MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 12, 2005 MEETING OF THE
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
SUSTAINABLE CITY TASK FORCE
The meeting was convened at 7:05
p.m. SCTF members in attendance: Dennis
Woods, Sandy Grant, Genevieve Bertone,
Euri De Oliviera, Terry O’Day, Jim Ries, Roe Johnston, Mark Olson, Jennifer
Wolch, and Christina Erickson. City
staff: Dan Dawson and Dean Kubani.
Others: Ken Koslow and one other member of the public.
Public Input on Agenda Items
There was no public input.
Minutes
The minutes of the August 8, 2005 meeting
were unanimously approved.
Discussion and Recommendations
Regarding Proposed Dedicated Bus
Lane on Lincoln
Boulevard
Dan Dawson, Acting Customer
Relations Manager for the Big Blue Bus, presented background on the proposed
dedicated bus lane on Lincoln
Blvd. He
noted that the purpose of the dedicated lane is to reduce trip times on the BBB
Rapid 3 line and increase ridership on the line while reducing car trips along Lincoln. He discussed outreach made to residents and
businesses along the route and other aspects of the study to evaluate potential
impacts of the proposal. Following
questions and discussion the SCTF unanimously adopted the following motion:
“The Sustainable City Task Force endorses the creation of a
dedicated bus lane on Lincoln Boulevard. We recommend that the ordinance creating this
lane clearly state that bicycles be permitted to use the bus lane.”
Discussion and Recommendations
Regarding Land Use and Circulation Element Opportunities and Challenges Report
SCTF members reviewed and discussed a list
of draft recommendations summarizing their input on the Land Use and
Circulation Element Opportunities and Challenges Report. Following discussion and minor editing of the
draft, the SCTF unanimously adopted the revised recommendations. A copy of the adopted recommendations is
attached to these minutes. Sandy Grant
indicated that she would present the recommendations to City Council at their
September 27, 2005 meeting.
Continued Discussion and
Recommendations Regarding Protocol for Task Force Member Participation and
Replacement
Dean Kubani presented
information regarding attendance, participation and replacement policies for
other city boards and commissions and the Task Force on the Environment. Following discussion, the SCTF unanimously
adopted the following motion:
“All Members of the Sustainable City Task Force are required
to attend at least nine SCTF meetings per year.
Except for special circumstances, as defined by a majority of SCTF
Members, failure to attend the requisite number of meetings will result in a
recommendation to City Council to rescind SCTF membership.”
Development of Recommendations to
City Council Regarding Qualifications to Consider When Selecting the New City
Manager
Following discussion on this topic, the
SCTF unanimously adopted the following motion:
“Santa Monica
is growing in its commitment to sustainability.
This is reflected in much of the input received in recent community
meetings for the City’s General Plan updates.
This will go a long way toward achieving the goals of the Sustainable
City Plan (SCP). However, achieving the
SCP goals also requires the participation of all city departments and city
leadership. Therefore, the Sustainable
City Task Force urges the City Council to give preference to the following
criteria in the selection of the new
City Manager.
The candidate should:
1.
Have a history of participation in a
sustainable community initiative or program in an urban community.
2.
Be able to work with city staff from
all departments to help achieve the SCP goals using an integrated approach.
3.
Have some familiarity with the
concept of sustainable economics.”
Subcommittee
Reports
Members of the POI Subcommittee provided
updates on their current outreach efforts.
Christina Erickson noted that she continues to meet with local hotels
and that she is in the process of developing a sustainable business council to
promote and support sustainable businesses.
Genevieve Bertone discussed
her recent outreach efforts with the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Santa Monica College.
Euri De Oliviera provided an update on his recent meetings with the
Center for Environmental Studies at SMC.
Roe Johnston and Sandy Grant summarized their recent discussions with
board members, teachers, parents and staff at Santa Monica Malibu
Unified School
District.
Presentation
Regarding Sustainable City Indicators Report Card
Dean Kubani presented a draft
of a Report Card which grades progress in each of the eight Sustainable City
Plan goal areas. The grades are based on
indicator data collected for each of the goal areas. He noted that the report
card is a summary of SCP indicator data that will be presented in an online
database that will be launched on September 20, 2005 at www.smepd.org.
SCTF members made several recommendations regarding the grades and made
editorial comments on the report card text.
