I.
Subject:
Action:
Proposed Focus Area Plan
The Committee voted 4-1 to add a target to Env.1 that says 95% of rezoning petitions will adhere to adopted land use plans.
II. Subject:
Present:
Next Meeting
March 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 280
Edwin Peacock, Nancy Carter, Susan Burgess, Warren Cooksey and
Andy Dulin
3:30 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. Time:
1.
Agenda Package
2.
Chairman Peacock’s Suggestions for Input & Comments: FY2009 Strategic Focus Area Plan

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 2
Committee Discussion:
Committee Chair Edwin Peacock welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked those in attendance to introduce themselves.
I.
Proposed Focus Area Plan
Mr. Peacock advised the Committee that today’s discussion will be on the Focus Area
Plan for 2009. Julie Burch will explain the flow of the document and at the end we should have a document that is reflective of our objectives.
Ms. Burch said the review would be covered in about 40 minutes to allow Committee members to attend the Save Our Water press conference at 4:30 in the lobby. Chair
Peacock and Mayor Pro Tem Burgess will be speaking at the press conference.
To get to the Focus Area Plan, we start with the City Strategy or Balanced Scorecard. It provides the context for all of your focus area plans. These documents were in your
Retreat materials and in your agenda today. The Environment Focus Area Plan was adopted two years ago. This is the first revision. The first page is significant because it is the City’s first adopted environmental policy statement.
All of the focus area plans have the same format for consistency sake. The City Manager and City staff use these focus area plans as policy documents. The Key Business Units utilize these measures in their business plans and individual employees will have aspects in their PRDs. These documents are available to the public; however, they are not meant as public information. Other more user-friendly documents are created for citizens.
Mayor Pro Tem Burgess and Council member Carter were members of the Committee when this document was created, so they can help give context during our review.
The environmental initiatives that are on pages two, three and four are not in priority order. They are numbered just for identification purposes. Staff sees these as equal in priority. The subheadings relate back to the corporate objectives.
Unlike the other focus areas, the Environment crosses nine of our fourteen key businesses plus COG, Mecklenburg County and CMS. It is the primary objective of the staff resources to make the focus area plans come to life and this is a collaborative effort to make good things happen.

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 3
ENV.1 Support sustainability by making wise decisions regarding growth and development, recognizing the interrelationships between air quality, water resources, land preservation, and energy and resource conservation
Dulin:
Burch:
The date is June 2009 for the GDPs?
The plan is for the coming fiscal year, so target dates are either 2009 or
2010. That is the direction we are headed.
Dulin:
Burch:
It will take us that long?
We’re looking at five of the fifteen strategies of the GDP-Es by 2009.
Perhaps Tom Drake could speak to this.
Drake: Garet Johnson is the lead person, but in implementing the GDPs, it will take time to reflect the changes in the ordinance.
Dulin:
Burch:
Okay. Sixteen months just seemed like a long time.
We will have the tools before 2009, but there will be another stakeholder’s process to back up the ordinance. This gives us an end date to get these five strategies implemented.
Carter: I think we need a better definition of centers and wedges. I am seeing a blending of issues. Are we being intentional with new centers? We need a better handle of the 330,000 new population when we are targeting centers and corridors. Are we placing an intentional impact of density and hoping other areas will grow? We need to look at it with an environmental outreach to the community. I am grateful to see the dates in the focus area plan.
Burgess: Is there some accountability for new housing permits? I see the goal is
40% new housing and 70% new multi-family, but I don’t know where we are with that. We don’t know this to approve or reject rezonings. If the target goal is 40% new housing permits, we don’t know how we are doing at any point in time.
Steinman: That information can presented to you every month.
Burch: How is that communicated?
Steinman: We are working with Planning on how to present that.
Burgess: Could it be in a policy document?

