OPEN SPACE AND ECOLOGY COMMITTEE
September 12, 2007
MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL
50 PARK PLACE, BRISBANE, CA
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
Committee Chairperson Bouscal called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
Committee Members Present: Miller, Whitten-Greenlee, and Chairperson Bouscal
Committee Members Absent: Gutekanst and Liu
Staff Members Present:
Community Development Director Prince, Assistant to
the City Manager Smith
* MC = Member of Committee
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
MC Miller proposed taking the discussion of environmental sustainability at the Baylands
before the other agenda items.
MC Miller made a motion, seconded by MC Whitten-Greenlee, to adopt the agenda as
amended. The motion was carried unanimously.
ECONOMIC/ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BAYLANDS
MC Miller said that after reading the Keyser-Marston Associates proposal regarding the
financial feasibility of the Baylands development, he became concerned that feasibility
would be evaluated solely in terms of conventional market pricing factors, and that longterm societal and community benefits would not be considered. He acknowledged that
fiscal constraints should be considered, but pointed out that decisions should also be
based on less tangible benefits.
Chairperson Bouscal noted that the committee was troubled last year about the loophole
excusing the developer from incorporating sustainability unless it was economically
feasible. He emphasized the need to take long-term benefits into account.
MC Miller provided materials about ecological economics, a field of study that involves
different pricing techniques and require different kinds of experts than Keyser-Marston.
He noted that both UC Berkeley and Stanford have ecological economists who can
perform this kind of quantitative analysis. He observed that externalities such as local
costs and benefits and general factors like global warming need to be included in the
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September 12, 2007
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calculation. MC Miller said ignoring these variables could result in a simplistic analysis
that ignores sustainability.
MC Whitten-Greenlee agreed with MC Miller and emphasized the need for a more
holistic approach. She questioned whether anyone was listening to these concerns.
Community Development Director Prince said he shared the committee’s concerns. He
added that he left the study of economics and shifted to sociology because of these kinds
of issues.
Community Development Director Prince noted that the field of economics is gradually
changing to recognize the importance of intangible attributes. He said this was one of the
reasons that the City sponsored the Baylands speakers series in the spring. He
commented that the California’s statutes, up until recently, have not included
consideration of long-term sustainability.
Community Development Director Prince observed that incorporating sustainability in
the feasibility analysis will necessitate bringing in people with ecological economic
expertise. He said the City staff is open to looking into this area.
Assistant to the City Manager Smith acknowledged that the Keyser-Marston scope of
work did not include these issues, but noted that was not the City’s intent in hiring that
firm. He said Keyser-Marston specializes in fiscal analysis, a narrower field than
economics, and Keyser-Marston’s primary task is to analyze the numbers provided by
Universal Paragon Corporation (UPC) to verify what is actually feasible. He noted the
developer will certainly want to overstate project costs and understate revenue in order to
keep more profit.
Community Development Director Prince noted that consideration of intangible longterm benefits often plays a part in a city’s denial of development applications, because
that process includes input from members of the community.
Community Development Director Prince indicated that not having seen an ecological
economic analysis done, his only caveat was the potential difficulty of translating the
findings into feasibility. MC Miller suggested contacting some experts in the Bay Area
regarding the practicalities of the process.
MC Miller clarified that he viewed an ecological economic analysis as supplemental to
the fiscal analysis being done by Keyser-Marston. He noted that it can be demonstrated
that energy efficiency over the lifetime of a project will pay for the sustainability
components, but many developers ignore long-term benefits and look only at up-front
costs.
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September 12, 2007
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Community Development Director Prince said that under the City’s green building
ordinance, developers can choose from a menu of energy-efficient features and activities
to meet LEED standards. He suggested using a similar approach for encouraging
developers to incorporate sustainability components that produce long-term public
benefits.
Mr. Smith observed that in order to achieve their goals, governments can either provide
incentives or mandate desirable activities through regulation, and Brisbane can make use
of both tools.
