these standards could occur as soon as municipal codes are
amended and adequate notice is given to the public. The fact that the implementation and
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enforcement process for building new structures IS already III place shortens the
recommendation's implementation
Quantifiable Results:
Reductions in energy use by buildings are among the easiest carbon-reducing actions to
quantify. Credible sources ranging from the Department of Energy to the California
Attorney General have endorsed green buildings standards as an effective means of
reducing carbon emissions.
Prior Execution:
Mandatory green building standards have been adopted in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Los
Angeles, San Diego, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, Boston and Washington D.C. (to
name a few). (Please see Appendix B)
No Adverse Effects:
While these standards require project applicants to meet additional requirements before
they can be issued a building permit, the areas to be regulated by these green building
codes are no different than other building requirements currently imposed on developers
including structural, lighting, earthquake safety and ventilation requirements. Such
standards have proven to have little, if any, adverse effects on the number of permits
sought. Studies by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) have shown that
building to basic "LEED certification" can be done at virtually no extra cost. The fact
that the proposed standards allow developers the flexibility and autonomy to determine
how best to meet these requirements will offset the burden associated with meeting an
additional procedural requirement. This recommendation is consistent with the CPUC
and California Energy Commission's stated goal to make new residential and commercial
buildings "carbon-neutral" by 2020 and 2030, respectively. In addition, such a
requirement will reduce the future growth in peak demand for electricity thus reducing
the future need for the South Bay Power Plant.
Relevant Links:
l. Boston Green Building Program:
http://www . ci ty ofboston. gov /braJ gbtf/ GBTFhome. asp
2. Santa Monica Municipal Code:
http://W\vw.qcode.us/codes/santamonica/index.php?topic=8-8 _108-8_108_060
3. Los Angeles Bar Association Review of California Municipal Green Building Codes:
http://www .Iacba.org/showpage.cfm ?pageid=8922
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4. Santa Barbara Green Building Code
http://wW\V .santabarbaraca.gov !Documents/Sustainable _ Santa~ Barbara/In_the _ News/O 1_
Press Releases/2007 -10-
29 _ Santa~ Barbara_Energy _Ordinance _Beats_California _ Building_ Code.pdf
5. San Francisco Green Building Codes
bttp:/ /yv\\w.sfenvirOlIDlent.org/our _programs/topics.html?ssi=O&ti= 19
Please see Appendix B for further links to municipal green building programs.
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Recommendation 5: Facilitate widespread installation of solar photovoltaic
(PV) systems on commercial. residential and municipal facilities bv
developinf! and implementinf! a solar enerf!V conversion prOf!ram. Proactivelv
enforce existinf! codes requirinf! pre-plumbinf! for solar hot water.
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City of
Chula Vista facilitate widespread installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on
commercial, residential and municipal facilities by developing and implementing a solar
energy conversion program. The Group also recommends that the City more proactively
enforce existing codes requiring pre-plumbing for solar hot water.
Background:
Developing cleaner energy sources is an essential tool for slowing climate change. Solar
energy remains a largely untapped resource for generating clean energy. According to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
. Each day more solar energy hits the Earth than its inhabitants could consume in 27
years.
. Solar energy technologies produce minor amounts of greenhouse gases, generated
mostly during the manufacturing process.
. A 100-megawatt solar thermal electric power plant, over 20 years, will avoid more
than 3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions when compared to the cleanest
conventional fossil fuel-powered electric plants.
Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. PV panels can be
mounted to commercial, residential and municipal buildings and connected directly to the
energy grid. For residential applications, annual audits by the energy company provide a
comparison between the energy contributed from the solar system to the amount of
energy used. If there is a shortfall, the user then pays for the difference. Energy
conservation is also an important part of an efficient solar system.
Financing Options
The primary barrier to the installation of solar PV systems is cost. The average 2
kilowatt (kW) solar system can cost between $16,000-$26,000 to install. The payback
period for a solar system can be anywhere from 15-30 years, depending on location, type
of panels used, maintenance and weather. Options for overcoming this barrier include:
1) Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): In a PPA, a property owner allows a solar
energy contractor to install and operate PV solar panels on their property. Though energy
produced by the panels is used on-site, the property owner continues to pay their electric
bills, this time to the solar installer rather than the utility company. Once the cost ofthe
solar installation has been paid back, the property owner generally has the option of
CCWG Final Recommendations Report
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taking over the ownership/operation of the solar panels. This type of solar agreement is
most often used on large structures such as schools, municipal facilities and retail stores.