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 4
Burch: If sharing that information with you is an objective, we could plan to report it monthly.
Peacock:
Burch:
What about prior year?
That information was in the mid-year report.
Cooksey: How do we encourage minimums? Permits are not rezoning petitions by right.
Drake: The important part is trying to improve the Centers and Corridors. The first thing to look at is it a straight up TOD. We can’t support those in rezonings because of density.
Cooksey: I understand rezonings. Do we have a method of tracking the overall development activity?
Drake: The permits give us hard numbers. But, it doesn’t tell us if a rezoning was never built.
Cooksey: When we touched on the Focus Area Plans at the retreat there was a stat that used to be included in the Economic/Development and Planning focus area that was a percentage of rezonings that adhere to plan are implemented. When the plan changed to only Economic Development, that objective went away. Can we add that to this plan? It was a 90%-
95% goal.
Steinman: You will be hearing in the next several months more information and strategy to encourage development. This is a hot topic.
Cooksey: I found that to be a useful measurement. Citizens believe that Council consistently adopts plans that are violations to the ordinance. This was a useful initiative that 90%-95% will hit or exceed. It is not in the economic development focus area now.
Eagle: For tracking purposes, the Planning Department still has that on their balanced scorecard.
Cooksey: But, I would like to elevate that to a level Council can report too. Is a motion appropriate here?
Peacock: Let’s move forward right now due to time.

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 5
Env.2 Protect natural ecosystems and habitats, including the tree canopy
The first target is in two phases? [Environmental Inventory Strategy] Peacock:
Burch: Yes. The first target is very important and a major undertaking. We expect to have it completed by June 2009.
Carter:
Burch:
Dulin:
Burch:
Does this extend to our ETJ?
Yes.
[Tree Canopy] Are we on track for spraying?
Yes. We will be updating you all in an upcoming City Manager’s Report or at the March Workshop.
Dulin: Can you include a description of what areas are to be sprayed? I am daily getting questions from people asking if they will be included. The more detailed information you can give us, the better.
Env.3 Lead by example, adopting sound environmental practices in City facilities and operations
Peacock:
Burch:
So, buildings are not built “green?”
No. We are building with “sustainable design” but we need to know how far Council wants us to go. We need to develop a policy around this.
Burgess:
Saville:
What about the County and Schools?
We have a sustainable design guidance workbook. We haven’t had enough money to build green buildings, but we are building in a sustainable manner. For instance, we just renovated a 1925 building.
Pruess: The County policy is to achieve LEED status by 2020 with a goal that
LEED will be standard.
Burgess:
Pruess:
Isn’t there capital available for the schools?
This was a County policy for 2008, so this is just the first year. We have started with the Schools, as well as Libraries and CPCC.

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 6
Env.4 Collaborate with local and regional public and private partners and neighborhoods to enhance environmental quality and long-term sustainability
Ms. Burch alerted the Committee to all the “blue” items under this initiative (blue = changes). One of the biggest initiatives is moving to single stream recycling. We are still having conversations with Mecklenburg County regarding cost. The first year of the
Focus Area Plan we stressed educating our workforce, now we will be educating our citizens. The 4:30 press conference today is an example of educating citizens.
Peacock:
Bean:
What is the Wateree group?
They are a Water Management Group that was created as part of the Duke re-licensing process. Duke wanted to start charging for water. This is a voluntary way that all people who take water, including Duke, pay into a fund. This was kick-started when Duke made their payment. We have been studying allocations. This is a source of protection and benefit to the environment. We are working together to use money to protect our source of water. Barry Gullet is actually the first Chairman of the group.
Burgess:
Bean:
Are they working on interbasin transfers?
No.
Ms. Burch said one other thing to note in the target for multi-family recycling, it should say “continue” implementing.
Env.5 Support the enhancement of City employee’s awareness of the environment as a priority
Carter: You spoke of construction, I’m not sure we are pushing, for example, the
Housing Trust Fund. How would staff feel about awarding points for green construction? If that was an assessment criteria in rezonings, that would push us to more leadership. We haven’t spoken about funding, but could we add “an innovative funding mechanism”? It would be an interesting budgetary addition.
Peacock:
Carter:
What do you mean by innovative funding mechanism?
Grants from the Federal government. There was the brownfields debate.
We could reactive the grant program, lobby, apply, be engaged.
Burch:
Burgess:
When you are discussing funding possibilities that would require full time leadership, which is an opportunity we are missing.
Will that be a recommendation in the Manager’s Budget? [Environmental

