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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSustainability Cmte - 08-08-2013 � � � �,�.����'`r. CITY OF PALM DESERT CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMITTEEE - _ �- MINUTES �' • ' WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 — 10:00 A.M. ADMININSTRATIVE CONFERENCE ROOM 73-510 FRED WARING DRIVE, PALM DESERT, CA 92260 I. CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Leo called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Member Eric Freed via Skype Member John Greenwood Member Dean Gatons Chair Cleve Langford Member Bruce Kassler Member David Koller Member David Mourhess Member Ralph Raya Member Susan Rosenberg Member Luke Taylor Vice Chair Robert Leo Also Present: Lauri Aylaian, Director of Community Development Mark Greenwood, Director of Public Works Martin Alvarez, Director of Economic Development Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Development Manager Missy Wightman, Assistant Planner Monica O'Reilly, Recording Secretary III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS CITY COUNCILACTION APPROVF.D �r�v�rn RECEIVED 'f"F��OTH ER None MEFTING DATE - �- �l AYF,S: � n r i NOFs: N���� AI3SENT: -t5�+1�- ABSTAIN: ��nP VI?RIFIED �3Y: �- � Origin:�l on File with Cih� Clei�k's O fice MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 IV. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES of the Citizens' Sustainability Committee Meetings of May 9, 2012. Rec: Approve as presented. Upon a motion by Member Mourhess, second by Member Gatons, and 9-0 vote with Greenwood and Langford absent, the Consent Calendar was approved as presented. V. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VI. NEW BUSINESS None VII. CONTINUED BUSINESS None VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. UPDATE ON PLASTIC BAGS Ms. Missy Wightman, Assistant Planner, reported that on Friday, August 3, she met with some local retailers to discuss plastic bags. She noted that it was difficult to get retailers to attend the meeting. There are some retailers that support a ban of plastic bags. It was mentioned at the meeting that if the City pursues eliminating plastic bags at restaurants, the California Grocers Association (CGA) would likely sue the City due to a cross contamination issue. Ms. Wightman stated that she would be doing some research on that issue. She noted that the CGA also does not support getting rid of plastic bags for produce. CGA is strict on what they would or would not endorse. She stated if they were to move forward to eliminate plastic bags, there are costs involved to have an environmental study completed. It seems that a Mitigated Negative Declaration could be done on this issue rather than a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which costs more and takes more time. Ms. Wightman mentioned it would be best if they could get all the Coachella Valley cities involved for a full environmental document, and have each city assist with the cost and move forward as a whole valley instead of city by city. Member Ralph Raya inquired if all cities get involved, would it fall under the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG). 2 G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8-12 min.docx MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 Ms. Wightman responded that it could fall under CVAG unless there is a city that wants to take the lead and take it on. She stated plastic bags have been introduced to CVAG, and cities expressed that they do not have the funds for this issue. She mentioned another concern would be that citizens might go to neighboring cities for their groceries, if Palm Desert were to restrict plastic bags. In addition, CGA would immediately recommend a charge for paper bags if reusable bags are not used. Ms. Wightman said there are some cities not charging people that are in the Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) and CalFresh Program (formerly known as Food Stamps), which they must also consider. Member Bruce Kassler asked what is the population for the cities that have passed ordinances in California or nationwide to ban plastic bags. Ms. Wightman replied she did not know, but a good source for that information is www.plasticbaqlaws.orq. Member Kassler commented that he finds it difficult to believe that someone would stop shopping at a store because of plastic bags. There must be some documentation from other cities after the ordinance has passed. Vice Chair Leo mentioned the city of Manhattan Beach won a legal ruling that since they were below a certain population level they could pass an ordinance without filing an EIR. The court upheld the ruling, and he is trying to find out based on the population, if the City of Palm Desert would be allowed to do the same. He said Palm Desert would have to take the lead or go forward alone. Ms. Ruth Ann Moore, Economic Development Manager, asked how regular (non- grocery) retail establishments are being addressed. Do they have to bring their own bag into retail establishments? She stated retailers will be concerned with theft and shoplifting. Member Dean Gatons stated generally the ban of plastic bag pertains to grocery stores and super centers. Ms. Wightman said she contacted some retailers, and was unable to get participation from them. Ms. Moore said she could assist with retailer participation. She mentioned that some of the higher end retailer stores already use paper bags, but she was curious if they are going to be charged for that bag. Member Raya interjected that grocery stores work off one percent profit so they cannot afford to give the bags away versus a restaurant or retailer that has a G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8-12 min.docx � MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 greater profit margin. A restaurant or retailer is able to build the cost into business. There was brief