Application: This type of solar financing would be most practical for City facilities with
large roof areas, such as parking garages.
Implementation: The City could require a certain percentage of its municipal energy to
be generated on-site with solar PV panels. PP As are a tool which could be used to help
the City reach this solar goal, especially if the City was not able to afford Solar through
other means.
2) City Solar Financing/Special Assessment: The City of Berkeley is helping residents
afford solar by paying up-front for the cost and installation of residential solar systems,
and then recouping the cost by assessing an additional tax on participating properties
which would pay back the cost of the system over a 20 year period. Residents benefit
immediately from reductions on their energy bills. The City of Berkeley won a $200,000
solar grant from the EP A to help cover the start-up costs for the program.
Application: This type of solar financing would help surmount the costs of solar system
installation for individual homeowners. By helping spread the cost of the solar system
across a 20 year period, residents are able to experience the solar system payback more
immediately.
Implementation: The City could establish a program like the one in Berkeley, giving
Chula Vista property owners the option to install City-financed solar systems on their
buildings. These systems would then be paid off over a set timeframe through special
property assessments.
3) Community Solar Program and Trust Fund: The City of Santa Monica's
comprehensive solar program helps lower the cost of solar by simplifying the permitting
process for solar construction, identifying solar contractors who are willing to do
installations at a reduced "Santa Monica" rate, identifying banks/lenders to help residents
finance solar installation costs and by providing free energy assessments to residents.
Energy assessments help residents reduce their energy consumption through conservation
first, thereby reducing the size of the solar system they will eventually install. For
residents who rent their homes, or have a site that is not suitable for the installation of
solar panels, the City offers the option of buying shares in a Community Solar System
Fund. This fund helps buy down the cost of solar installation for the City overall.
Application: This tool could be used to create funds for the general establishment of
solar programs, to buy down the cost of solar installation in the City and to expedite the
processing of solar permits.
Implementation: The City could establish a solar program modeled on "Solar Santa
Monica," with an option that allows residents to buy into the "Solar Trust Fund."
Determining the appropriate combination of financing options and program designs for
the City would require research and policymaking beyond the scope of the Climate
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Change Working Group. The group does recommend that the City hasten to adopt a solar
energy conversion plan that incorporates the strategies listed above. At the same time,
there are a variety of less elaborate actions that the City can take to ensure the adoption of
solar technologies:
Pre-Plumb/ Pre- Wire for Solar
Since 1982 the City has had a code in place requiring pre-plumbing for solar hot water on
new homes. Though this code has been in place since the early '80s, it has received little
to no enforcement. The Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City
enforce this code requirement going forward. Furthermore, the Group recommends that
this code be amended to require that new homes are also pre-wired for solar PV. Pre-
plumbing and pre-wiring for solar reduces barriers to the installation of these
technologies, and ensures that conventional homes can be easily converted to alternative
energy sources as funds become available.
Require Solar Installation as an "Upgrade Option" on New Homes:
Some homebuilders (ex. Pardee Homes) offer solar PV systems as an "upgrade" option
on new homes. However, this option is not offered by any developers in the City of
Chula Vista at this time. The Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City
require new home developers in Chula Vista to offer solar PV systems as an "upgrade"
option.
Provide Residents Free Home Energy Assessments:
Home energy efficiency can reduce the cost to make homes "net zero energy" by
reducing the size of the solar system needed to offset energy use. Any solar PV program
should be complemented by energy conservation programming. The City's Conservation
and Environmental Services Department currently offers home energy assessments as
part of the City's partnership with SDG&E. The Group recommends that the City
continue to provide these assessments going forward.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
Performance can be measured by the number of commercial, residential and municipal
facilities installing solar PV systems each year. Performance can also be measured by the
number of megawatts produced by program-installed PV systems. Citywide clean energy
generation goals could be established (ex: 100 megawatts of solar generation by 20 l2).
