Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Citizen's Sustainability Committee 02/08/2012T-Ca CITY OF PALM DESERT CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMITTEEE MINUTES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2012 —10:00 A.M. ADMININSTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE, PALM DESERT, CA 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL Present: Member Bruce Kassler Member Luke Taylor Member John Greenwood Chair Ellis "Cleve" Langford Member Robert Leo, Vice Chair Member Eric Freed Member David Koller Member Ralph Raya Also Present: Absent: Member Joe Norbeck Bill Kroonen, Mayor Pro TernCindy Finerty, City Councilmember John Wohlmuth, City Manager Justin McCarthy, ACM for Redevelopment/Housing Lauri Aylaian, Director of Community Development Martin Alvarez, Redevelopment Manager Anthony Hernandez, Sr. Financial Analyst Missy Wightman, Assistant Planner Donna Evans, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS CITY COUNCIL ACTION APPROVED DENIED None RECEIVED `��ed —OTHER MEETING DATE 5" AYES: in ' NOES: ABSENT: ►� c n r , ABSTAIN: VERIFIED BY: � IK-11— % Original an File with City Clerk's Office MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Citizens' Sustainability Committee Meetings of May 26, 2011, July 13, 2011, and October 19, 2011. Rec: Approve as presented. Upon a motion by Member Leo, second by Member Greenwood, and 8-0-1 vote with Member Norbeck absent, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS A. MERGING OF THE ENERGY COMMITTEE WITH THE CITIZEN'S SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. Ms. Missy Wightman, Assistant Planner, stated that the City Council has approved the merging of the Citizen's Sustainability Committee with the Energy Committee. There will be two City Council members (Cindy Finerty and Bill Kroonen) sitting in on the meetings, as well as staff members such as Justin McCarthy, Martin Alvarez, and Anthony Hernandez here with us today. B. INTRODUCTION TO THE ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SET TO SAVE PROGRAMS. Mr. Martin Alvarez, Redevelopment Manager, provided a Power Point presentation describing the Set to Save Program. He stated that the Sustainability Plan has an Energy Management component. There are two programs offered by the City of Palm Desert. The first program is known as the Palm Desert Energy Partnership, which includes the Set to Save Program. Mr. Mark Wasson, Set to Save representative, was introduced and is in charge of the outreach program. Mr. Wasson was available to answer any questions after the meeting. Mr. Alvarez stated that the City is still working on the goal to reduce energy consumption. The City discovered that there was a need to help residents finance energy upgrades on private property. The upgrades can be financed and paid through property tax, which is collected twice per year. If the home is sold, the improvements stay with the residence. The loan can be transferred to the new owner. The terms and conditions of the program were described by Mr. Alvarez 2 G:TlanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability 0ommittee\2012\Minutes\2-8-12 min docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY S, 2012 who also commented that all the Set to Save information is available on the City's website. Mr. Justin McCarthy, ACM for Redevelopment, commented on the risk issues involved with the program. He stated that the structure of the program is that it is the senior -most lien on the property. He said that unless the property was absolutely destroyed and there was zero value and no one ever bought the property again, then hypothetically, there would be a total loss on that particular loan. Typically, what happens is that there may be a default in terms of non- payment, at which point the interest payments accrue and then they have to be cured by the bank or whoever the successor owner would be, and they would continue with the payments. It's very much like a bond assessment. Councilmember Cindy Finerty asked Mr. McCarthy about the 7 percent interest rate and what it enables the City to do. Mr. McCarthy responded that the interest rate that the borrower pays is 7 percent; however, our current cost of capital is about a third of a point. Our typical cost of capital is in the 4-5 percent range. There's a spread between what the City pays for money and the rate in which the City loans money. This can accrue as a reserve to mitigate any losses, should they incur. Mr. Alvarez stated that the Energy Independence Program (EIP) has been very attractive to other cities and counties. Many cities, including San Diego and Los Angeles, have implemented this program. Nationally, this program is referred to as PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy). Mr. Alvarez described some of the "road blocks" that this program has come up against in the past, due to statements made by the FHFA. Fortunately for Palm Desert, the City Council has allowed this program to continue. The primary complaint made by the FHFA is the City's position of having the senior position on the loan. Mr. Wohlmuth, City Manager, commented that there are really two issues involved. One is the housing crisis and the other is the position