discussion concerning leaving bags at registers or at the door when shopping at the mall. Member Eric Freed asked if the retailers talked about biodegradable bags. Ms. Wightman mentioned that through some research with recycling facilities, plastic bags and biodegradable bags get mixed and workers do not have time to sort through to find which bags are plastic and which are biodegradable. Therefore, biodegradable bags have not been endorsed as much. Vice Chair Leo said once there is a ban on plastic bags, next would be to work with the retailers to use a different type of bag. A bag that is more environmentally friendly. He mentioned there are some retailers that use reusable bags when a customer makes a purchase at that store. Ms. Wightman added that reusable bags for some retailers are used for free marketing. She also mentioned there has been an issue of cross contamination with reusable bags. She has since put reusable bags she owns in the washer under delicate cycle, and they all came out fine. Vice Chair Leo asked what is the next step. Ms. Wightman responded she is waiting to have one more meeting with retailers to discuss charging for paper bags. Vice Chair Leo agreed with Ms. Moore's suggestion to meet with the non-grocery retailers to receive their input. Ms. Moore also suggested going to the retailer meetings. Westfield and The Gardens have merchant monthly or bi-monthly meetings. Member Gatons inquired about the big chain stores, is staff contacting the local stores or their corporate offices? Ms. Wightman responded that she has been contacting the local stores, but then she's referred to corporate offices. Member Gatons asked if a customer is charged for a paper bag, are they taxed for that item. After some discussion about the taxes, Member Freed stated that there would not be a tax for the paper bag. G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8-12 min.docx � MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 Member Susan Rosenberg inquired about the drug stores. They usually put one small item in a plastic bag. Member Gatons mentioned that for patient confidentiality, small paper bags are used for medication. Member Kassler stated that if they could get one big box store like Walmart to do some kind of test program and be the lead, then everyone else would follow. B. REVIEW PARKING COUNTS COMPILATION Ms. Wightman presented information pertaining to the parking study done at different stores and shopping center parking lots. She noted that she would email the information to the Committee since they will not be able to go over all the information. Vice Chair Leo mentioned he noticed various types of storage units or trash bins were moved into some parking lots, which reduced the number of parking spaces. Ms. Wightman provided the Committee with the current parking standards, and stated that the standards could sometimes be complicated. Vice Chair Leo asked if the parking study done at Bristol Farms included the area down to Sherman's Deli. Ms. Wightman replied yes, and noted that it did not include the gas station on the corner. Member Kassler inquired if developers know what they need for parking based on their other stores, and do they request an exception. Ms. Aylaian responded that some developers know what they believe they need for their use. There are times the developer agrees with what is required and sometimes they do not. She stated when it is less, she would generally recommend that they go with less parking provided that they could submit studies or substantiate where they are getting the numbers from. Member Freed commented that Costco has ten times the amount of handicap spaces. He asked if that comes from Costco or from the City. Ms. Aylaian responded they did not do parking counts at Costco, but staff did notice that Desert Gateway (Walmart, 99 Store) has a lot of handicap stalls, and they are always occupied. G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8•8-12 min.docx J MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 Ms. Wightman said she would look into the handicap stalls. Member Gatons inquired if Walmart requested more parking for motor homes. Mr. Mark Greenwood stated that overnight parking is not allowed. Member Freed stated the intent is not to limit parking, but to limit the amount of asphalt. Member Raya said it comes down to a planning issue and how the site plan is developed. If you go to other cities such as San Diego, the Ralph's and Albertson's have parking under the store. Ms. Wightman mentioned that parking is not being used behind Trader Joe's, which one wou�d assume it is intended for employees. Are they not parking there for security reasons or are they afraid their cars will be broken into? She said spots in the back are not needed if no one is going to use them. Member Raya suggested as they go through the ordinance to address the number of spaces allowed per square foot and how much parking is going to be allowed behind or on the side of the building. Vice Chair Leo commented they also need to follow up on making parking lots more environmentally friendly as opposed to what they are now. He mentioned that his wife currently has a temporary handicap permit, and he has been unable to find a handicap parking space. He conveyed that those are two issues they need to look at. Member Freed noted that a handicap permit in California means more than parking close to the front door, it also means you do not have to pay a meter statewide. He said it is more of an issue in a big city, but worth noting. He stated that part of the planning process is to look at what is appropriate for each site rather than a blanket regulation. Ms. Aylaian responded on behalf of the planners, she would advocate strongly for an ordinance with flexibility when there are compatible uses on site. Currently as the ordinance is written, it is cumbersome in order to approve a project, and must go through a public hearing