Fiscally Feasible:
In addition to the financing mechanisms mentioned above, a variety of federal, state and
non-profit funds for solar programs are available. In addition to receiving a $l60,000
"Solar America" grant from the EP A for the administrative costs of establishing a solar
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program, Berkeley also received a $75,000 grant from its regional Air Quality
Management District. The Berkeley Program also benefits from the California Solar
Initiative rebate, which is applied to the total cost Berkeley pays for the solar systems.
Solar systems installed on municipal facilities can take advantage of a similar State and
Federal incentives. Because the amount of these incentives and rebates is designed to
decrease over time, the Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City work
to take advantage of these financing opportunities while they are still significant.
Short Timeframe:
If aggressively pursued, a basic program could be put in place in 12 to 18 months.
Developing a more elaborate program with financing for residential solar installation
would be more within the 2 to 4 year timeframe.
Quantifiable Results:
Widespread solar energy conversion in the City of Chula Vista would help shift energy
production away from greenhouse gas producing power plants. (See the discussion of
perfonnance metrics above).
Prior Execution:
City of Santa Monica "Solar Santa Monica" program, City of San Francisco "Climate
Action Plan" .
No Adverse Effects:
Facilitating solar energy conversions would not cause adverse economic or social impacts
or shift negative environmental impacts to another sector. Creating a robust solar energy
conversion program would encourage economic development and create opportunities for
the struggling housing construction industry.
Relevant Links:
1. U.S. EPA Fact Sheet: Climate Change Technologies, Solar Energy
http://y osemite. epa. gov / oar/ globahvanning.nsf/U niqueKeyLookup/SHS U 5 B VR3 A/$F ile/
solarenergy.pdf
2. Solar Santa Monica
http://www.solarsantamonica.com/main/index.html
3. The GfK Roper Yale Survey on Environmental Issues
http://en vironm ent. y al e. edu/ doc uments/ dmvnloads/h- n/LocalA cti onReport. pdf
4. San Francisco Solar Plan Press Release
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http://www .sfgov .org/site/assessor -page.asp?id=72332
5. City of Berkeley Solar Plan Press Release
http://\'v'\\'\v.ci.berkeley .ca.us/Mayor/PR/pressrelease2007 -l 023 .html
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Recommendation 6: Facilitate "Smart Growth" around the H Street. E Street
and Palomar Street Trollev Stations.
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that City of Chula
Vista facilitate smart growth around the H Street, E Street and Palomar Street Trolley
Stations.
Background:
Chula Vista's trolley stations offer a unique smart growth opportunity. Smart growth is a
compact, efficient and environmentally sensitive pattern of development that provides
people with additional travel, housing and employment choices by focusing future growth
away from rural areas and closer to existing and planned job centers and public facilities.
Smart growth reduces dependence on the automobile for travel needs. Automobile travel
reductions prevent the burning of fossil fuels that contribute to greenhouse gases and
climate change.
The E Street and H Street trolley stations are defined as "Primary Gateways" within the
Promenade Vision Area in the City of Chula Vista Urban Core Specific Plan. The vision
description is as follows.
"A dynamic mix of regional transit centers, visitor serving uses and a retail
complex surrounds an enhanced, medium-rise residential quarter. Circulation
is improved by re-establishing the traditional street grid. A tree-lined,
extended linear park offers both neighborhood and community serving
amenities supported by mid-block paseos. The park transitions from an
active community venue with a more formal landscape to recreational
features such as tennis and basketball courts to passive greens. Anchoring the
park, the retail plaza links the Bayfront to the regional mall. Ample public
spaces provide for open air markets, mercados, cultural festivals, art exhibits
and other community events."
The Palomar Station is already zoned as a "Gateway Transit District" under the current
zoning plan, with densities up to 40 dwelling units per acre pennissible by code.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
Perfonnance could be measured by the number of building permits issued within one-
quarter mile of the trolley stations.
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Fiscally Feasible:
Yes.
Short Timeframe:
If aggressively pursued, new building permits could be issued in l8 to 24 months.
Quantifiable Results:
Possible. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions could be quantified by developing an
estimated emission value per square foot of smart growth residential space and an
estimated emission value per square foot of more traditional suburban residential space.
