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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-23 Climate Action Commission Agenda Packet Iowa City Climate Action Commission Agenda Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, 3:30 p.m. Emma J. Harvat Hall Iowa City City Hall 410 E. Washington St. Meeting Agenda: 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Oct. 2, 2023 minutes 4. Public Comment on items not on the agenda -Commentators shall address the Commission for no more than 3 minutes. Commissioners shall not engage in discussion with the public concerning said items. 5. Announcements – informational updates a. Action items from last meeting i. Continue visioning for commercial and industrial areas b. Upcoming events i. Presentation of SolSmart plaque to City Council (Nov. 21) c. Meeting schedule for 2024 6. Unfinished/Ongoing Business a. Enhanced Energy Standards Building Incentive (CAAP Action Item BI-6) (Staff) – update b. Resource Management operations and planning activities (Jordan) – presentation and discussion c. Visioning indicators of success in built environment (Commission) – discussion 7. New Business a. None 8. Recap a. Confirmation of next meeting time and location i. Monday, Dec. 4, 3:30-5 p.m., Emma J. Harvat Hall b. Actionable items for commission, working groups, and staff 9. Adjourn If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Sarah Gardner, Climate Action Coordinator, at 319-887-6162 or at sarah-gardner@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. MINUTES PRELIMINARY IOWA CITY CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION OCTOBER 2, 2023 – 3:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING EMMA J. HARVART HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Michal Eynon-Lynch, John Fraser, Ben Grimm, Wim Murray, Michelle Sillman, Gabriel Sturdevant, Brinda Shetty, Matt Walter MEMBERS ABSENT: Jamie Gade, Matt Krieger STAFF PRESENT: Sarah Gardner, Daniel Bissell, Megan Hill, Diane Platte, Kent Ralston OTHERS PRESENT: Hannah Cargo (University of Iowa), Lizzy Fitzsimmons (Green Iowa AmeriCorps), Emma Schima (Green Iowa AmeriCorps) CALL TO ORDER: Eynon-Lynch called the meeting to order. APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 MINUTES: Shetty moved to approve the minutes from September 11, 2023 with a noted correction to the attendance sheet on the final page. Walter seconded the motion, a vote was taken, and the motion passed 8-0. PUBLIC COMMENT OF ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Action Items from last meeting (Staff): • Gardner included "state of local climate planning” report in the agenda packet. Upcoming Events: • Homecoming Parade on October 6 – commissioners are invited to participate • EPA Compost Facility Grant Ceremony on November 8 – date is still tentative UNFINISHED/ONGOING BUSINESS: Climate Action and Adaptation Plan Updates and Discussion: • Gardner invited commissioners to ask questions about the quarterly report of CAAP updates. • Shetty asked about the meeting discussing community-based solar. Gardner shared that staff reached out to the Iowa Energy Office to get updates on the rollout of HEEHRA rebates and learned about a community solar proposal the office is putting together under the Solar for All grant program. Currently under MidAmerican’s tariffs community solar is not possible in Iowa City. If Iowa is awarded a Solar for All grant, changes would Climate Action Commission October 10, 2023 Page 2 of 5 2 be required to allow local residents to participate in community solar. Staff have stayed in contact with the Energy Office to continue the discussion. • Shetty asked if the compost grant is earmarked for equipment (large-scale). Gardner noted that Jen Jordan is presenting at next month’s meeting to offer more details. Gardner explained the grant will expand the footprint of the compost facility as well as help provide equipment upgrades. • Fraser commented upon the challenge of communicating with climate deniers. Grimm noted that the language of leaving a place better than how it was found sometimes gains traction. Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County Presentation (Ralston): • Ralston described the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s definition, role, and activities, as summarized in the power point slides. Ralston offered to answer commissioners’ questions. • Fraser asked if the 5-year plan was revisited more frequently than every 5 years, noting that EVs might require technical changes sooner. Ralston noted that the DOT produced a publication to help planners prepare for EV adoption. • Sillman asked if more EV chargers are in the plans for public ramps. Ralston explained the MPOJC does not manage parking ramps but can assist Transportation Office with grant-writing. • Grimm asked if grants have sustainability regulations built in to make sure the funding is going toward sustainable efforts. Ralston noted there are not many built-in rules for grant funding federally, but internally, the office produces its own environmental criteria for awarding grants. • Grimm asked if Iowa City’s Climate Plan influences the MPO work in neighboring communities without climate plans. • Shetty asked if MPOJC does traffic and pedestrian studies on the UIowa campus. Ralston explained the MPOJC board includes a university representative and the office helps the university as asked. • Sturdevant asked about the tools for counting vehicles, pedestrians, riders. • Sillman asked if the university could apply for a grant from the MPO to install EV chargers in parking lots. Ralston affirmed they could. Grimm asked if that was true of the school district as well; it is not. • Eynon-Lynch asked if the MPO have a role to play in reducing the number of cars on the road. Ralston noted that the organization is pushing alternative modes of transportation, building roundabouts, building bike trails and on-street bike infrastructure. MPO is directed by a board of elected officials who ultimately decide their marching orders. • Fraser asked how the commission might be helpful to MPOJC and vice versa. Ralston responded that MPOJC can provide data, and the Climate Action Office already is largely able to access it. The commission can help MPOJC by staying in communication with elected officials. As an example, the Passenger Rail Service study looked at connecting North Liberty and South Iowa City via the CRANDIC line; several communities needed to collaborate for that study. Commissioners are invited to attend MPOJC community meetings. Visioning indicators of success in built environment: • Gardner provided an overview of the visioning exercise: If we are successful in implementing all the measures contained in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, what does the community look like in 2050 (first) and 2030?” She asked Commissioners Climate Action Commission October 10, 2023 Page 3 of 5 3 to Imagine their own neighborhoods, noting next the group would envision a neighborhood in another part of the city, commercial district, industrial districts. • Gardner led Commissions to respond to a series of prompts: o In your own neighborhood, what works currently and will continue to exist in 2050? o What kinds of buildings do you see (in 2050)? o What modes of transportation do you see? o In what ways do the buildings you’re envisioning help reduce emissions? o In what ways are the buildings adapted to a hotter, wetter environment? o In what ways do transportation modes mitigate emissions? o In what ways are the vehicles or street networks adapted for a hotter, wetter environment? • Gardner invited Commissioners to look over their notes and share what the three most significant details were • Sturdevant noted safer areas (wider sidewalks, buffered bike lanes), a lot more solar (in shared green spaces due to more community gardens), rain collection for the gardens • Fraser envisioned fewer cars, enhanced walking and bike paths, more EVs, more energy-efficient homes and more homes being retrofitted for efficiency, more trees planted (in all areas), more solar. • Walter envisioned smaller, more appropriate-sized living. Smaller, more efficient vehicles and if they are large, they are electric. Smaller homes on smaller lots with climate- appropriate (drought-tolerant) yards with prairie plants. Wider sidewalks to facilitate walking and biking. • Grimm described walkable communities that are mixed-use with commercial presence around residential, more natural (water-conserving) environments • Shetty agreed with mixed use, with a park, community garden, grocery store within a 15- minute walk. More shade trees. Reflective paint or green rooftops on houses. Cool pavement on streets. • Sillman envisioned the road leading to her neighborhood would be no longer 55mph so that neighbors could be more connected to the rest of the city via scooter or bike. Narrower streets with more room for bike paths. Community garden or green space. Street lights