process. Member Kassler mentioned that his company has a shared parking agreement with the church across the street. After eight years, they have never had a problem. Member Freed asked Member Kassler if there is a liability issue if someone parks in the company's parking lot, and the person trips and falls. G:\Planning\Monip OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8-12 min.docx V MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 Member Kassler responded that there is an agreement, and he believes there is a liability staying with the company rather than the property owner. Mr. Martin Alvarez, Director of Economic Development, noted that Ms. Moore is working on an economic development strategy to address some additional tools that the City might have available to bring in new developments. One item discussed was to utilize or offer an incentive to property owners that have huge parking lots to allow them the opportunity to develop or add leasable square footage without increasing parking, which would reduce the amount of excess parking and asphalt. There was brief discussion on greening of parking lots and different materials that could be used, such as pavers and pervious concrete. Member Kassler mentioned they just completed a project for the Palm Springs Unified School District. Their parking spaces were done with the pervious concrete with crushed aggregate. They have no surface retention and with the recent rains, the water just disappeared. Member Luke Taylor asked Member Kassler what the maintenance for the pervious concrete is. Member Kassler responded that they use parking lot vacuums, and they also use high pressure water sprayers. Ms. Wightman continued with the presentation and reminded the Committee that she would be emailing the study to them. Ms. Moore inquired if the studies were done on Saturdays. Ms. Wightman replied yes. Studies were done Sunday through Saturday at three different times of the day. C. PRESENTATION ON GROUP STUDIES Ms. Wightman stated she did not have any studies forwarded to her. Member Kassler reported he and Member John Greenwood visited about 10 parking lots after the sun went down. They found that the majority of the parking lots were using the high pressure sodium, which are the orange tinted lights. There were a couple of parking lots that use the metal halide. The other parking lot they went to was at Eisenhower Medical Center (not in Palm Desert), which was all LED. He stated the LED lights were the most pleasing. There were a couple of parking lots that had systems to automatically turn off lights, some had 50 percent of the lots lights turned off, some lots had the back parking lights G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8-12 min.docx � MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 turned off, and Walmart had lights in the front turned off. He was surprised since they were the only store open at 10:00 p.m., and they were busy at that time. Member Kassler circulated pictures taken of lighting at different parking lots. He noted LED is aesthetically better. Member Raya added there is less glare with LED and energy consumption is reduced. Member Kassler asked Mr. Mark Greenwood if the City uses LED for projects or asks their consultants to use LED. Mr. Greenwood replied some signal lights have LED. He likes LED but they are more expensive. Member Raya stated as time goes on, the cost for LED will come down. Member Rosenberg provided pictures of parking lots that had parking spaces being used for other purposes. Some lots had garbage cans, shopping carts, construction items, and at Home Depot they had sheds and trees in the parking lot. She mentioned the shade trees at Lowe's are only about five feet tall after several years and there is no shade in the whole parking lot. Member David Koller stated that he and Member Luke Taylor looked at landscaping and lighting interactions. He stated City codes are a little conflicting. There is one code that requires a certain amount of shade in a parking lot, there are lighting codes, and codes for the height of the light pole versus the height of the landscape. Ms. Wightman asked if it would be advantageous to have a strip of landscape rather than adopt a parking lot with intermittent trees, and create more of a water retention area that is fully landscaped with trees that have more area to grow. Member Tayfor said typically the way most parking lots are situated there's the parking lot, retail, and a retention basin. To use the retention basin in between parking areas, he does not know if you could get the required capacity or if they have to do something to break the retention basin up into smaller basins. He also said there are large landscape areas where a tree has a chance to thrive, but this does not necessarily get them close enough to the parking lot to allow for the shade. Member Kassler interjected that trees in parking lots do not work. Trees do not grow well in parking lots due to the temperatures in the desert, which is the problem at Lowe's. The smaller the island, whether it is a diamond or square or rectangle shape, the tougher it is on trees especially during the summer months since it restricts water from getting to the roots, which should extend as far as the G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8•12 min.docx o MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 canopy. He also said the trees also affect the lighting at night. He suggested putting trees on the outside of the project or right up against the building, which will create shade and would reduce the temperature to the building. He also suggested installing carports with solar panels, but indicated that this might be costly. Member Kassler stated whatever money is available should not be wasted on putting in a tree that's going to be stressed out for the rest of its existence. He said install something that is going to be of value even if you can only