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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021/06/02 - ADMIN - Minutes - Environment & Sustainability Commission - Regular Official minutes Environment & sustainability commission St. Louis Park, Minnesota 6/2/2021 1. Call to order 1a. Roll call Members present: Chair Marisa Bayer, Eric Zweber, Bridget Rathsack, Paige Kane, Claire Lukens, Zoe Frank, Lillian Hertel Members absent: None Staff present: Emily Ziring, Sustainability Manager; Annie Pottorff, Sustainability Specialist Guests: Ryan Griffin, Shaina Ashare 3. Approval of minutes – May 5, 2021 – the minutes were approved unanimously. 4. Business a. Update on anti-idling research and next steps – Ms. Ziring stated she met with the city’s fleet manager about potential ways to update the existing Vehicle Use Policy to specifically reflect idling reduction. She stated she will write a report to council about potential actions to take. Over the next two months, Ms. Ziring will work on a draft report and bring it back to the commission for review before submitting to council, most likely in July or August. b. Introduction to Green Building Policy revisions – Ms. Ziring presented on the existing and future proposed Green Building Policy. She stated that a draft review of the proposed policy will go to internal staff, the ESC, the Planning Commission, and then to City Council and the EDA for discussion and adoption. Mr. Griffin asked if there is potential for renewables to meet the commitment for the three-day off grid scenario or will this trigger people to install a generator. Ms. Ziring stated the requirement is either one of two options – either clean fuels or renewables. Mr. Griffin asked if the city’s standard will be comparable to Minneapolis or St. Paul. Ms. Ziring stated St. Louis Park’s will be comparable to St. Paul in framework, but not in overlay requirements. Mr. Griffin asked if this will be the gold standard in both Minneapolis and St. Louis Park. Ms. Ziring stated it will be and her goal is that the policy aims high. Ms. Ashare asked if this will include renovations. Ms. Ziring stated yes, it will apply to renovations of 50,000 square feet or greater. Environmental & sustainability commission June 2, 2021 Commissioner Zweber asked if costs are passed on to developers. Ms. Ziring stated the city’s community development staff has a budget for technical assistance, and costs are paid for out of the operating budget. Commissioner Rathsack asked about multifamily units and if there are any equity examples for different building types. Ms. Ziring stated her emphasis has been on energy efficiency, which will lower energy bills for tenants, and resiliency. She added that equity really comes into play with the city’s inclusive housing policy, which includes requirements for family-sized units. She has not reviewed the draft policy with developers but noted she will look at feedback from developers and architects who were surveyed about the framework in order to make the policy better for all parties involved. Mr. Griffin asked if the main lever is TIF and if there is not a lot you can do about single- family tear down and construction. Ms. Ziring walked through the requirements for 1-4 unit residential buildings. Mr. Griffin asked if this applies to commercial developments as well. Ms. Ziring stated yes, for the purposes of this policy the definition of commercial buildings includes industrial and mixed-use. Mr. Griffin asked what percentage of commercial has used TIF. Ms. Ziring stated almost every redevelopment project in recent years has used TIF, so it is important to get this right. Commissioner Zweber added it is PUD as well as TIF. Ms. Ziring agreed, noting that by and large it is TIF that is used. Ms. Ziring stated she will review the draft with the new commissioners prior to the July ESC meeting. c. Potential rescheduling of July monthly meeting – Chair Bayer noted the next meeting is July 7, right after the holiday. Several commissioners will be out of town, and she proposed the next meeting move to July 14th. Chair Bayer made a motion, and Commissioner Zweber seconded, to move the next ESC meeting to July 14th due to the July 4th holiday. The motion passed. Ms. Ziring stated now that the state emergency order is no longer in place, all boards and commissions are required to meet in person after July 1. Commissioner Rathsack asked if the meetings could be outside and if this is a city requirement for all boards and commissions, given that it does not prioritize the most vulnerable individuals or make space for using technology in the future (due to travel, child care needs, and other priorities individuals have). Ms. Ziring stated because the commissions are all public bodies, the city’s and the state’s expectation is that all meetings go back to meeting in person, but that accommodations will be made for those with medical conditions who are not able to Environmental & sustainability commission June 2, 2021 attend in person. She added she is not sure if meetings are allowed outside, especially when considering technology and weather. Ms. Ziring asked the commissioners to email her offline with any questions or concerns. 5. Staff updates – -Solar sundown has 21 applications so far -Climate Champions for business has a handful of applications so far, and more promotion will be done -Benchmarking compliance was extended to July 1, and phone calls and compliance notices are going out to those not yet in compliance -Home Energy Squad challenge round 2 is going on now - A group called YEA comprised of 9-12 year-olds contacted the city to do a small pilot project replacing sod with native plants. The parking island inside Louisiana Oaks Park has been chosen, and plant selection with the group will be happening next week. - Budget process – it is underway at the director level and no additional details are available at this time, but more will be shared soon. - Nichole Salaam has been hired as the new racial equity manager for the city. - The search for the new city manager has been narrowed down to 3 finalists who will be interviewed by council. - The city has been recognized for National Solar Smart program. - The city has also advanced to Green Step Cities - Step 5 status, reporting almost 100 sustainability metrics while showing improvements from the prior year. 6. Workgroup and/or project updates a. Events workgroup: Summer of Action collaboration with HRC Commissioner Rathsack stated there are no updates at this time. She noted the George Floyd Memorial Walk is on Sunday, June 6 and all are welcome to come to this public event. Ms. Ziring stated a Summer of Action planning meeting will be taking place in two weeks, and Mr. Gray will be leading that. Ms. Pottorff will ask Mr. Gray to connect with the events workgroup. Ms. Pottorff stated they are well-staffed for the Memorial Walk at this time but commissioners are welcome to attend. 7. Environmental Justice open discussion Chair Bayer noted the Met Council published a new data set and as energy efficiency or Solar Sundown is discussed, this is good data to consider. The data includes concentrated areas of poverty, concentrated affluence, and equity. Ms. Pottorff noted a webinar series from the EPA on environmental justice and systemic racism which focuses on red lining in communities. She stated she will send the link to the ESC. Ms. Ziring noted she is thinking about equity with respect to Xcel and places in the grid that are not as reliable and how they map to areas of poverty or areas of environmental Environmental & sustainability commission June 2, 2021 justice concern. She is looking into data on this to see what is available, and who bears the cost of this type of infrastructure, and if more funds can be directed to buildings in those type of stressed areas. She will report back to the ESC. Commissioner Rathsack asked about the ECO Act and its impact on equity. Chair Bayer stated it was just passed in the legislature, and it is an opportunity to incentivize electrification and replace traditional natural gas use. This would have positive impacts on public health. 8. Recognition of commissioners who have completed terms of service Chair Bayer stated more information will come on this topic at a later date. Adjournment – 7:16 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Emily Ziring, liaison Marisa Bayer, chair member