MC Miller noted that the U.S. is falling behind other countries in terms of cleaner
technologies. Community Development Director Prince said a major paradigm shift is
needed to focus more attention on long-term benefits instead of immediate profits. He
mentioned recent litigation and legislative discussion about tying the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) with issues like global warming and sustainability.
MC Miller suggested that the Open Space and Ecology Committee could play a valuable
role in assessing Baylands alternatives from an environmental perspective. He said he
would like the committee to provide advice from this perspective on an ongoing basis
throughout the process. He pointed out that the committee’s charge includes a
recognition that open space and ecological issues are necessarily holistic and connected.
MC Miller proposed sending a memo to the City Council’s liaison committee about
making sure environmental issues are taken into consideration in evaluating Baylands
alternatives and analyzing feasibility. He offered to prepare a draft for the committee’s
review and approval.
Community Development Director Prince noted that CEQA sets the levels of
environmental review required and the standards for legal acceptability of a project. He
cautioned that the developer will likely object to going beyond these statutory obligations.
MC Miller expressed hope that the issues can be raised in an appropriate and
nonconfrontational way. He noted that Jonathan Scharfman, UPC representative, has
expressed a willingness to work with the community to address issues of concern and
create a development acceptable to Brisbane.
MC Miller suggested contacting the City Council’s liaison committee first to raise these
concerns and discuss ways of addressing them.
Mr. Smith clarified that the committee’s discussion would take place as a supplemental
and parallel process to the EIR evaluation. MC Miller noted that the sustainability
analysis should be built into the development of EIR alternatives, just as the Keyser-
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September 12, 2007
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Marston fiscal analysis would. Mr. Smith noted that the committee’s work could dovetail
into the evaluation of alternatives.
Committee members discussed the unwillingness of many developers and consumers to
make decisions based on long-term benefits rather than short-term profits. MC WhittenGreenlee pointed out that spending a bit more initially can substantially reduce
maintenance costs over the life of a project. She said her husband frequently encounters
resistance when he promotes the long-term benefits of energy efficient landscaping.
MC Miller proposed drafting a memo to the Council’s liaison committee outlining the
issues and the committee’s concerns. He offered to send the draft to Community
Development Director Prince for his review and input. Committee members expressed
support for this approach.
MC Miller encouraged Community Development Director Prince to contact Richard
Norgaard at UC Berkeley about ecological economics.
MC Miller observed that the term “sustainability” needs to be defined clearly so everyone
understands the City’s goals and how sustainability is to be measured.
Community Development Director Prince noted that Charles Jenks, a world-renowned
landscape architect and architectural historian, might be a good resource in terms of
landscaping and building advice.
Committee members thanked Community Development Director Prince for attending.
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN: YEAR 5
Assistant to the City Manager Smith presented the recommended vegetation management
program for Year 5. Noting that follow-up and maintenance of previously treated areas is
critical in managing harmful vegetation, he said the Year 5 plan recommends targeting
the water tank site for next spring’s habitat restoration day. He estimated the cost of the
event will be about $3,500, less expensive than previous years because less supervision
from ShelterBelt will be needed. He suggested asking Mountain Watch to lead individual
groups of volunteers instead.
Mr. Smith stated that the Year 5 vegetation management plan calls for ShelterBelt
Builders to cut and treat a patch of broom infestation on Lots 30 and 38, above Harold
Road, which will probably cost about $1,000. He said other components of the Year 5
plan are retreatment of two oxalis sites, treating eucalyptus stumps above Paul Avenue to
prevent resprouting, and removal of a small ivy patch from an oak grove above that area.
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September 12, 2007
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Mr. Smith advised that the vegetation mapping shows another patch of French broom on
Lots 38 and 50 that needs to be treated. He said follow-up will need to be done in
subsequent years to prevent regrowth on Lots 30, 38, and 50. He noted that Mike Forbert
identified some small outlier patches of cotoneaster, broom, and fennel, and the Year 5
plan proposes treatment of those new areas as well.
Mr. Smith proposed allocating some of the remaining Year 5 budget and funds from the
Year 6 budget to remove more eucalyptus from City-owned property and from an
adjoining parcel, Lot 77, which the City plans to purchase.