The difference between the two could be used to calculate the emissions reduction due to
new residential smart growth around the trolley stations.
Prior Execution:
"New Places, New Choices: Transit-Oriented Development in the San Francisco Bay
Area, November 2006" www.mtc.ca.gov/library/TOD/index.htm. transitvillages.org,
transitori enteddevelopoment. org.
No Adverse Effects:
A difficult topic to address with any smart growth project is traffic impact. This issue
would be easier to address if a trolley station were made an integral part of the smart
growth project. Interstate 5 and a robust grid network of local streets are also in close
proximity to the E Street, H Street and Palomar Street Trolley Stations. Implementing
smart growth around trolley stations would potentially cause adverse economic or social
impacts and potentially shift negative environmental impacts to another sector.
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Recommendation 7: Coordinate with Otav Water District. San Die2:o County
Water Authoritv and the Sweetwater Authoritv to convert turf lawns to
xeriscaoe.
The City of Chula Vista Climate Change Working Group recommends that City of Chula
Vista coordinate with Otay Water District, San Diego County Water Authority and the
Sweetwater Authority on turf lawn conversions for commercial and residential properties.
Pumping water is a significant contributor to GHG emissions in California. Converting
lawns to water-wise gardens and/or artificial turf has been shown to reduce outdoor
residential water use by 40%, thereby reducing emissions from this sector.
Background:
The pumping of water and wastewater in California is estimated to take up at least seven
percent of the State's total energy usage, making water use a significant contributor to the
State's overall CO2 emissions. (2007 PIER Report). According to the San Diego County
Water Authority, up to fifty percent of household water use goes to thirsty turf grass
lawns. The Climate Change Working Group recommends that the City support and
coordinate with existing programs aimed at reducing the amount of water used in
landscaping.
The Otay Water District's "Cash for Plants" program pays residents and businesses up to
$2,200 to convert turf lawns or other high water-use plants to drought-tolerant plants.
This type of landscaping is often called "xeriscaping" and utilizes San Diego native and
California-friendly plants. However, the program is restricted to turf grass lawns larger
than 750 square feet. This restriction prevents many smaller residential and commercial
properties from participating in the program. Otay Water District has recently begun a
second program that pays single-family homeowners to replace their lawns with artificial
turf, with a $1/sf incentive. This program only applies to lawns smaller than 1,000 SF,
though it supplements programs that pay schools to convert their fields to artificial turf.
Ideally, the Climate Change Working Group would like to see the City develop its own
program to supplement the rebates offered by the local water districts, and to extend the
programs to parts of the City under the jurisdiction of the Sweetwater Authority which
currently doesn't offer the programs.
If developing an independent incentive program is not fiscally possible, the Climate
Change Working Group encourages the City to work with Otay Water District to help
promote its program to all residents and businesses. The City could help by integrating
the information into existing community outreach activities, thereby increasing the
numbers of Chula Vista lawns converted to xeriscapes. The City could also help
residents overcome Home Owner Association rules. and other logistical barriers to
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xeriscape conversion. Additionally, the City might act as a facilitator helping to aggregate
participating homes to buy-down the cost of contractor efforts.
Recommended Performance Metrics for Measure:
Effective implementation of this measure could be gauged by comparing current numbers
of existing turf-to-xeriscape incentive applications with the numbers of applications 2 or
3 years into the future, with the expectation that the City's efforts would result in an
increase in applications.
Fiscally Feasible:
The recommendation's fiscal impact would vary depending on the degree (and type) of
support the City provided. At present, the City has a nature-friendly gardening program
(Naturescape) that encourages residents to adopt water-saving gardening practices. This
program could be easily adapted to put an even greater focus on turf-to-xeriscape
conversion programs. The Naturescape program is expected to end in June 2008,
however, primarily due to lack of funding. The City could re-instate this program with
potential financial support from the local water districts.
Short Timeframe:
Because the City has funding in place for the Naturescape program until June 2008,
support and promotion of Otay Water District's "Cash For Plants" program could begin
at once. It is expected that increased promotion would lead to an accelerated pace of
landscape conversion in the next 2-3 years.