of the lien. As the PACE programs were implemented across the nation, not all of them had the experience or extensive criteria that Palm Desert did. The other programs across the country may not have had the guidelines that Palm Desert had put in place. The Department of Energy used our guidelines as applicable guidelines across the nation, but noted that each state could have different laws. Councilmember Finerty stated that Mr. Al Pollard, from FHFA, is the person who issued a ruling on July 5, 2010, saying that the PACE program had to stop because of the senior lien issue. They didn't ask any of the cities or states who were participating about the structuring of the program. Unfortunately, Palm Desert got lumped into one big pool and we're all suffering as a result. She noted that Secretary Chu from the Energy Department is in direct conflict with FHFA. 3 GAPlanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\MinutesN2-8-12 min.docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 The Obama Administration also supports our program. The most frustrating part is that politicians at every level of government say that we need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Palm Desert did that and it worked really well, but now we're in court fighting for the program. Mr. McCarthy stated that he's in discussion with two entities who are interested in a commercial program. The EIP program is currently focused on residential properties. Small scale commercial can be done under our current program; however, larger scale commercial (i.e. hotels) would need substantially more money than the City is willing to allocate. At some point in time in the future, we may bring forward a commercial program for consideration. Mr. Alvarez stated that the April/May edition of the Bright Side publication will have a special energy section included with a complete background and description of all the programs that are currently in place. C. CURRENT PACE LEGISLATION PACE legislation was discussed under New Business, Item B. VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None Vlll. OLD BUSINESS A. AMENDED OUTDOOR LIGHTING ORDINANCE. Ms. Wightman stated that she and Member Ralph Raya have been working on amending the outdoor lighting ordinance. There are some changes for the committee to discuss. Two handouts were provided for the Committee to review. Member Ralph Raya stated that the changes to the ordinance will update the current standards and take advantage of what's available in the marketplace today. The terms and intent should be easily understood. The draft outdoor lighting ordinance was given to the Committee for their review and comments. Member Raya commented that one of the things that this ordinance will start to address is how we define LED lamps, lighting and how they've become integrated into the ordinance, including their benefits and some of the disadvantages that may exist. He stated that the original ordinance went against the energy/sustainability side of what we're trying to achieve. The current ordinance is not energy efficient and there is a conflict between energy and lumens. Member Raya stated that the goal for the new ordinance is to eliminate the disconnect and promote more energy efficient lighting and define how to use the light fixtures. He wondered if the City should tell the public how many lumens they can use per 4 GAPlanning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee12012\Minutes\2-S-12 min.dou MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 acre, or do we want to tell them that we want them to use the most efficient lighting that they can (low wattage, high lumen) but always directed to a specific object. Member Kassler asked if it could be taken into consideration to give design professionals latitude by giving them a certain amount of criteria that relates to safety and aesthetics and give them maximum energy consumption so that the City isn't micromanaging the design professional. Member Raya stated that this is the intent of the amended ordinance. Mr. Wohlmuth commented that the current ordinance is about fifteen years old and that he, personally, worked on it. He stated that the ordinance was written as more of a development standard. Some of the issues that the City will be facing are how to retrofit existing development. It would become more of a code issue than a development standard. Mr. Wohlmuth stated that a lot of the current ordinance was written with safety concerns in mind. Ms. Wightman stated that they are addressing certain items that are already in the ordinance, such as light trespass and the height of light fixtures in parking lots. Mr. Wohlmuth asked if the City would require existing businesses to retrofit their lighting. Ms. Aylaian stated that if a business was going to re -do their parking lot, then we could require them to update their lighting, per the amended ordinance. Member Raya spoke about LED parking lot lighting. The current ordinance calls for high-pressure sodium. The difference is that LED lighting produces a white light, whereas the metal halide, high-pressure sodium or arc -tube lamps rely on a narrow, thin, arc tube within a bulb with a reflector that scatters the light, which is the part that