that are motion-activated rather than on all the time. • Murray seconded the idea for buffered bike paths. Fewer cars and smaller houses. A neighborhood car (collectively owned). Communal guest house so that families could host guests but utilize a smaller house the rest of the time. • Gardner asked if “smaller housing” meant single-family homes, apartments, duplexes, quadplexes, townhouses. • Eynon-Lynch echoed support for pooling resources. Different ways of re-localizing power within communities through the following: urban food production, community solar, diversifying power sources, human-scaled design of neighborhoods through narrower, shadier streets, mixed-use neighborhoods on a small scale. NEW BUSINESS: • none RECAP: • Confirmation of next meeting time and location: Climate Action Commission October 10, 2023 Page 4 of 5 4 o Monday November 13, 3:30-5 p.m., Emma J. Harvat Hall • Actionable items for commission, working groups, and staff: Gardner asked commissioners to imagine another’s neighborhood, two commercial sectors (downtown and Highway 6), and the industrial sector with these indicators of success in climate action. ADJOURNMENT: Sillman moved to adjourn, Shetty seconded the motion. A vote was taken, and the motion passed 8-0 at 5:09. Climate Action Commission October 10, 2023 Page 5 of 5 5 CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2023 NAME TERM EXP. 11 / 7 / 2 0 2 2 12 / 5 / 2 2 1/ 9 / 2 0 2 3 2/ 6 / 2 0 2 3 3/ 6 / 2 0 2 3 4/ 3 / 2 0 2 3 5/ 1 / 2 0 2 3 6/ 5 / 2 0 2 3 7/ 1 0 / 2 0 2 3 8/ 7 / 2 0 2 3 9/ 1 1 / 2 0 2 3 10 / 2 / 2 0 2 3 Michal Eynon-Lynch 12/31/2024 X X X X X X X NM X X X X Elizabeth Fitzsimmons 12/31/2025 X X X X X NM O/ E X * * John Fraser 12/31/2024 X X X X X X O/E NM X O/E O/E X Jamie Gade 12/31/2025 X X X X O/E NM X X X O/E Ben Grimm 10/31/2023 X X X X X X X NM X O/E X X Clarity Guerra 12/31/2022 X X * * * * * * * * * * Kasey Hutchinson 12/31/22 X X * * * * * * * * * * Matt Krieger 12/31/2023 X X X X X X X NM X O/E X O/E Wim Murray MidAmerican Rep X X X Michelle Sillman 12/31/20025 X X X O/E O/E NM X X X X Brinda Shetty UI Rep X X X O/E X X X NM X O/E X X Gabe Sturdevant 12/31/2024 X X X X X X X NM X X X X Matt Walter 12/31/2023 X X X X X O/E X NM X X O/E X KEY: X = Present 0 = Absent 0/E = Absent/Excused NM= No Meeting * No longer on Commission Climate Action Commission Meeting Schedule 2024 All meetings in City Council Chambers (Emma J Harvat Hall) in City Hall, 410 E Washington St., Iowa City, Iowa, from 3:30-5 p.m. Meetings held first Monday of the month unless otherwise noted. January 8 , 2023 (*Note: Second Monday of the month) February 5 , 2023 March 4 , 2023 April 1 , 2023 May 6 , 2023 June 3 , 2023 July 1 , 2023 August 5 , 2023 September 9 , 2023 (*Note: Second Monday of the month) October 7 , 2023 November 5 , 2023 (*Note: First Tuesday of the month) December 4, 2023 If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Sarah Gardner, Climate Action Coordinator, at 319-887-6162 or at sarah-gardner@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Date: October 30, 2023 To: City Council, Climate Action Commission From: Sarah J. Gardner, Climate Action Coordinator Re: Energy Efficiency in Residential Construction Grant Background The purpose of this memo is to outline a proposed pilot program to incentivize residential construction that meets enhanced energy standards, initially proposed as a building fee rebate under Action Item 1.2 in the City’s Strategic Plan for FY2023-2028 and as BI-6 in the Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Actions Plan. Following extensive conversations with the Home Builders Association (HBA), individual builders and realtors, area home energy raters, and building inspection staff, the Climate Action staff are proposing to base the incentive on an independent assessment of the home’s energy efficiency and offer a small grant rather than a rebate of permit fees. Staff believe this approach will overcome a number of hurdles that were identified over the course of these conversations, which began in 2022. These included a lack of enthusiasm for a permit fee rebate among builders, administrative complexity related to how fees are assessed and lack of clarity as to how rebates would relate to these fees, and the need for verification of program compliance. Staff also believe the program outlined below will meet the chief objective of the original proposal, to incentivize energy efficient construction in new homes, while yielding a second benefit of