Public
Input on Non Agendized Matters
There was no public input.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40pm
SCTF Recommendations Regarding the Opportunities
and Challenges Report
Dear Mayor O'Connor and City Council Members,
At our September 12, 2005 meeting, the Sustainable City Task Force reviewed
the Opportunities and Challenges report and unanimously agreed to the following
recommendations.
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The Council established the Sustainable City Task Force (SCTF) in March 2003
and charged it with advising in the development of an implementation plan for
achieving the goals of the Sustainable City Plan (SCP). The Land Use and
Circulation Elements of the General Plan provide a policy foundation for the
City of Santa Monica
for managing and utilizing the City’s physical, economic and human resources
over the next 20 years. Therefore the SCTF advises the Council to
systematically incorporate the Guiding Principles and the Goals of the
Sustainable City Plan (SCP) into these policy documents so that they serve as
the foundation for city decision-making. Incorporating sustainability
principles and goals in General Plan elements is critical to the successful
implementation of the Sustainable City Plan.
The Opportunities and Challenges Report references and addresses many of the
relevant SCP goals and indicators. So that sustainability principles and
goals are not only considered in the development of the General Plan elements
but are fully articulated, the SCTF recommends the following:
Overall SCP Goals
- Document in each element how
SCP goals will be implemented by the element’s policy statements and
goals.
SCP Economic Development Goal
2. Consider reducing the City’s reliance on
revenues from non-sustainable businesses and land uses, and emphasize the
conversion over time to a more sustainable economic base. For example,
reduce the heavy reliance of revenues received from the sale of gasoline
powered automobiles and indicate how those revenues would be replaced by the
development of sustainable businesses.
3. Consider how money is invested by capital
markets, and secure and promote financial investments that build upon existing
smaller floor plates that can promote local business enterprises that offer
pedestrian, bike or public transit access, and are sustainable in terms of
resource utilization and waste prevention. The concept is to discourage
centralized commerce while encouraging neighborhood-serving establishments that
minimize auto use.
4. Expand the options for the Industrial Focus
Area to include more than either housing or commercial activity. Santa Monica’s industrial
area is a major resource for the future: it should be targeted as the site of
eco-industrial development projects that not only manufacture goods for the
local population and hence minimize transshipment costs, but also are designed
on the ecological principle that “waste equals food” and use each other’s waste
streams as feed stocks. Moreover, eco-industrial jobs are likely to be socially
sustainable, paying more than employment in the retail or service
sectors. The Opportunities and Challenges Report does not fully address
the ecological and social sustainability of goods production, and overlooks Santa Monica’s potential
to support both dimensions of sustainability through an innovative,
forward-thinking plan for its industrial area.
SCP Land Use and Transportation Goals
5. Emphasize land use regulation that supports
context sensitive design solutions. This can be done on many levels with the
goal of improving the quality of the streetscape to encourage walking and
biking. This means not only eliminating regulations that promote super blocks
but encouraging streetscapes where the pedestrian experience is interesting and
filled with amenities, such as buildings that are fronted on the street with
parking behind, on top, or subterranean. It may also involve rethinking parking
lots and large outdoor auto display areas to reduce long stretches of blocks
that do not support a pedestrian environment or encourage walking.
6. Consider facilitating more sustainable
forms of transportation, such as buses, bicycling, and walking, by providing
bus-only lanes on major corridors, an expanded bicycle lane network, and
street-level enhancements for pedestrians, such as expanded sidewalks,
landscaping, and signal prioritization. An additional measure includes
increasing the City’s auto-free zones, such as the Third Street Promenade.
7. Develop policies that promote urban
villages with dense housing around the Exposition Light Rail stations.
SCP Housing Goal
8. Develop policies that increase the affordable
housing stock, such as reduced off-street parking requirements for mixed use
developments in corridors that provide on-site affordable housing; inclusionary
housing; multi-modal amenities; and density bonuses.
Finally, we note that while Environmental Programs Division (EPD) staff has
provided input to the development of the Opportunities and Challenges report,
we recommend that EPD staff be included in the development of the Elements to
provide technical support and meaningful policy input. EPD staff has a wide
range of expertise that is critical to land use and circulation policies, and
should be centrally involved in Santa
Monica’s future urban design and mobility plans.
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We look forward to the next phase of this critical process and the
incorporation of the relevant indicators of the SCP in the evaluation of land
use transportation choices.
Sincerely,
Sandy Grant, Chair
Sustainable City Task Force
