HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-4-23 Climate Action Commission Agenda PacketIowa City Climate Action Commission Agenda
Monday, Dec. 4, 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 Nov. 13, 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. Green Iowa AmeriCorps resumes audits Dec. 6
c. Updated meeting schedule for 2024
d. Recognition and thank you to departing members
6. Unfinished/Ongoing Business
a. Visioning indicators of success in built environment (Commission) – discussion of next
steps
7. New Business
a. Whole Home Electrification/Housing Choice Voucher Grant Pilot (Staff) – informational
presentation and discussion
8. Recap
a. Confirmation of next meeting time and location
i. Monday, Jan. 8, 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
NOVEMBER 13, 2023 – 3:30 PM – FORMAL MEETING
EMMA J. HARVART HALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Michal Eynon-Lynch, John Fraser, Jamie Gade, Ben Grimm, Matt
Krieger, Wim Murray, Michelle Sillman, Brinda Shetty, Angie Smith
MEMBERS ABSENT: Gabriel Sturdevant, Matt Walter
STAFF PRESENT: Daniel Bissell, Geoff Fruin, Jen Jordan, Ron Knoche, Diane Platte
OTHERS PRESENT: Elizabeth Fitzsimmons
CALL TO ORDER:
Eynon-Lynch called the meeting to order. New commissioner Angie Smith introduced herself.
APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 2, 2023 MINUTES:
Shetty moved to approve the minutes from October 2, 2023. Grimm 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):
• Continue visioning for commercial, industrial, and residential areas.
Upcoming Events:
• Presentation of SolSmart plaque to City Council Nov. 21
Meeting Schedule for 2024:
• First Monday of the month, except for Jan. 8, Sept. 9, and Nov. 5 (Tuesday). Shetty
asked for clarification about the December meeting date. Bissell offered to follow up.
UNFINISHED/ONGOING BUSINESS:
Enhanced Energy Standards Building Incentive (CAAP Action Item Bl-6):
• Bissell invited commissioners to ask questions or offer comments on the memo included
in the agenda packet. Eynon-Lynch asked about the timeframe for seeing one third of
new residential construction receiving a HERS rating. Bissell responded the goal was
one year.
[Krieger joined the meeting at 3:36]
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April 3 2023
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Resource Management operations and planning activities (Jordan):
• Jordan offered an overview of Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, and Composting.
o Waste reduction education and outreach efforts utilize a range of strategies. Love
Food Fight Waste is a collaboration with Table to Table.
o Reuse efforts include partnering with Restore and the Salvage Barn. At the
landfill, bicycles are dropped off and picked up informally. Donation drop-off
summer event continues to be a success. Consignment and ReSale directory on
the website has received over 16,000 hits. Brick reuse program has salvaged 50
pallets of bricks so far.
o Recycling efforts each year include 100 mattresses, 160 tons of shingles, 130
tons of electronics, and more.
o Compost facility will be expanded due to a $4M grant from the EPA. Curbside
food waste collection began in Iowa City in 2017 following a pilot project.
o Compost grant will help fund a compost turner, a resurfacing of the 5-acre
compost area, the addition of 2 acres, and the expansion of access for drop-off
program. Curbside pickup currently serves half of Iowa City’s households.
o The compost facility is currently limited to 15,000 tons per year. The grant will
allow for expansion.
o The additional tons composted will reduce GHG emissions: 573 MTCO2e saved
annually by 2028. EPA’s WARM model was used for the calculation.
o Jordan shared a graph of per capita waste generation from 2008 to 2023. The
details of the waste characterization study findings can be found on the resource
management website.
o Commissioners congratulated staff on the EPA grant.
o Grimm asked for data that compares waste from industrial/commercial sectors
vs. residential. Jordan and Wilch explained the breakdown from the DNR that is
on the resource management website. Jordan noted 2017 was a pivotal year.
o Krieger asked how the per capita number compares to other communities.