Quantifiable Results:
A study from the Southern Nevada Water Authority shows a net average residential water
use savings of 30% for homes that have converted turf to xeriscape. Large scale
implementation of the Water Authority "Cash For Plants" Program would likely have an
impact on GHG emissions from water use, though the overall effect on the City's GHG
emissions would be relatively small.
Prior Execution:
Similar programs have been implemented with success in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Mesa, Arizona and Cathedral City, California.
No Adverse Effects:
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While some studies show that well-watered turf lawns function as a carbon sink in some
areas, we can reasonably assume that the CO2 cost of importing water, maintaining the
lawns (requiring gas-powered mowers and travel by landscaping crews) and then
managing runoff outweigh any carbon sequestration benefits the turf might have in Chula
Vista.
Relevant Links
1. Otay Water District Flyer promoting Xeriscape Conversion Incentives:
http://www . otaywater .gov / owd/pages/waterconservation/Cash%20for%20p lants. pdf
2. Southern Nevada Water Authority Study on residential water savings from xeriscape
conversion: http://yvw\v. snwa. com/ assets/pdf/xeri _ study_table. pdf
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Appendix A: Climate Chane:e Workine: Group Members List
NAME ORGANIZA nON SECTOR ALTERNATE
Lynda Gilgun Resource Conservation Commission ResidentiRCC
Alan Ridley Cuyamaca College Resident/Energy
Chris Schodowski Leviton Manufacturing Inc. ResidentIB usiness
Erin Pitts South Bay YMCAlEarth Service Corps Youth
Leo Miras Environmental Health Coalition Environmental Laura Hunter
Cesar Rios ECM Networks Energy
Alma Aguilar Southwestern College Y outhlEnvironmental
Hector Reyes Reyes Architects Resident/ Architect
Richard Chavez SANDAG Resident/Transportation
Derek Turbide Clean Energy Resi dent/Transportation
Brian Holland SANDAG Ex Officio
Risa Baron SDG&E Ex Officio Julie Ricks
Andrea Cook CA Center for Sustainable Energy Ex Officio
Michael Meacham CV Conservation& Environmental Servo Staff
Brendan Reed CV Conservation& Environmental Servo Staff
Carla Blackmar CV Conservation& Environmental Serv. Staff
Richard Hopkins CV Public Works Operations Staff
Marisa Lundstedt CV Planning & Building Staff Josie McNeeley
Lynn France CV General Services Staff Manuel Medrano
Denny Stone CV - National Energy Center for Sustainable Staff
Communities
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Appendix B: Municipal Green Buildin2 Standards Summary
MANDATORY RESIDENTIAL STANDARDS AND ORDINANCES
Boulder, CO- created their own point-based system for ALL residential development within the
city. The bigger the project, the more points they must acquire. The system is essentially based
on LEED criteria. It should be noted that one of the largest categories in which to get possible
points is focused completely around solar- solar energy, passive solar, solar hot water, etc.
http://www . boul derco I orado .gov /i ndex. php? opti on=com _ content&task=v i ew & id=2 0 8& Item id=
489
West Hollywood, CA- also created a custom-made point-based system. Requires new residential
development with three or more units to submit a green building plan and meet a minimum
number of points. All covered projects must be solar-ready.
http://www . weho .org/index .cfm/fuseacti on/Detai I Group/na v id/ 53/ c i d/ 4493/
Santa Cruz, CA- all new residential development are required to obtain a certain number of
points from GreenPoint. http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pl/building/green.html
Marin County, CA- all new residential development in unincorporated sections of the county
are required to achieve a certain number of GreenPoint points. All single family dwellings larger
than 3,500 sq. ft. are subject to the energy efficiency budget of a 3,500 sq. ft. building.
http://W\vw.co.marin.ca.us/depts/CD/main/ comdev / advance/S ustainabil ity. cfm
Santa Barbara, CA- The ordinance mandates building regulations, based on Architecture 2030
principles, which exceed Title 24 requirements by 20 percent for low-rise residential buildings,
15 percent for high-rise residential buildings and 10 percent for nonresidential buildings, among
other measures. http://sbdailysound.blogspot.com/2007 / I O/santa-barbara-boosts-green-
building.html
Chicago, IL- requires all residential development to meet energy requirements more stringent
than the IL state standard.