creates glare. He commented that the LED products control the light, meet the requirements of the City and creates very even illumination. The Sustainability Committee was previously asked to visit the new parking lot at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, which is illuminated with LED lighting. The parking lot is very evenly lit, but from a distance, it's very low glare. Ms. Wightman asked the Sustainability Committee members if anyone was able to visit the site. Member Taylor stated that he went at dusk and noted that the light was evenly distributed and the color was nice. He commented that the neighboring parking lot with high-pressure sodium lighting was like a big "hot spot". Ms. Aylaian asked Member Raya about the cost of LED lighting vs. high-pressure sodium lighting. 5 GAPlanning\Monica OReilly\Suslainability Comminee\20121Minutes\2-8-12 min,docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 Member Raya answered that in time, the cost of LED lighting will start coming down in price. The LED lighting at the Eisenhower facility was very cost competitive. Member Leo asked about residential street lighting and asked about gated communities and wondered if the City would require HOA's to comply with the outdoor lighting ordinance. Member Raya commented that an existing residential neighborhood would only be required to comply with the current ordinance if they propose a change to their existing plan. Member Leo commented that he visited the Eisenhower parking lot and thought that the new City standard should require LED lighting. Ms. Wightman asked the Committee if a developer should have a choice between LED lighting or high- pressure sodium lighting, or should they be required to use LED lighting. Ms. Aylaian asked if it's going to look funny to have different colored parking lot lighting in different parking lots. Member Raya stated that over the next 5-10 years the lighting industry will stop selling certain types of products. In reality, LED lighting for parking lots may be the only lighting available in ten years. LED lighting is the best choice because of the even illumination and it's visually easier on the eye. Member Freed asked about the possibility of having different operating hours for lights. Member Raya responded that this is a possibility and described different scenarios. Member Freed suggested using motion sensors on the parking lot lighting. He also suggested being more descriptive with the wording for the ordinance and also creating an ordinance that would meet the Cal Green Tier 1 standards. Member Kassler commented that the motion sensor concept would conserve energy tremendously. He stated that he doesn't think that the City should force existing property owners of commercial projects to spend a lot of money, but perhaps the City could prove to them that they would save money in the long term using LED lighting. Member Leo asked if there will be something in the ordinance regarding lighting of recreational areas, such as soccer fields, tennis courts or basketball courts. Member Raya stated that there is an item in the ordinance, but the City isn't restricting them to use a certain type of lighting. Sports lighting has been an issue because of glare, but there are certain lighting systems that control the light more 6 GAPlanning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Gommittee\2012\Minutes�2-8-12 min,docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 superior than most. This is probably the best system in place today and is what is currently being used at Freedom Park in Palm Desert. The lights are metal halide in special housing and lamp configuration. Ms. Wightman asked if the Committee would like to add the requirement to use LED lighting everywhere in Palm Desert parking lots, or should property owners be given options for metal halide lighting. Member Greenwood stated that he's currently working on an apartment project, and to switch an entire complex to LED would be a significant cost increase. He stated that he would like to see LED lighting in parking lots, but noted that he would be worried about the initial impact that this would make on development. Member Raya stated that the City of Palm Desert should mandate LED lighting for parking lots. He stated that the parking lot at Eisenhower is, by far, the best lit parking lot anywhere and this is the quality that we want in the City. Member Kassler commented that he currently uses LED lighting on properties that he owns and is very happy with the results. He stated that it was a little bit more expensive, but taking into consideration the life of the lights and the small amount of energy consumption, they are worth the price. The City of Palm Desert has always been the most progressive city in the valley and he felt that this is something that's really good for the end users and the developers. Member Kassler was in favor of "cautiously" adding it to the ordinance. Mr. McCarthy commented that he felt that the private sector should be given some options and flexibility on parking lot lighting. Member Leo stated that there shouldn't be a mandate on LED lighting. Member Koller commented that we don't know where the future technology is going to be and wondered if