Charlotte City Council
Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for May 21, 2007
COMMITTEE AGENDA TOPICS
I.
Subject:
”Blue Sky” Discussion
No action.
II.
Subject:
Next Meeting:
Monday, June 18 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 280
COMMITTEE INFORMATION
Present:
Time:
Anthony Foxx, Pat Mumford, Susan Burgess, Nancy Carter and
Don Lochman
3:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Agenda
Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for May 21, 2007
Page 2
DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS
Committee Discussion:
Council member Foxx welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked those in attendance
to introduce themselves.
I.
“Blue Sky” Discussion
Council member Foxx advised that today’s meeting would start with viewing a PBS
Special: “Eden’s Lost and Found: Chicago” followed by an open ended discussion on
environmental issues particularly how we can improve our environmental quality.
Council member Foxx continued that he had attended a conference last fall on Growing
Greener cities and they showed a similar video spotlighting Philadelphia. He thought this
video would be beneficial for the Committee to see to kick-off the blue sky discussion.
[Video]
The Committee members then took turns highlighting areas they would like to discuss
further.
“Blue Sky” Notes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Where are we preserving land?
a. Greenspace
b. Tree save
Maintenance of greenspace
Focus on natural environment
a. What we have today (streams, creeks, greenway system)
Bring in “ultimate” urban planners
Retrofit what we have
Vision for future
More collaboration with County and CMS
a. Summit
b. Work with private sector
Catalog brownfields
Economic Development
Bike Trails, Walking Trails
Award for Environmental Stewardship
Energy audits
a. Building efficiency
Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for May 21, 2007
Page 3
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
Green roof – CMGC
Light bulbs
Look at long-term return – value
Identify our partners
Opportunity for eco-tourism
Use unexpected places
Shouldn’t be hard to donate to land trust
Youth in environment – get them involved/interested early)
a. Tree planting
Neighborhood based WiFi
Suburban vs. urban
Look to the river (Whitewater Center)
Discovery Place
Performance Contracting
Affordable Housing
Sustainable air and water quality
Neighborhoods involved in tree canopy (June Blotnick)
Community gardens
Prescriptive vs. flexible regulations
Incent “energy star” market
Credit for environmental stewardship
Preserve terrain
Additional questions/comments for follow-up:
Lochman:
I have a concern with the summit, or anything that requires traipsing on
County Commission territory. I think community awareness is good, but
beyond that keep it simple, have high impact activities that you can go
with. You can say this is budget, this is the managerial control, these will
be the resources and this will be the benchmark to make sure it occurs.
Otherwise, the interest dissipates. Whatever you do, it is important not to
bite off more than you can chew.
Burgess:
Environmental projects should make good economic sense. Millennium
Park is an example in Chicago – people travel to see what they have done
with it.
Mumford:
Interesting, over a century ago there was a capitalist discussion about
saving the lake shore. Today, everybody would say, don’t develop it.
Today the challenge is in the context of time. Right now we don’t step
back and say how will this be perceived in 20 or 30 years. Think back to
the Green. It was done six years ago and at the time the cost per square
foot was enormous. I would build it in a heart beat now. Always looking
at the long term cost and value is difficult. We should be asking what is
Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for May 21, 2007
Page 4
the capital cost today versus the life cycle cost. The value does come
back.
Foxx:
I know we are talking about expanding the recycling program, what
material will be covered by that? I think there are categories that will be
considered and categories that will not.
Burch:
All materials that are covered today will be covered. A piece of the Focus
Area Plan is to change to single-stream recycling, so the customer doesn’t
have to separate anymore. It would also be automated pick-up. It will
require a capital investment, but it means the routes will go quicker so we
can save some on the personnel side. As far as other materials, we can get
that information to you. I do know single-stream is a much more userfriendly, efficient way to encourage recycling.
Foxx:
I have had some discussion with friends and today we recycle 1s and 2s
only. The question coming in is why we don’t get the other categories.
Burch:
We are collections only, as you know the recycling piece is the
responsibility of the County. We work closely with them. Part of what
we recycle is a function of the market for the materials. I think that is
changing, but we can get you more information.
Burgess:
One issue that I’d like to bring up that I’ve forgotten about is lead based
paint. I know we have had aggressive efforts in the past, but I haven’t
heard anything about this in a while. With so much renovation going on
in our neighborhoods, I wonder if this is an issue we should consider?
Foxx:
Do we still have a program?