Palm Desert, CA- requires all new residential development less than 4000 sq. ft. to meet energy
requirements 10% beyond Title 24, and residential development greater than 4000 sq. ft. to meet
energy requirement 15% beyond Title 24.
Santa Monica, CA- requires all new multi-family homes to meet a series of energy efficiency
requirements that are 15% above Title 24.
http://www . green bu i Id ings. santa-man i ca .org/whatsnew I green -bu i I ding -ord i nance/ green-
building-Ord-I-5-2002.pdf
Austin, TX- recently began adopting a series of building code requirements designed to create
net zero energy homes. These are related to duct system leakage, HV AC sizing calculations, new
lighting requirements, and building thermal envelope testing.
http://action.nwf.org/ct/Cl_aQw511aZd/
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MANDATORY COMMERCIAL STANDARDS AND ORDINANCES
West Hollywood, CA- requires all new commercial development to meet a certain number of
points within their custom-made point system.
Chicago, IL- requires all commercial development to meet energy code requirements that are
more stringent than the IL energy conservation code.
Santa Monica, CA- requires all new commercial development to meet energy code
requirements that are 15% above Title 24 requirements.
Washington, DC- requires LEED certification or LEED silver (depending on the project type)
for commercial development above 50,000 sq. ft. http://action.nwf.org/ct/Cd aQw51 IaZc/
Boston, MA- requires LEED certification for commercial development above 50,000 sq. ft.
http://wvv'\v. bostongrccnbu i Iding.org/
Seattle, W A- required all commercial development to meet energy code requirements that are
20% above American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) standards.
http://vv'\vw .seattl c.gov /D PD/ stc llcnt/ groups/pan!@pan/@codes/@energycode/documents/web_i
nformational/2006S ECsummary .pdf
Santa Barbara, CA- The ordinance mandates building regulations, based on Architecture 2030
principles, which exceed Title 24 requirements by 20 percent for low-rise residential buildings,
15 percent for high-rise residential buildings and 10 percent for nonresidential buildings, among
other measures. http://sbdailysound.blogspot.com/2007 / I O/santa-barbara-boosts-green-
buiJding.html
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Appendix C: Recommendations from 2000
C02 Reduction Plan
Table 6.3
ACTION MEASURES
1. Municipal clean fuel vehicle purchases.
2. Green Power (Replaced "'Private Fleet Clean Fuel Vehicle Purchases" 6/98)
3. Municipa! Clean Fuel Demonstration Project
4. Telecommuting and Telec(mters
5. Municipal Building Upgrades and Trip Reduction
6. Enhanced Pede$frian Connections To Transit
7. Increased Housing Density Near Transit
8. Site Design with Transit Orientation
9. Increased Land Use Mix
10. Green Power Public Education Program (Replaced "Reduced Commercial
Parlcing Requirements'" 6/98)
11. Site Design with .PedesfrianfBicycle Orientation
12. Bicycle Integration with Transit and Employment
13. Bicycle Lanes. Paths and Routes
14. EnefTlY Efficient Landscaping
15. Sofar Pool Heating
16. Traffic Signal and System Upgrade$
17. Student Transit Subsidy
111. EnefTlY Efficient Building Recognition Program
19. Municipal Life-Cycle Purchasing Standards
20. Jncreased Employment Density Near Transit
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Appendix D: Refutinf! the Denialists from the San Diee:o Union-Tribune
CLIMATE CHANGE
Refuting denialists: an inconvenient truth
By Richard C. J. SomervilleOJuly 12,2006
As a climate scientist, I am often asked, "Do you believe in global warming?" Climate
change, however, is not a matter of personal belief.
Instead, among experts, it's just settled science that people are changing the climate.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, reported in 2001 that, "There
is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is
attributable to human activities."
Every reputable scientific organization that has studied the IPCC conclusion has
endorsed it. Recent research (http://realclimate.org) reinforces this assessment. The next
major IPCC report, due in 2007, is likely to cite more supporting evidence.
AI Gore's film and book, "An Inconvenient Truth," do a fine job of summarizing the
science. You may agree or disagree with Gore politically, but nobody can deny that he
has maintained a serious interest in climate change for some two decades and has
become quite knowledgeable about it.