Finally, Mr. Smith recommended expanding the mapping process to Lots 43, 44, 45, 46,
49, and 50, City-owned parcels along the main ridge of the mountain above town. He
noted that these are prime callippe habitat areas, but the terrain is steep and rugged and
difficult to reach.
Mr. Smith drew attention to the preliminary budget estimate for the Year 5 work. He
pointed out that most of the funds will go toward mapping and control work. He
proposed carrying over about $8,000 for eucalyptus removal in the following year.
Mr. Smith welcomed feedback from the committee. He said that with the committee’s
concurrence, the staff will then present the plan to the City Council for approval.
MC Miller made a motion, seconded by MC Whitten-Greenlee, to endorse the Year 5
plan and authorize the staff to submit it to the City Council.
Chairperson Bouscal observed that much of the work already done pertains to fire danger
as well as habitat restoration, but the money has been coming from the Open Space Fund.
He noted there are some grants available for reducing fire fuel loads. He suggested
working jointly with the North County Fire Authority and using some of their funds for
these dual-purpose efforts.
Mr. Smith advised that the fire department’s budget is limited to what the City Council
appropriates for each year’s budget, and there are no surplus funds in the budget line
items. He said there may be grants available, but cautioned that the application and
reporting requirements can be quite time-consuming and burdensome. He recommended
getting California Department of Forestry (CDF) Fire Safe crews to reduce fuel loads, and
he suggested working through the County Parks Department. Mr. Smith commented that
this route is likely to be more successful than trying to increase the fire department’s
budget.
Chairperson Bouscal encouraged Mr. Smith to discuss grant opportunities with the fire
department. Mr. Smith observed that the fire department’s perspective on vegetation
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September 12, 2007
Page 6
management is different from the committee’s; he noted that fire prevention usually
entails clearing all vegetation rather than singling out eucalyptus or other specific species.
MC Whitten-Greenlee advocated doing controlled burns on rainy days. Mr. Smith
commented that CDF is no longer considering burns on San Bruno Mountain because of
past problems.
Chairperson Bouscal recommended contacting CDF about using Fire Safe crews, and
committee members expressed support for this approach. Mr. Smith said he thought this
was the best option.
MC Miller observed that the Year 5 plan was very well written and well organized, and
he expressed his appreciation to the staff for their efforts. He said the only decision
mentioned in the report was whether to hire a professional firm to apply herbicide near
the water tank or to target that area for the next habitat restoration day, and he stated that
he agreed with the staff’s recommendation to use habitat restoration volunteers.
MC Miller commented that it would be nice to develop an informational document for
the public about the City’s vegetation management program in the Brisbane Acres. Mr.
Smith agreed, and noted that this kind of document could help garner more public support
for these activities. Chairperson Bouscal added that this information might also be
helpful in applying for grants.
MC Miller suggested creating a display of large pictures of the most common local
invasive plants for public education purposes at the habitat restoration day, future
Community Festivals, and other events. He said many people are unaware of what
invasive plants look like.
Committee members expressed support for MC Miller’s ideas. MC Miller suggested
discussing these items again at the next meeting.
MC Miller proposed voting on the Year 5 plan before moving on to the next agenda item.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Mr. Smith suggested moving the date of the next habitat restoration day to late March or
early April. He noted the event has usually been held in conjunction with Earth Day.
Committee members determined that the date of the event could be moved earlier.
Mr. Smith recommended inviting the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission to
participate with the committee in organizing the effort.
ENVIRONMENTAL PAVILION AT COMMUNITY FESTIVAL
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MC Whitten-Greenlee reported that she and MC Liu met the previous day to discuss
plans for the environmental pavilion. She distributed a sign-up sheet for committee
members to help staff the pavilion, and indicated that she and MC Liu would be present
all morning to set up the booth and get things started. Chairperson Bouscal volunteered
to assist with set-up in the morning.
Assistant to the City Manager Smith said MC Gutekanst would probably be available
most of the day. MC Miller noted that MC Gutekanst usually helped take the materials
down and clean up after the festival.