Jordan and Knoche noted that Iowa City is maybe a couple hundred pounds
under the average for per capita waste generation.
o Fraser asked for suggestions about plastic bags. Jordan noted the only solution,
which is unpopular, is “stop using them / stop buying stuff.” Fraser asked for “the
one thing to focus on” and Jordan pointed to the food system.
o Sillman asked about the quality of the purchasable compost as compared to
Cedar Rapids and Quad Cities. Jordan answered that Quad Cities compost
facility does not accept food waste, which keeps a lot of plastic out. Screen size
would help filter contaminants.
o Krieger asked about wood chips. Jordan answered that more wood chips will be
able to go into compost as more nitrogen-rich food waste comes in.
o Krieger asked about outreach to commercial entities such as third-party haulers
for food waste. Jordan noted that there is a need for more haulers. Grimm noted
that ICCSD is hauling compost themselves. Cost for depositing organic material
at the landfill is $24/ton, half the price of garbage.
o Fraser asked “what keeps you up at night.” Jordan answered that landfilling is a
waste of resources.
o Grimm asked about the hands-on work involved with the compost and how long
the process takes. Jordan explained the “compost cooking” process which
includes testing for contaminants and noted that the additional equipment might
reduce the compost production timeframe in half.
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April 3 2023
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o Krieger asked about end source for recyclables. Wilch answered that it depends
on the material. Electronics, oil, glass go to partners that work directly with Iowa
City. For example, glass goes to Kansas City. Curbside recyclables that need to
be sorted go to Waste Commission of Scott County. That sorter sells to different
companies and mills, which may change on a month-to-month basis. City of Iowa
City has very strong confidence that everything on the “accepted items list” is
being recycled.
o Eynon-Lynch asked how much of residential waste is packaging. Wilch reported
that plastic is currently 14% of landfilled material by weight. Eynon-Lynch asked
about outreach and education around package-free food shopping, i.e. bulk
buying. Jordan noted the challenge is larger than can be addressed on the level
of local government intervention and that federal regulation about packaging and
product stewardship would be most beneficial, but there is potential too for
encouraging consumer behavior around bulk food purchasing.
Visioning indicators of success in built environment (residential, commercial, industrial)
• Bissell provided an overview of the visioning exercise: “If we are successful in
implementing all 66 CAAP measures, what does the community look like in 2050?
Imagine first a neighborhood in another part of the city first, then a commercial district,
then an industrial district.”
• Bissell led commissioners to respond to a set of prompts. “In a neighborhood across
town, then a commercial district, then an industrial district...”
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?
o In what way does multi-family housing play into this vision? Does multi-family
housing exist evenly across the neighborhood? Does it exist in pockets?
• Bissell invited commissioners to look over their notes and share what were the three
most significant details.
• Sillman envisioned multi-family residential or commercial buildings having a designated
number of EV charging parking spots, like we have for accessible parking spots.
• Eynon-Lynch envisioned a greater mix of housing options and smaller square footage of
living space per person and highly efficient, and housing situated near alternate
transportation modes.
• Krieger added that higher density would be key to achieving those goals and noted that
2050 is as distant in time from now as the late 1990s were from the present and that
technology has changed significantly in the time. He talked about reducing energy
demand so that less renewable energies are needed, with the major challenge being
retrofitting existing buildings. Ideally, by 2050 there have been enough pilots and
demonstration projects that behaviors are changed and residents are making the
changes themselves. Key to this is continuously and steadily demonstrate leadership in
this area.
• Shetty envisioned 15-minute neighborhoods connected by electric buses and a network
of bike paths. Gade seconded the idea of creating neighborhoods in which everything
you need is within a 15-minute walk, especially for affordable housing communities.
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April 3 2023
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• Krieger expressed the need to be working with neighboring communities to make these
efforts part of a regional approach.
• Murray envisioned quality prefabricated structures, which create a lot less waste.
Decentralized compost facilities might allow more people to access finished compost in
their neighborhoods.
• Fraser imagined being able to walk everywhere, including to industrial areas for work,
and maximum mixed-use -- residential, commercial, industrial – areas with no economic
stratification between neighborhoods but rather similar amenities and quality design in
every area.
• Eynon-Lynch and Grimm envisioned micro-farms incorporated in the city that included
greenhouses for year-round production. Krieger added the idea of vertical farms.
