TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Dr. Ana Puszkin- Chevlin, Sustainabilty Officer
THROUGH: Mark R. Lauzier, City Manager; India J. Adams; Asst. City Manager
DATE: September 11, 2018
Title
PRESENTATION OF SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCY INITATIVES
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Provide direction to move forward on sustainability and resilience initiatives. To include:
• An ordinance that would limit distribution of plastic straws and stirrers by restaurant and bar establishments n use of plastic non-biodegradable straws by
• Proceed with award of the Textile Recycling program to the qualified bidder
• Revision of the green building requirements for new construction
Body
Background:
This presentation summarizes advancements made regarding sustainability and resiliency over the past year, including progress related to the Rising Waters Task Force Report, and subsequently focuses on three current initiatives: 1) a proposed plastic straw ordinance, 2) a proposed textile recycling program, and 3) a proposed change to the City’s green building requirements, for which staff seeks direction from City Commission prior to proceeding. The presentation concludes with a list of priority topics the Green Implementation Advancement Board (GIAB) would like to raise to the City Commission’s attention.
Rising Waters Task Force Update In June of 2017, the Rising Waters Task Force presented to the City Commission a report with six broad recommendations and 21 action steps that would address climate resilience. After a nearly a year, staff is proud to report on 20 initiatives that were undertaken in respond to specific action steps identified in the report.
Skip the Straw Ordinance. At the May 18th meeting of the Green Implementation Advancement Board (GIAB), unanimously passed a resolution requesting that the City Commission consider an ordinance that would limit distribution of plastic straws by restaurants only to customers that explicitly request them, and after 18 months, ban the use of single use plastic straws and stirrers, but permitted restaurants and bars to offer reusable straws made of materials that can be recyclable or disposable straws made of compostable material. The Office of Sustainability supports this policy recommendation and urges the city to move forward quickly, as there is concern that the State may pass legislation pre-empting municipalities from enacting laws on plastic straws. State preemption has occurred with plastic bags and polystyrene containers, but municipalities with laws already in effect were “grandfathered’. GIAB and staff would like to ensure that should the State move to limit local jurisdictions capacity to legislate, we have the opportunity to be considered “grandfathered.”
The Textile Recycling Initiative was started in 2015, but because it has taken more than three years to issue a RFP and evaluate responses, it seemed prudent to inform the City Commission about the proposed program and objectives we seek to accomplish prior to bringing forth a vendor contract for approval. The textile recycling program, as described in the presentation and attached PowerPoint file, is based on deployment of 10 textile donation bins at pre-selected city-owned locations, where the bins can be easily monitored for cleanliness and maintenance issues. If awarded, the vendor would pay the city approximately $50,000 over the initial 5-year period for the opportunity to locate the bins. Staff seeks direction from Commission on whether to proceed with award of the program to the qualified bidder and place the contract on a future City Commission agenda.
Green Building Ordinance Revision: In December of 2015 Ordinance 28-15 amended Sec. 4.4.13 of the LDR pertaining to development in the central business district (CBD) adding a requirement that new buildings 50,000 square feet or larger must attain a green building designation of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Level or equivalent. To date, this change has had a very limited impact. Moreover, because CBD district is largely built-out, and there are few sites that accommodate buildings over 50,000, much of the new developments will not have to meet our green building requirement.
At the January 2018 board meeting, the Green Implementation Advancement Board (GIAB) unanimously passed a resolution requesting that the City Commission revise the requirement for green building construction be applied citywide, to all buildings 5,000 square feet or larger. The GIAB would like that the requirement be LEED Silver or better, not LEED Silver or equivalent. This standard is comparable, but no the same, as the one set in Miami Beach in 2016, for which the city won an award from the American Planning Association.
Staff is supportive of a revising the City’s green building requirement to make it applicable to buildings citywide and to buildings of a significantly smaller size. Staff is more flexible about which designation would be acceptable, and would consider a more nuanced two-tiered approach; holding developments 5,000 to 25,000 to a more relaxed standard than LEED Silver. To bring forth revised ordinance language, staff resources would have to be allocated to refine the details and parameters of a new policy, analyze it impacts, and present it to other city boards. Staff seeks direction from City Commission to move forward prior to committing resources to this effort, as well as guidance on the stringency and reach of the new policy.
City Attorney Review:
N/A
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
N/A
Timing of Request:
This item is not time sensitive.