Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutEnv Agenda - 2019-02-21Environmental Committee Agenda Thursday, February 21, 2019 Office of the City Clerk 4:00p.m.-6:00 p.m. Kitchener City Hall nd 200 King St.W. - 2 Floor Conestoga Room Kitchener ON N2G 4G7 Page 1Chair Tia DriverVice-Chair Alison Gingrich Regehr Delegations -law, delegations are permitted to address the Committee for a maximumof 5 minutes. Item 1 - Derek Satnik, s2e Technologies Development Inc. Discussion Items 1. Net Zero Energy Feasibility Study (45 min) Brandon Sloan, Manager, Long Range & Policy Planning 2.All Advisory Committee Meeting - Preliminary 2019-2022 Draft Goal Statements and Example Actions(20 min) 3.New 2019-2020 Environmental Committee Work Plan(55 min) Information Items None Cody Boomer CommitteeAdministrator ** Accessible formats and communication supports are available upon request. If you require assistance to take part in a city meeting or event, please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1866-969-9994 ** REPORT TO:EnvironmentalCommittee DATE OF MEETING:February 21, 2019 SUBMITTED BY:Brandon Sloan, Manager, Long Range & Policy Planning PREPARED BY:Brandon Sloan, Manager, Long Range& Policy Planning 519-741-2200 ext. 7648 WARD(S) INVOLVED:All Wards DATE OF REPORT:February 8, 2019 REPORT NO.:DSD-19-031 SUBJECT:FCM/GMF Feasibility Study: Municipal Tools for Catalyzing Net-Zero Energy Development RECOMMENDATION: FCM/GMF Feasibility Study: Municipal Tools for Catalyzing Net-Zero Energy Development interested stakeholders; and further That the results of the - to conduct specific business cases,establish targets and engage with landowners for one or more pilot projects for: Areas undergoing significant redevelopment, such as the King/Victoria area The planning of new communities or neighbourhoods Other City-owned land that may be deemed surplus and available for development BACKGROUND: In 1984, the City of Kitchener adopted Official Plan policies regarding energy conservation and generation related to our urban form (see attached Appendix A). Thirty-five years later, the feasibility of constructing a development in our area that is so energy efficient that it approaches -(FCM) identified that the building industry and et-Zero construction is one of the most powerful opportunities to create environmental and economic benefit, and that municipalities should play a leadership role in helping the industry to adapt to Net-Zero Energy construction. The City of Kitchener partnered with the Cities of London, Waterloo and Kingston on a Feasibility Study that received a grant from FCM via the Green Municipal Fund. While there are numerous examples of low energy or sustainable developments throughout the world (and now some buildings in our region including evolv1), we needed to know more about the technologies, financial aspects and process improvements that could help -t at the neighbourhood or large redevelopment scale. *** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. *** Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance. 1 - 1 What is Net ZeroEnergy Development? Net-Zero Energy: - produces all the energy it consumes on an annual basis, from on-site resources which are renewable. The building / project may or may not be connected to a utility grid or energy storage system. It will have means to generate energy on site, and it will have means to access and use that energy over time not necessarily exactly when it was generated. Net-Zero Energy Building: A building which produces as much energy (including both electrical power and heat) as it consumes on a yearly basis. Net-Zero Energy Community: A community which produces as much energy as it consumes on a yearly basis. Some buildings will likely generate more energy than others, but as a community, they will together offset their combined annual energy demand. Figure 1: SiftonProperties Limited-The Future of Housing | West5(London, ON) www.West5.ca REPORT: Feasibility Study The in-progress development in the City of London shown in Figure 1 above, along with many other projects and municipal initiatives, inspired the preparation of a joint study to provide municipalities with additional information and a tool-kit for catalyzing Net-Zero Energy buildings and communities. Over the past two years, a consultant team has compiled a significant amount of information on the design strategies, practices employed by others, policies and programs, and financial strategies related to this topic. A series of case-studies in each of the partnering municipalities covered a range of contextual issues and resulted in a number of trends and key findings. The concluding aspects of the study provide technical, financial and policy directions for how we can work towards Net-Zero Energy Development. Note: The scope of the study is net-- 1 - 2 Appendix B to this report provides an Executive Summary of the in-depth, comprehensive study and related appendices. Through the analysis of the case studies, this helped to summarize the technologies that enable Net-Zero Energy at the community scale, summarize the financial and incentive models that may be pertinent, analyze the challenges that were encountered and resulted in a consolidation of findings and recommendations. The preliminary results of the full study are posted at: https://s2etech.com/fcm-gmf/. The key recommendations offered for municipalities include: Benchmarking District Energy Training Community Improvement Plan Continuous Learning Celebrate Consider Solar Right-to-Light Implications for Kitchener Currently, there is policy direction for more sustainable development, such as Net-Zero Energy development. Governments are working to develop and adopt increasingly energy efficient building requirements, with the goal that prov-Zero E. The Net-Zero Energy Feasibility Study enumerates the tools available for