• Sillman imagined more underground parking, so that less space would be given over to
surface parking.
• Smith noted a recent visit to Carmel Indiana, which has 220 miles of bike paths that
have been built over a 20-year period.
• Krieger noted the need to drive consumer demand for 15-minute neighborhoods
• Gade noted affordability is a driver.
[Grimm exited the meeting at 4:43]
• Krieger imagined circular economy in construction to promote affordability.
• Eynon-Lynch requested a shift in the conversation to commercial and industrial visions.
• Krieger suggested uses incentives and outreach to drive the local economy more toward
businesses that have integrated sustainability approaches.
• Eynon-Lynch imagined more locally-owned businesses, locally-produced energy,
circular economy for a resilient community.
• Shetty imagined green spaces incorporated with industrial and commercial areas.
Eynon-Lynch suggested industry should be smaller and nontoxic to be integrated into
neighborhoods, following the vision Fraser had outlined.
• Smith seconded the need for green spaces and noted that our Iowa River offers
untapped potential, and suggested expanded walkable, bikeable areas downtown that
would reduce the need for parking.
• Krieger shared that New Orleans utilizes a method of stormwater management which
also offers green space.
• Sillman wondered if hydropower in Iowa City could be ramped up.
• Bissell asked commissioners to think about downtown and Highway 6. Gade observed
that it feels unsafe to bike or walk along Highway 6 because of the number of cars.
• Fraser asked about areas dominated by mobile homes and asked how commercial
enterprises could be incentivized to build quality multifamily housing in those areas.
Krieger noted that there are benefits to affordable, prefabricated homes with high density
and suggested it might be better to consider how those homes could be improved and
how to facilitate the desire for change that might come from within the neighborhood.
• Sillman described Coralville’s bike path as an appealing place to ride, wondering if
Highway 6 could achieve something similar. Smith noted the positive direction taken by
the South District Neighborhood in recent years.
• Eynon-Lynch envisioned less concrete, more permeable surfaces, and commercial
districts that have greater density with fewer parking lots.
• Fraser noted the importance of centering equity.
• Eynon-Lynch positioned the discussion in the larger context of working on a regional
climate plan.
Climate Action Commission
April 3 2023
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NEW BUSINESS:
• none
RECAP:
• Confirmation of next meeting time and location:
o Monday December 4, 3:30-5 p.m., Emma J. Harvat Hall
• Actionable items for commission and staff: continue visioning indicators of success.
ADJOURNMENT:
Krieger moved to adjourn, Gade seconded the motion. A vote was taken, and the motion
passed 8-0. Meeting adjourned at 5:01.
Climate Action Commission
April 3 2023
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CLIMATE ACTION
COMMISSION ATTENDANCE
RECORD
2023
NAME
TERM EXP.
12
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5
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2
2
1/
9
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0
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2/
6
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3/
6
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0
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4/
3
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0
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5/
1
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2
0
2
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6/
5
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0
2
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7/
1
0
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2
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8/
7
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9/
1
1
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2
0
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10
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2
/
2
0
2
3
11
/
1
3
/
2
0
2
3
Michal Eynon-
Lynch
12/31/2024 X X X X X X NM X 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 O/E NM X O/E O/E X X
Jamie Gade 12/31/2025 X X X X O/E NM X X X O/E X
Ben Grimm 10/31/2023 X X X X X X NM X O/E X X X
Clarity Guerra 12/31/2022 X * * * * * * * * * * *
Kasey
Hutchinson 12/31/22 X * * * * * * * * * * *
Matt Krieger 12/31/2023 X X X X X X NM X O/E X O/E X
Wim Murray MidAmerican
Rep
X X X X
Michelle Sillman 12/31/20025 X X X O/E O/E NM X X X X X
Brinda Shetty UI Rep X X O/E X X X NM X O/E X X X
Angie Smith 12/31/2025 X
Gabe Sturdevant 12/31/2024 X X X X X X NM X X X X O/E
Matt Walter 12/31/2023 X X X X O/E X NM X X X X O/E
KEY: X = Present
0 = Absent
0/E = Absent/Excused
NM= No
Meeting
* No longer on Commission
Climate Action Commission Meeting Schedule 202 4
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 , 202 4 (*Note: Second Monday of the month)
February 5 , 202 4
March 4 , 202 4
April 1 , 202 4
May 6 , 202 4
June 3 , 202 4
July 1 , 202 4
August 5 , 202 4
September 9 , 202 4 (*Note: Second Monday of the month)
October 7 , 202 4
November 5 , 202 4 (*Note: First Tuesday of the month)
December 2 , 202 4
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.