MC Whitten-Greenlee said she and MC Liu discussed plans for distribution of compact
fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL’s). She advised that the City made a commitment to
contribute $250 to pay for the bulbs. Mr. Smith noted that about 236 individually
packaged bulbs had been delivered to Brisbane Hardware.
MC Whitten-Greenlee stated that Glenn Fieldman volunteered to provide a handout about
the benefits of CFL’s and recycling.
MC Miller noted the minutes indicate that Ms. Fieldman would also be providing
materials on global warming and climate change. MC Whitten-Greenlee said MC Liu has
been in touch with Ms. Fieldman. Mr. Smith noted that the staff can make color copies
of the documents.
MC Whitten-Greenlee advised that there will be representatives from solar energy and
wind energy companies to answer questions, as well as materials on renewable energy.
MC Whitten-Greenlee said she would create a display of native grasses and flowering
plants people can plant in their gardens, and would provide a short list of plants native to
San Bruno Mountain, a list of local nurseries where native plants are available, and a
large poster about local recycling programs.
MC Whitten-Greenlee talked about a booklet MC Liu obtained from PG&E with tips for
household energy conservation. She said she would like to get copies for distribution at
the community festival. Mr. Smith noted that PG&E will have a booth at the festival and
will be giving fluorescent bulbs away. He added that he would ask Open Space and
Ecology Analyst Pontecorvo to check with PG&E about the materials they will make
available.
MC Miller recalled a poster created by former committee member Elena Court for a past
Community Festival. He recommended gathering the informational materials the
committee developed previously regarding open space and Brisbane Acres. MC WhittenGreenlee expressed support for displaying as many visual aids as possible.
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September 12, 2007
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MC Miller said his wife had an interesting idea about hanging T-shirts with messages
from a clothesline strung between two points. He emphasized the need to ensure
adequate space for the committee’s table and visual displays.
Mr. Smith noted that Open Space and Ecology Analyst Pontecorvo mentioned that
Mountain Watch and Friends of San Bruno Mountain had not reserved tables. MC
Whitten-Greenlee said she would check with those organizations and coordinate the
arrangements with Ms. Pontecorvo and Recreation Supervisor Russ Carmick.
Mr. Smith said he was not sure there would be enough time to gather photos and pictures
of native plants for this year’s Community Festival. MC Miller proposed developing that
display for the next habitat restoration day.
OTHER COMMITTEE MATTERS
City Hall Relocation
Assistant to the City Manager Smith advised that the staff is scheduled to vacate City Hall
during the weekend of September 21 through 23. He said committee meetings will be
held in the conference room at 140 Valley Drive pending the remodel.
HCP Update
Assistant to the City Manager Smith stated that he had heard nothing further regarding the
Habitat Conservation Plan update process.
UPDATE ON CITY COUNCIL MATTERS
Green Building Ordinance
Assistant to the City Manager Smith reported that the green building ordinance would be
included on the City Council’s October 15 meeting agenda.
Eucalyptus Control
Assistant to the City Manager Smith said the City Council hired a contractor to remove
eucalyptus trees from City-owned property on Paul Avenue. He noted that the City
Council has authorized $50,000 per year from the general fund for the next two fiscal
years for urban forestry and vegetation management work, which includes fire fuel
reduction projects.
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Using the map in the Vegetation Management Plan, Mr. Smith pointed out the location of
the eucalyptus removal work. He added that the County paid for a portion of the work on
adjacent park property.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
June 13, 2007
MC Miller suggested postponing approval of the June 13 minutes until the next meeting
when more committee members would be present.
NEXT MEETING DATE
Chairperson Bouscal said the committee’s next regular meeting would be held on October
10, 2007, at 140 Valley Drive. Assistant to the City Manager Smith indicated that the
Public Works Department is constructing a crosswalk in front of the building.
PUBLIC COMMENT
None.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chairperson Bouscal made a motion, seconded by MC
Whitten-Greenlee, to adjourn. The motion was carried unanimously and the meeting was
adjourned at 9:12 p.m.