Burch:
Absolutely. We’d be glad to provide Council with the current status. We
receive substantial grant money from the Federal government to assist
with that so we have an aggressive program and can get you up to date.
Burgess:
I would also like an update on WiFi. I wonder if instead of taking the one
offer we received if we should have done an RFP.
Mumford:
I think we need to ask how do you package the environment so the whole
community sees the benefit. It might not be a direct benefit, but there are
indirect benefits. There has to be a clear indication of why we should all
be involved. In this region, we have the capital, we have institutions of
higher learning, we have the work force, and I think we can be that area of
the country that leads in design, development and distribution of clean
technology, of sustainable products and services. If you start to see that is
Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for May 21, 2007
Page 5
part of where we are as a community, you start to attract like minds and
start to build on this basics. We can be seen as a center of sustainability.
Burgess:
I think the Whitewater Center can help attract the creative class. We need
to look to the future, look at development already out there.
Foxx:
Can staff look into performance contracting and tell me what that process
involves? [Idea mentioned to CM Foxx from Don Reid.]
Lochman:
Don Reid mentioned it to me as well, but I didn’t understand it in the
context of what we are talking about. But, performance contracting is
huge. I’m not saying if it is good or bad, but we need more information.
[Council member Foxx then opened up the discussion to the audience to contribute
ideas.]
Carter:
Duke Energy used to have a program with community gardens. Can we
look at that?
Foxx:
Off subject a little, but regarding the Palisades, I would suggest when we
start discussing the Post Construction Controls Ordinance; we have one
meeting in that area. It is a good place to take a look and see some of the
different ways folks are dealing with stormwater issues and other things.
One thing I’d like to ask about in the context of the PCCO is, to what
extent our regulations are prescriptive in terms of what they require vs.
flexible. And, the reason I ask it that way is because when you look at the
Palisades you see different ways to address issues and I don’t know that
they are any better or worse, but they look better than what the PCCO
calls for. I need staff to help me understand. If we are regulating
prescriptively and there may be better ways to do something, do our
regulations require the less desirable result or is there flexibility for a
better way to do something? We’ve got to encourage creativity and better
results when we can.
Burch:
We will start that conversation at our next meeting in June. But, staff in
the audience has heard your question loud and clear and will respond at
that meeting.
Carter:
Make sure we are addressing clear cutting. We need to preserve the
character of our city.
Foxx:
Thank you all for your time today. We have not had an opportunity for
the Committee to just discuss issues. What are the next steps?
Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for May 21, 2007
Page 6
Burch:
II.
I think the next steps would be for staff to take the list and go back and
compile some ideas. This is a very aggressive list, but we can come back
at the next meeting and ask you to set priorities around the list about what
you’d like to recommend to Council.
Next Meeting:
The Committee will meet on June 18, 2007 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 280. The agenda
includes the first look at the Post Construction Controls Ordinance.
Meeting adjourned.
Environment Committee
Monday, May 21, 2007 at 3:00 p.m.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center
Room 267
**NOTE TIME AND LOCATION CHANGE**
Committee Members:
Anthony Foxx, Chair
Patrick Mumford, Vice Chair
Susan Burgess
Nancy Carter
Don Lochman
Staff Resources:
Julie Burch
AGENDA
I.
“Blue Sky” Discussion
Staff Resources: Julie Burch and Rob Phocas
The Council concurred with the Committee having a “Blue Sky” discussion to
brainstorm new and additional ways the City might be a leader or participant in
environmental matters.
This discussion will be divided into two parts. The first part will be to watch the
“Chicago” segment of the PBS “Edens Lost and Found” series. This 2006 series,
which also spotlighted Los Angeles, Seattle and Philadelphia, discussed practical
solutions to improve the environment and quality of life for cities. It showcased both
community leaders and professionals in pursuing best practice solutions for urban
environments.
The second part of the meeting will be a facilitated discussion for Committee
members to brainstorm and talk about Charlotte and the environment. After ideas
and issues are identified, the Committee will be asked by staff to provide an
indication of priority and any recommendations for next steps it may wish to make to
the Council.
II.
Distribution:
Next Meeting
Agenda: Proposed Post Construction Controls Ordinance
Mayor/City Council
Mac McCarley
Environmental Cabinet
Pamela A. Syfert, City Manager
Leadership Team
Keith Henrichs
Brenda Freeze
Environmental GDP Stakeholders PCCO Stakeholders