VISIONING INDICATORS OF CLIMATE ACTION SUCCESS
CLIMATE ACTION VISI ON FROM THE IOWA CITY FY23 -FY28 STRATEGIC PLAN :
Cities across the Midwest and nationally emulate Iowa City’s long-term innovative strategies
which achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors and prepare all populations
for the effects of climate change and the urban heat island effect. A biodiverse environment
flourishes and each generation can look forward to improved water, air, and soil quality. Every
resident in Iowa City understands the cost of climate change and knows which community
resources can help them mitigate and adapt to these impacts. Residents of all socioeconomic
statuses actively take climate action, including using sustainable t ransportation, shopping local,
and reducing and conserving energy. As a result, their health, safety, economic wel lbeing, and
relationship with their neighbors are improved.
NOTES FROM CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION DISCUSSIONS:
• Safer/enhanced walking and bike paths (wider sidewalks, buffered bike lanes), speeds
below 55 mph on roads; narrower streets
• Increased solar adoption; community solar; diversified energy resources
• Rain collection for the gardens
• More electric vehicles; more designated parking for electric vehicles; more electric buses
• Smaller, more efficient vehicles and fewer cars overall; increased use of transportation
alternatives like transit, walking, and biking
• Stormwater management; reduced surface area given to parking; reduced concrete
surfaces, more permeable surfaces
• More energy-efficient homes in new construction and more homes being retrofitted for
efficiency
• Smaller homes built on smaller lots; increased urban density
• Quality pre-fabricated building structures
• Drought-tolerant and native landscape plants and practices; more trees planted
• More green spaces, including around commercial and industrial areas; use of the Iowa River
• Increased mixed-use development that combines residential and commercial spaces;
reduced economic segregation between neighborhoods; grocery stores and parks within a
15-minute walk of all homes
• Reflective paint or green rooftops on houses; cool pavement on streets; more trees planted
for shade
• Reduced light pollution from street lights
• Shared resources like car shares, bike shares, guest houses, and community gardens
• Urban food production, including community gardens, micro-farms, and vertical farming
• Decentralized composting to allow residents to access compost in their neighborhoods
• More locally-owned businesses; more businesses using sustainability practices
• A more circular economy in construction materials
• Greater density in commercial districts, fewer parking lots
• Greater regional collaboration on these goals
Date: November 28, 2023
To: Climate Action Commission
From: Sarah J. Gardner, Climate Action Coordinator
Re: Whole Home Electrification/Housing Choice Voucher Pilot Program
Background
The purpose of this memo is to outline a pilot program to launch in January 2024 that will
incentivize energy efficiency, weatherization, and electrification upgrades in single family
residences operated as rental units. Under this program, landlords will be offered a grant to
cover the cost of whole home upgrades in return for agreeing to accept Housing Choice
Vouchers (colloquially referred to as Section 8 vouchers) for the subsequent five years at the
property.
This program flows from Action Item BI-9 in the Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Actions Plan,
which calls for financial incentives to accelerate electrification of appliances and heating
equipment, and BPP-2, which calls for programs to rehabilitate public housing units into net -
zero properties. It also builds on previous successes under Action Item BI-2 (enhance energy
standards for City rehabilitation programs), which provided energy efficiency and electrification
upgrades to properties in the South District Homeownership Program.