providing area realtors with an important tool to help promote energy efficiency to Iowa City homebuyers. The HBA has expressed full support of the program and has offered to help promote it to members, as has the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors (ICAAR). Program Description The pilot program will launch in January 2024 offering $1800 grants to builders who obtain a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) rating of 52 or better. Under the program, single-family residences, duplexes, and townhomes built within Iowa City will be eligible, and certification will performed by a third-party Home Energy Rater trained in HERS ratings. The HERS Index is a nationally recognized process for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance. Homes are rated on a scale of 0 to 150, with 100 being the “reference” score for a typical home built to 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standards, when the HERS Index was established. The lower the HERS rating a home obtains, the more energy efficient it is. A home with a score of 52 is around 20% more efficient than a home built to current Iowa energy code requirements, which are based on the 2012 IEEC code and typically score between 70-75 on the HERS Index. To help promote the program, the Home Builders Association is partnering with the City of Iowa City as part of the 2024 Parade of Homes. Through this partnership, every Iowa City entry to the Parade will obtain a HERS certification. Homes scoring 52 or better will be eligible for the full grant award, and the home with the lowest score will receive a special recognition. Goals A HERS certification typically costs $600. The proposed $1800 grant would thus cover the cost of receiving the certification and offer an additional $1200 incentive. By offering a relatively small grant designed to be easy for builders to access, staff hope to encourage broader participation among many different builders than would be possible with a large rebate that would likely only be applied to top-tier construction. In addition, by structuring the award as a grant rather than a fee rebate, the program provides a pre-determined award amount that can more easily be accounted for in construction budgets. Of all the aspects of the proposed program, this received the most enthusiastic support from builders. It also reduces the administrative burden on City staff. By allowing for a set amount rather than a variable rebate, as well as independent verification of program compliance, award payments can be made to builders more efficiently. Finally, this program builds upon an ongoing partnership between ICAAR and the City of Iowa City that provided free realtor trainings in March 2023 on HERS ratings and other “green” building designations. HERS ratings provide an easy to understand tool for potential buyers to help promote energy efficiency investments made in new homes. As more area residences receive HERS ratings and more buyers ask for them, this has the additional benefit of helping create a market incentive for more energy efficient construction. Funding An estimated 30-40 permits are issued annually for residential new construction in Iowa City. Because there is no reliable data for our region to suggest how many of these homes might achieve a HERS score of 52 or better, Climate Action staff propose to allocate $70,000 from the Emergency Levy funds for the program during calendar year 2024, allowing for the possibility that the majority of homes might qualify. Success Benchmarks: Year 1 • Cross promotion of the program between City of Iowa City, HBA, and ICAAR channels • One third or more of new residential construction receives a HERS rating • Reassessment of the prerequisite score of 52 at the conclusion of 2024 to determine if the score should be adjusted up or down to better meet program goals NEW Builder Incentive Single-family, duplex, and townhomes eligible Building a better house? The City of Iowa City offers $1800 awards to builders for new residential construction that obtains a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score of 52 or better. $1800 Award For more information, contact: Sarah Gardner | SGardner@iowa-city.org | 319-887-6162 To claim your funding: Receive a HERS rating from a certified Home Energy Rater anytime between project start and drywall installation. Submit your HERS certification (and W9 if first-time applicant) to ClimateAction@iowa-city.org. Receive your award in two weeks or less.