the lighting ordinance will be antiquated. Member Raya stated that the future in lighting is going to be LED's. There may be improvements in the future of high-pressure sodium and metal halide lighting sufficiently enough that they compete with the LED lights. He suggested that the Outdoor Lighting Ordinance may have to be updated again in about ten years because the lighting industry is changing so quickly. A. DISTRIBUTION OF PARKING STUDY AREAS. Ms. Wightman stated that she put together parking count maps for all of the Committee members, per their previous conversation regarding de- asphaltification. Each member of the Committee was given a parking lot map and 7 GAPlanningWonica OReilly\Sustainability Committee12012Winutes\2-8-12 min.dou MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 instructions on how to perform parking counts. Ms. Wightman commented that the reason behind the parking counts is to see if there's too much parking being allocated for different building uses. The parking counts are due back to Ms. Wightman by February 29. Member Freed orally presented his report on suburban sprawl and also showed an on -screen presentation to the Committee. He used the Apple Store on El Paseo as a good example of a retail store with modern design in a traditional neighborhood. Member Freed stated that a typical "big box" store covers fifteen acres and the way they treat the land is to flatten it and pave it with asphalt because it's the cheapest thing to do. He said most of the time the parking for a "big box" store is oversized because they're really designed for two months out of the year during the Christmas season. The other ten months of the year, the parking lots are primarily vacant. When the stores go out of business, they leave blight. Member Freed described the minimal parking lot use of several large stores in La Quinta. He suggested a parking lot design that would have a dedicated parking area in the front of the store, which could be asphalt or permeable pavers. The rest of the site would be green, using some kind of Grass Pave or something similar where it can look like grass, but it would be strong enough for a fire truck to drive over. This would be for overflow parking during the high season. Member Freed also suggested having a "big box" store designed so that it's closer to the street to create a sense of neighborhood and have the overflow parking in the rear of the store. Mr. McCarthy pointed out that the asphalt parking areas do generate a very significant resource to benefit the community. A typical fifteen acre site generates $400,000 to $800,000 per year in sales tax. There's a reason why retailers do what they do and they design their sites the way they do. Mr. McCarthy suggested that they include retail operators in future discussions so that the direction is appropriate. Retailers provide services, resources, and jobs. There's a reason why a developer puts parking in front of a building, as opposed to behind a building. Member Freed agreed, but there are national retailers who have a "one size fits all" approach and we have the opportunity to ask them questions. Mr. McCarthy stated that the material solutions that Member Freed spoke about are very innovative and could probably be accommodated; however, the actual design solutions for the parking areas might have to be looked at further and opened up for discussion with actual retailers. The location of a designated "front door" vs. multiple entries was discussed, as well as the use of permeable pavers in the parking area. Ms. Wightman commented that currently there are minimum requirements for parking, and she suggested that there be maximum parking requirements as well. 8 GAPlanning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee\20121Minutes\2-8-12 min.dou MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 8, 2012 She went over the directions with the Committee members for the parking counts and asked that they be returned to her by February 29. B. UPDATE ON ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF PLASTIC BAGS. Ms. Wightman stated that the City Council heard the presentation on plastic bags and voted to study the effects of plastic bags. She has made a presentation to the Solid Waste Technical Working Group at the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG), and will also make a presentation to the Energy and Environmental Committee at CVAG. The City of Indio has expressed an interest in a proposed ban on plastic bags. Ms. Wightman made a presentation to the Palm Desert Youth Committee who will be creating a survey, which will be distributed during their home room classes for their input. This input will be a part of the Palm Desert Youth Committee's final recommendation. IX. REPORTS AND REMARKS Ms. Wightman stated that the movie "Bag It" will be shown at UCR on February 23, 2012. The intent is to offer a free educational opportunity to the public about the effects of plastic bags on the environment. X. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Chair Langford, second by Member Greenwood, Chair Langford adjourned the meeting at 11:57 a.m. Donna Evans, Recording Secret 9 G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee\20121,Minutes',2-8-12 min.docx