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 7 position]
Burch: Probably. As far as green construction criteria with the Housing Trust
Fund, that is not currently in the focus area plan. You could ask Council if they would like to pursue.
Burgess: In-Rems. I often think about that and I don’t know an answer, but maybe we could be more creative before tearing them down. We could explore what other communities do.
Burch: So, adding in the in-rem process a piece about what would be a more environmental way to handle them?
Burgess:
Carter:
I think we could just explore it.
There is a cost issue and a major portion of those properties are vacant big boxes. We need to see if they are sustainable or if it would be better to demolish them.
Burch: There is State authority now for commercial structures, and we will be discussing that further with the Housing & Neighborhood Development
Committee.
Cooksey: I would like to suggest recommending a target to Env.1 that 95% of rezoning petitions adhere to adopted land use plans.
Peacock: That doesn’t fit in the Environment does it?
Cooksey: It fits with Centers, Corridors and Wedges. The focus area is now economic development, not economic development and planning.
Peacock: Why do you feel this is an environmental issue?
Cooksey: The Centers, Corridors and Wedges framework is beyond what is built.
This is what was agreed to be built. I am not on the ED/Planning
Committee, so I cannot make a motion to add it to that focus area plan. I think it is a measure of growth.
Carter: Second.
Motion passes 4-1 (Peacock, Carter, Burgess, Cooksey – for; Dulin – against)
Peacock: I have prepared an alternative cover page for the focus area plan. This is not for a vote, just for information. I tried to package this in a shorter

Environment Committee
Meeting Summary for February 18, 2008
Page 8 format to make it easier to read; less redundant. It is just my ideas [copy attached].
Do we need to adopt something today? Burgess:
Burch: All of the focus area plans will be on the March 24 agenda for adoption.
Your next meeting is March 17.
Burgess: Chair Peacock, thank you for being so thoughtful to prepare this. I would like to read it, so can we wait until March to make our recommendation?
Carter: I am also awed and grateful. I think this sets the tone for the whole document and has leaked us over to leadership. This is significant and there are some budgetary impacts. But, being a leader means taking risks.
I would like to read this as well. Staff spent a lot of time on this also.
Two things I would like to point out are consistent promotion and consistent protection of our natural environment. I don’t see that changing. We can practice that no matter what is on the table. There are cities smaller than us that are implementing things. We need to think bigger.
II. Next Meeting
Burch: We will put this back on the March 17 agenda along with a presentation on the Stormwater Enterprise Fund.
Burgess:
Burch:
I would also like to hear staff’s reaction to the first page.
Council approved the first page too. We will look at the words and show a comparison.
Meeting adjourned.

Committee Members: Edwin Peacock, Chair
Nancy Carter, Vice Chair
Susan Burgess
Warren Cooksey
Andy Dulin
Julie Burch Staff Resources:
I.
Proposed Focus Area Plan
Staff Resource: Julie Burch
The Committee is asked to review the proposed focus area plan for the Environment and make a recommendation to City Council. (Attachment)
II.
Next Meeting
Distribution:
March 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 280
Agenda: Stormwater Enterprise Fund information report
Mayor/City Council
PCCO Stakeholders
Curt Walton, City Manager Leadership Team
Freeze Environmental
Environmental GDP Stakeholders