do ten carports. It is better for the shopper, and certainly for the developer/property owner. Member Taylor added that another advantage is if you have a shade structure, you no longer have a lighting issue. Member Raya commented if you take the process of design, you first choose sites to install the lights to evenly illuminate the project. Then go back and look between the poles and take two parking spots off of each side (20 x 40 foot zone) that can hold two trees. He thinks two parking stalls are big enough to plant trees and it would also reduce the parking counts. Ms. Wightman asked Member Taylor if he recommends modifying the ordinance that requires parking stalls for trees. Member Taylor responded in his opinion instead of trying to make something work with trees spread throughout the lot, make everything hardscape then put trees and landscape elsewhere. Ms. Wightman stated it would also give designers an opportunity to be creative. So if they come up with a percentage of shade for designers to work with, whether it is carports or trees, maybe they could require a percentage of trees on site but not require it in certain plots like they are now. If carports are installed, they should count towards the percentage of shaded areas. IX. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR 1. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM UPDATE Mr. Alvarez reported that through the Energy Independence Program (EIP) for 2012 (first seven months), the City financed 19 loans that consisted of air conditioning systems, window replacements, and pool pumps. There are 435 projects that were not funded through the EIP program, and have gone through their own financing or other opportunities. Of the 435 projects, 336 of the projects have been air conditioning change outs. He reported that to date, the City has only financed three solar projects, and there have been 66 non-EIP solar projects. G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\8-8-12 min.docx � MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 He stated the market is still moving forward, and the City is happy with the progress they have made in the last five years. Mr. Alvarez updated the Committee on the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) legal issue, and provided a fact sheet on the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program explaining the program and the alternatives that the FHFA has proposed. He briefly went over the alternatives that were listed in the fact sheet. Ms. Wightman asked Mr. Alvarez to explain FHFA's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Mr. Alvarez responded that there is a lawsuit that is being heard in the Federal District Court and that lawsuit is pending. The Federal Court is holding back issuing a ruling until the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking process is handled, which gives the public an opportunity to comment. B. COMMITTEE MEMBERS Member Taylor commented there are handicap parking spaces, and there are other spaces such as carpool spaces. His thought is to possibly have other spaces be used for handicap if the handicap spaces are full. Member Raya mentioned he would send an email out to organize a meeting to discuss lighting. Member Kassler commented it is hard for him to imagine that people are having a difficult time with the ban of plastic bags. He stated plastic is a bad thing, and all one has to do is the research. He wished that the City Council would be more concerned, since in his opinion it is easy to do. He suggested that before the next meeting staff find out about the CEQA requirement or lack thereof. Ms. Wightman stated that a Mitigated Negative Declaration is less expensive than a full EIR and takes less time, although Member Kassler pointed out that an EIR could rule out possible lawsuits. Ms. Wightman responded there are still going to be lawsuits. She mentioned when plastic bags were on the City Council agenda and staff was asked to research the matter, she received a number of calls, emails, and letters. Member Gatons said the media also made it sound like the City Council was going to vote for the ban of plastic bags. Ms. Wightman stated it is a tough issue. She would like to research as many bases as possible, and continue to inform the public. She mentioned the younger generation have a better understanding, but she intends to show Bag lt at the Joslyn Senior Center to get feedback from them. G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\&8-12 min.docx �O MINUTES CITIZENS' SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AUGUST 8, 2012 Member Gatons mentioned the solar panels at the Berger Foundation building were removed, and asked when they were taken down. Ms. Aylaian responded they voluntarily removed the panels. She commented they were having trouble with the control system, and it did not work properly. Member Freed said he's been doing some research on de-asphaltification, and stated he would be meeting with his group to share what he's been doing. He mentioned he's been through a plastic bag ordinance in San Francisco; once it is done, it's done and not a big deal. The retailers don't complain anymore, but there's always drama leading up to it. Ms. Aylaian stated that she likes the suggestion of finding a model for the ban of plastic bags. She is thinking maybe the City can find and identify an existing grocery center to team with to test a ban on plastic bags and a nominal charge for paper bags. She volunteered to look into that concept before the next meeting. Ms. Moore noted that she started to use reusable bags, and people could learn to do it. X. ADJOURNMENT Upon a motion by Mourhess, second by Gatons, and a 9-0 vote of the Citizens' Sustainability Committee, Vice Chair Leo adjourned the meeting at 11:55 a.m. � \ �'"�\p,�.���_z Monica O'Reilly, Recording Secr ry G:\Planning\Monica OReilly\Sustainability Committee�2012\Minutes\&8-12 min.docx 11