For San Diegans, it's a fascinating bit of history that Gore first learned about this issue
as a Harvard student in the 1960s. His teacher was our own Roger Revelle. Before
moving to Harvard, Revelle had been director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography
and a founder of the University of California San Diego.
The Earth as a whole is always in approximate energy balance, absorbing energy from
sunlight and emitting an equivalent amount of energy to space as infrared radiation.
Some infrared energy is emitted directly from the surface of the Earth. The rest is
emitted from the atmosphere, by clouds and particles and the gases (chiefly water vapor
and carbon dioxide) that contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Incidentally, we know that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has
increased substantially in recent decades, because this increase has been measured very
accurately. The measurements were initiated by Charles David Keeling (1928-2005)
whom Revelle brought to Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the 1950S. Keeling,
who spent his entire career at Scripps, discovered that human activities are changing the
chemical composition of the global atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is produced by burning fossil fuels. Adding carbon dioxide to the
atmosphere means that more of the energy emitted to space must come from higher
(hence colder) levels of the atmosphere. The Earth will respond to this new situation by
warming up, thus emitting more infrared energy, until the equilibrium is restored.
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That's our fundamental scientific understanding. It comes from rock-solid, well-
understood physics. Everything else, from heat waves to hurricanes, is fascinating and
important, but that is really just the details, scientifically speaking.
Working out all the details will take a long time. But a promising start has been made,
and climate science can already usefully inform policy.
In a similar way, you might say that an ultimate goal of medical science is to eliminate
all disease. That this task is incomplete is no reason to treat your physician with disdain.
A group of people dispute the scientific consensus. They like to call themselves skeptics.
A healthy skepticism, however, is part of being a good scientist, so I am unwilling to
surrender this label to them. Instead, I call them denialists.
You don't get anything like a balanced view from climate denialists. Their only goal is
finding ways why the climate might be resistant to human activities. By and large, these
denialists have convinced very few knowledgeable scientists to agree with them.
Experience shows that in science, it tends to be the exception rather than the rule when
a lone genius eventually prevails over conventional wisdom. An occasional Galileo does
come along, but not often, and nearly all the people who think they are a Galileo are
actually just wrong.
Science is very much a cooperative process and is largely self-correcting. We publish our
research methods and our findings in detail and invite other scientists to confirm or
disprove them. Incorrect science ultimately gets rooted out and rejected.
What of the future? I can imagine both an optimistic and a pessimistic scenario.
In my optimistic scenario, climate science informs the making of wise public policy.
Technological creativity then leads to rapid development of practical energy alternatives
to fossil fuels. We stabilize the Earth's greenhouse effect before it gets too strong.
My pessimistic scenario is a different planet, with sea level much higher and
dangerously altered weather patterns. You cannot fool nature. Climate science warns us
that strengthening the greenhouse effect must eventually produce serious consequences.
That's not radical environmental alarmism. It's physics. For me, the issue then becomes
one of guessing whether we get wise before that day, or whether we must wait for some
shocking and unpleasant climate surprise that wakes us all up.
For my children's sake, I hope that the optimistic scenario is the one that develops. The
choice is ours to make.
Somerville is distinguished professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
CCWG Final Recommendations Report
April 1, 2008
29 of 30
Appendix E: Full List of Climate Protection Actions Reviewed bv the Climate
Chan2e Workin2 Group
CCWG Final Recommendations Report
April 1, 2008
30 of 30
,
~
April 1, 2008
City of Chula Vista
Climate Change Working Group
Final Recommendations
A
adDm.
Reduction Goals
20% below 1990
levels by 2010
Mission Statement
. Open, transparent, and inclusive process
. To provide City Council a list of greenhouse gas
reduction solutions
. Focus on solutions that have been successfully
implemented elsewhere
w
Greenhouse Gas Inventory
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Greenhouse Gas Inventory
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Analysis Type
Working Group Participants
Lynda Gilgun
Alan Ridley
Chris Schodowski
Erin Pitts
Leo Miras
Cesar Rios
Alma Aguilar
Hector Reyes
Richard Chavez
Derek Turbide
RCC/Environment
Education/Energy
Business
Youth
Environment
Energy
Education
CVRC/Land Use
Transportation
Clean Energy
Working Group Participants
Brian Holland
Risa Baron
Andrea Cook
Michael Meacham
Carla Blackmar
Brendan Reed
Dawn Beintema
SANDAG
SDG&E
Center for Sustainable Energy
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Evaluation Criteria
1. Implemented elsewhere
2. Financially feasible
3. City jurisdiction
4. Quantifiable impacts
within a short time frame
5. No adverse impacts
Emissions Sector: Transportation
.....,..