FY2009 Strategic Focus Area Plan
The City of Charlotte recognizes that environmental stewardship is fundamentally important to our quality of life and to a strong economy, both now and in the future. Protecting and improving the environment is a necessary element of the City’s mission to enhance the quality of life for our citizens. The actions associated with the other City Council Focus Areas – Community Safety, Housing and Neighborhood
Development, Economic Development, and Transportation - are supported and enhanced by stewardship of our natural resources and the environment.
Charlotte is the center of one of the fastest growing regions in the country. While growth contributes to our economic vitality, it also presents challenges for achieving and maintaining a healthy environment and a sustainable regional economy. The City of Charlotte is committed to safeguarding the environment, which is integral to quality of life, in ways that balance environmental health, sound fiscal policy, and growth. Consistent with these values, the City will:
• Recognize the important interrelationships between air quality, water resources, land preservation, and energy and resource conservation;
• Recognize that we share our environment with our regional neighbors, including other public and private entities, and that we will work cooperatively with them;
• Incorporate environmental goals and considerations in planning and decision making;
• Conserve energy and other resources;
• Protect natural ecosystems and habitats, including the tree canopy;
• Make wise land use decisions regarding growth and development;
• Adopt sound environmental practices in City operations; and
• Support sustainability, which is defined as meeting the needs of our citizens today without compromising the opportunity of future generations to meet their own needs.
The City of Charlotte recognizes that conscientious environmental stewardship and concern for the public interest may require more than meeting mandates and minimum standards. The City will evaluate environmental conditions and opportunities in order to determine what approach is best for our community’s optimal environmental sustainability. The choices will include (1) determining that regulatory compliance is sufficient, (2) being proactive and initiating positive action, especially to avoid more costly remedial action later, (3) taking a leadership role and modeling best practices.
Successfully meeting environmental challenges is critical to Charlotte’s future. These principles will shape the City’s approach to fulfilling our environmental responsibilities.

Environment DRAFT
Safeguard the Environment
ENV.1 Focus Area Initiative: Support sustainability by making wise decisions regarding growth and development, recognizing the interrelationships between air quality, water resources, land preservation, and energy and resource conservation
► Measure: Continue and Wedges Growth
Target:
Framework
Encourage minimum of 40% of new housing unit permits, 70% of new multi-family unit permits, 75% of new office development square footage, and 75% of new employment occurring in the centers and corridors
► Measure: Implement the General Development Policies Phase II - Environment
Target: Initiate, strategies to address 5 of the 15 General Development
Environmental Policies by June 2009
Prior Year: General Development Policies Phase II - Environment adopted
November
►
ENV.2
Measure: Implement Post Construction Controls Ordinance on July 1, 2008
Target:
Prior Year:
Implement the PCCO Transition Plan by June 2008
Post Construction Controls Ordinance adopted November 26, 2007
Focus Area Initiative: Protect natural ecosystems and habitats, including the tree canopy
► Measure:
Target:
Target:
Prior Year:
Identify and protect environmentally sensitive areas
Implement first phase of Environmental Inventory Strategy to include determining needs, cost, and schedule by June 2008
Implement deliverables determined from first phase of the
Environmental Inventory Strategy by June 2009
Environmental Inventory Strategy developed December 2007
►
►
Target:
Target:
Measure:
Conduct a baseline assessment of City’s tree canopy
(Pending project and funding approval in FY 2009 budget)
Adopt revised Tree Ordinance by June 2008
Target:
Protect stream corridors, ponds, and wetlands through public acquisition of additional conservation easements and enhancing existing buffers
Conduct a baseline analysis of land protected for environmental purposes, either through easements or other conservation practices by
June 2008

Environment DRAFT
ENV.2 (cont.)
► Measure:
Target:
Maintain permit compliance with treated wastewater
100% compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements for all five wastewater plants
FY2007 - 8 violations
ENV.3
Prior Year:
►
Target:
►
Focus Area Initiative: Lead by example, adopting sound environmental practices in City facilities and operations
Measure:
Target:
Prior Year:
Target:
Prior Year:
Target:
Measure:
Implement strategies to reduce City fleet emissions
Increase percentages of City fleet using alternative fuel or emission efficient technologies
34 hybrids (+9.7%); 98 (+63%) flex fuel vehicles (excludes CATS)
Retrofit with emission reduction equipment 25% of Charlotte Area
Transit System’s fixed route bus fleet by December 2007
Retrofitted 34.7% fixed route bus fleet (119 buses) with emission reduction equipment
Procure four hybrid buses for service expansions by June 2009
(Pending project and funding approval in FY2009 budget)
Reduce idling by 5% from FY2007 baseline data in Charlotte Area Transit System’s fixed route bus fleet
Target:
Target:
Target:
Target:
Target:
Target:
Incorporate environmentally responsible elements in the design, construction, and operations of City facilities
Collaborate with all Key Businesses to develop a baseline energy consumption model for facilities by June 2008
Develop Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Action Plan by December
2008
Establish baseline for City-wide purchasing of environmentally-friendly products by June 2008
Document current waste minimization practices and recycling programs in all City facilities by June 2008
Achieve the City’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) certification at the Utilities Environmental Services Facility from the U.S. Green Building Council
Design, construct, and retrofit facilities using sustainable design criteria such as American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), EPA/Energy Star Standards, and LEED, as appropriate