Program Description
This pilot program was developed as a collaboration between the Climate Action and Outreach
Division and the Housing Authority of Iowa City. Under the program, staff propose to offer
grants to cover the cost in full for both equipment and installation of a number of energy
efficiency and electrification upgrades within a single rental property. Eligible property
improvements under the grant would include:
• Increased attic insulation, up to R-60, combined with air sealing and ventilation
• Replacement of exterior doors and windows as needed
• Replacement of a gas or electric water heater with an air source heat pump water
heater
• Replacement of air conditioning unit and gas or electric furnace with an air source heat
pump
• Replacement of gas stove with an electric stove or induction range
• Electrical service panel upgrade
Based on the property upgrades under the South District Homeownership Program, these
grants are estimated to total between $20,000 and $25,000 per property. Staff propose to
administer the grants using a process established through other Housing Authority programs.
The grants will be structured similarly to a forgivable loan in which 20% of the balance will be
retired for each of the five years in which the participating landlord accepts Housing Choice
Vouchers at the property. Should a landlord cease to do so, the remaining portion of the grant
would be repaid to the City. A legal agreement between the City and landlord establishing these
terms will be enacted at the time the grant is awarded.
Under this program, both landlords currently accepting Housing Choice Vouchers at other
properties and landlords who have previously not accepted Housing Choice Vouchers would be
eligible to participate, so long as the property receiving the energy efficiency and electrification
benefits has not previously been rented to tenants using Housing Choice Vouchers.
Goals
The aim of this program is to reduce the energy burden born by renters in Iowa City, contribute
to the comfort and health of occupants of these homes, and increase access to safe, affordable
housing within the community. Housing Authority staff identified single family residences as the
focus of this program specifically because such residences are more likely in Iowa City to house
families with young children.
A frequent point of discussion in Climate Action Commission meetings has centered on how to
improve the energy efficiency of the city’s rental housing stock without simultaneously
catalyzing an increase in rents. By pairing the grant incentives with a requirement to accept
Housing Choice Vouchers, staff seek to address that question. This program is built on the
principals of targeted universalism. As such, the pilot program offers multiple benefits. Tenants
benefit from lower energy bills, new efficient appliances, and the stable pricing of electricity.
Landlords benefit from assistance to improve their properties and, because there are lower
rates of turnover in units rented to those using Housing Choice Vouchers, secure longer-term
tenants, which helps reduce operational costs. Finally, the City of Iowa City benefits from the
acceleration of household electrification that capitalize on the significant investments made by
MidAmerican Energy into clean, renewable grid energy, which supports the city’s greenhouse
gas reduction goals.
In addition, this pilot project offers a possible tool to aid in addressing another hurdle
encountered by the City in recent years. Following the passage of Senate File 252 in 2021 by the
state legislature, the ability of Iowa cities and counties to adopt and enforce regulations that
prevent landlords from refusing to rent to those using a Housing Choice Vouchers was
preempted by the state. Iowa City was one of three communities impacted by this legislation
and has since sought alternate means of increasing the availability of rental properties to those
using Housing Choice Vouchers. This pilot program can effectively act as a significant incentive
to do so.
While researching and developing the program, staff consulted with multiple communities,
organizations, and advocacy groups. A similar such program was undertaken by a nonprofit in
Charlottesville, Virginia, and staff believe some of the hurdles encountered by that program
could be overcome by being directly administered at the municipal level. As far as staff were
able to determine, the City would be the first municipality in the nation to enact such a
program. As such, it could serve as a model for other communities to follow. Staff intend to
document the progress of the program vigorously in hopes of enabling other municipalities to
build on any successes achieved in Iowa City.
Funding
For the last two quarters of fiscal year 2024 and first two quarters of fiscal year 2025, $125,000
of the Climate Action Emergency Levy funds have been identified to support the pilot. Climate
Action staff are actively exploring additional funding avenues to help expand the program,
including possible Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funds under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Staff additionally have the option of drawing upon the balance of funds in the Emergency Levy
as appropriate.
Success Benchmarks:
• Five properties enroll in the program during the pilot year (2024), with all energy
efficiency and electrification upgrades completed by the end of the calendar year
• All five properties continue to accept Housing Choice Vouchers for the full five-year
term of the agreement
• At least three participating landlords express interest in enrolling an additional property
in the program in a subsequent year
• Funding is secured to expand the program beyond the pilot
• Five or more properties are identified to participate in 2025 as additional funding is
secured