~...
211.0%
.........
1ndustriIi,4.&"t.
.....,..
FOIsicMntiIII,
Zl.fNo
T_
47.9"10
Process
. July 2007- March 2008 (12 meetings)
. Reviewed & evaluated 90 solutions
. Prioritized Top 7
#1: Adopt Clean Vehicle Policy
Require that 100% of replacement vehicles
purchased for municipal fleet be high efficiency
(hybrid) or alternative fuel vehicles.
Council Action: Implement immediately
#2: Encourage Clean Vehicle Policy
Encourage fleet operators and companies
doing business in Chula Vista to adopt a
100% clean vehicle replacement purchasing
policy.
Council Action: Implement immediately
2
#3: Additional Energy Assessments
Require City-licensed businesses to
participate in an energy assessment
every 3 years or upon change of
ownership.
Council Action: Direct staff to develop plan
#4: Adopt Green Building Standards
Adopt green building standards for
all new and major renovations of
residential and commercial
construction.
11
Council Action: Direct staff to develop plan
#6: Smart Growth at Trolley Stations
Facilitate Smart Growth around the H
Street, E Street and Palomar Trolley
Stations.
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Council Action: Implement immediately
Emissions Sector: Energy
.....,..
Inc:t.rstn.I,4.6"k
.....,..
eonn.n.uI.
31.0%
T,.,sportIticn
47.9%
.....,..
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zr"'k
#5: Solar Conversion Program
Develop a solar conversion program for existing
residential and commercial buildings. Proactively
enforce existing codes requiring pre-plumbing for
solar hot water.
Council Action: Direct staff to develop plan
#7: Lawn Turf Conversion Program
Coordinate with Otay Water
District, San Diego County
Water Authority and the
Sweetwater Authority to
convert turf lawns to
xeriscape landscaping.
Council Action: Direct staff to develop plan
3
#7: Lawn Turf Conversion Program
Recommendations
. Accept all measures, direct staff to create
plans.
. Assign oversight responsibilities to the
Resource Conservation Commission or
other group.
. Present recommendations to community
groups and business associations.
Doing Something About Climate Change
Council Action
100% Clean Vehicle Purchasing Policy
# Measure
Staff Suggestion
2 Encourage others to adopt Clean Vehicle Policy
3 Business Energy Assessments
4 Green Building Standards
100% Clean Vehicle
Purchasing Policy
Revise purchasing requirements
Adopt recommendation
Flexibility for vehicle types & budget constraints
5 Solar Energy Conversion Program
Encourage others to adopt
Clean Vehicle Policy
Revise contracting requirements
Revise to reauire dean vehicle replacements
Flexibility for some vehicle classes
6 Smart Growth around Trolley Stations
Business Energy
Assessments
Return wI municipal code revisions
Exemptions for green buildings/CCAR businesses
7 Lawn Turf Conversion Program
4 Green Building Standards
Return wI implementation plan
For more info: www.chulavistaca.gov/clean/conservation
Council Action
Climate Change Commitment:
reduce 400,000 tons C02
Solar Energy Conversion
Program
Smart Gro'Wth around Trolley
Stations
Retum wi implementation plan
Increase energy efficiency
64% in all Chula Vista homes
"\WIT" "\WIT' "-T"
# Measure
Staff Suggestion
7 Lawn Turf Conversion Program
No action required
Smart gro'NIh incorporated into City plans
Return wi implementation plan
Broader strategy may increase impact
OR
Replace 66.460 cars with zero
emission vehicles
For more info: www.chulavistaca.gov/clean/conservation
OR
~~..~~
Install 128.000 Solar Panels
(3kW systems - 4.500 kWh/yr)~,",,;.~ M"1~'<~
.. ~_97'-.~; 1..~.~
4