Environment DRAFT
Develop Collaborative Solutions
ENV.4 Focus Area Initiative: Collaborate with local and regional public and private partners and neighborhoods to enhance environmental quality and long-term sustainability
► Measure:
Target:
Continue collaboration and actively participate in public and private sector partnership’s environmental and visioning initiatives
Continue collaboration and participation with Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life, Centralina Council of Governments, Regional
Visioning Council, and other partners’ current initiatives
► Measure: Increase Charlotte-Mecklenburg citizens’ awareness of the environment
Target:
Target: as a priority for the community and the organization
Develop an external communication strategy and begin communicating the City’s environmental principles, initiatives, and programs to
Charlotte-Mecklenburg citizens by June 2008
Continue intensive public relations efforts and elevate the water conservation message with paid advertising from January to April 2008
►
►
►
Measure:
Target:
Target:
Measure:
Target:
Continue a leadership role in the Catawba-Wateree Water Management
Group to enhance regional water supply planning and collaborative drought response
Lead the group with Utilities staff as chair of the Water Management
Group and be actively involved in committee work in 2008
Measure: Increase single family recycling from 45% to 65%
Implement single-stream recycling program by July 2010
Implement multi-family recycling education program by July 2009 benefits of recycling
Educate 10% of non-participating multi-family property managers on the
► Measure:
Target:
Target:
Collaboration with NCDENR and public and private partners in the nonattainment area to accelerate the trend toward meeting the current 8- hour ozone air quality standard by 2010
Gain approval of Statewide State Implementation Plan (SIP) through collaboration with NCDENR, by October 2008
Work with regional partners to develop options for air quality initiatives by October 2008, in addition to those required by the SIP , and adopt
Charlotte specific air quality initiatives by October 2008
Promote Learning & Growth
ENV.5 Focus Area Initiative: Support the enhancement of environment as a priority
City employees’ awareness of the
► Measure: Continue implementing the internal communication strategy for the
environment
Target: area
Continue communicating the City’s environmental principles, initiatives, and programs to City employees

DRAFT
Chairman Peacock’s Suggestions for Input & Comments
For Staff & Committee Members
FY 2009 Strategic Focus Area Plan
Environment
“Charlotte will become a world leader in environmental initiatives to preserve our natural resources while balancing growth with sound fiscal policy.”
The City of Charlotte recognizes that the environmental stewardship both now and in the future is fundamentally important to our quality of life and essential to maintaining a vibrant economy. Protecting our natural resources and promoting conservation on all levels enhances our City’s mission to preserve the quality of life for our citizens.
Charlotte’s economic vitality presents challenges to maintaining a healthy environment.
The City is committed to the following beliefs:
•
We believe in the promotion of conservation best practices and the protection of our natural resources: the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the natural ecosystems we cherish.
•
We believe in making sound land use decisions regarding our future growth and development. We’re aware that to sustain a high level of growth today, we can not jeopardize our future generation of citizens.
•
We believe that to achieve our goals of becoming a world leader in the successful stewardship of our environment, we must maintain a cooperative and open dialogue with Mecklenburg County, our regional neighbors, and the business community.
•
We believe that The City of Charlotte should lead by example and promote sound, cost effective environmental practices in City operations.
The City of Charlotte will take a proactive leadership role in modeling best practices for its citizens. We recognize that conscientious environmental stewardship and concern for the public interest requires more than meeting mandates and minimum standards. The
City will evaluate in order to determine what approach is best for our community’s optimal environmental sustainability. By always be conscious of the need to meet regulatory compliance standards we will avoid costly remedial action later.