municipalities and developers to pursue implementation at the neighbourhood scale. For the City of Kitchener, two distinct case studies were examined a major, urban area redevelopment site within the Innovation District and a greenfield demonstration site. The results provide guidance for what technologies could be employed and what adjustments would be needed in order to get close to or achieve Net-Zero Energy in both instances. Of interest is that there may be less challenges within a new-build, greenfield context. Given that there are prime opportunities in the vicinity of King/Victoria and other prospects either as part of major, redevelopment sites such as the former Schneiders/Maple Leaf Foods site or new areas undergoing Secondary Plans such as Hidden Valley and the new Southwest Kitchener Urban Area we should pursue the next steps of implementing the policy direction and feasibility study. Situations with single land holders may be more challenging; however, with 3rd party energy provider/operators and where the City owns land there may be greater potential for success. In addition to energy efficiency, locations such as the Innovation District and surrounding sites would also be able to achieve a greater degree of The Feasibility Study provides a sample Community Improvement Plan (CIP) as a recommendation for municipalities to consider should financial incentive program(s) be a The existing, unfunded City of Kitchener Energy and Water Efficiency for Land and Buildings point in the future, the City may want to consider potentially funding a program under that CIP. 1 - 3 Relation to Other Initiatives projects, provide policy basis and master plan direction to work towards more sustainable development. This Feasibility Study now provides us with the needed information about the technologies, financial aspects and process issues. The environment and sustainability continue to always be themes within Environics Surveys, community priorities and Strategic Plans. Kitchener and our partner municipalities have an approved Community Climate Action Plan and adopted a community GHG reduction target to 2050. We also have co-funded the implementation of the approved Community Energy Investment Strategy. This Net-Zero Energy Feasibility Study aligns with these important climate change and energy initiatives and moves us closer to implementation. Now we just have to do it. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: Strategic Priority #4 Sustainable Environment and Infrastructure Business Plan Project #NB13 Sustainable Development Feasibility Study FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Fund and the partnership of the City of London, City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo, and City of account. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM This report will the Committee meeting. This study involved internal and inter-municipal collaboration. CONCLUSION: Kitchener is fairly well-positioned to move towards more sustainable development, such as Net- Zero Energy. Developers in the City of London are currently doing it. Through this, and the implementation of the Community Energy Investment Strategy, we need to engage further with the local utilities and the development industry to consider the technologies, finances and logistics. Local energy independence and reducing environmental impacts while still having positive economic development is within reach. This can help enhance our quality of life. We have the mandate, so pursuing one or more pilot projects is recommended as a next step. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Alain Pinard, Director of Planning ATTACHMENTS: Appendix A Energy Policies (1977 Official Plan, as amended in 1984) Appendix B Executive Summary FCM/GMF Feasibility Study: Municipal Tools for Catalyzing Net-Zero Energy Development 1 - 4 1 - 5 1 - 6 1 - 7 1 - 8 APPENDIX BFCM/GMF Feasibility Study: Municipal Tools for Catalyzing Net-Zero Energy Development municipalities and developers alike. It is easier today than ever before to build communities which provide all of their own energy needs and which leverage smart and sustainable design principles. Most current planning and development processes within municipalities do not fully support the implementation of such initiatives, which often involve technical and financial complexities that can cause delays with the municipal approvals processes, and which thus become dis-incentives against pursuing more sustainable construction. To address this and related challenges, this study will look at eight different development projects as case studies at diverse stages across four mid-sized growing cities in Ontario (two projects per city), evaluating what would be necessary in order to enable the project to provide all of its own energy on-site, by assessing three complementary and interdependent focusses: Technical Feasibility: This study will look at different technologies used in advanced energy- efficient buildings and communities and will assess which are feasible for widespread use today, what types of projects each technology is best suited for, and what technologies can be used to achieve net-zero energy performance in each of the eight chosen cases. Financial Feasibility: This study will evaluate funding and incentive models which can be used to offset the costs of including advanced technologies that help attain net-zero energy on the neighbourhood / community scale. Policy / Process Feasibility: This study will involve shadow-permitting discussions, where each partner municipality will participate in a mock-trial approval process. Each project will be conceptually redesigned to achieve net-zero energy, and the cities will be asked to assess and contribute their understanding of what would be required for them to issue construction approvals for the design concepts being studied. This will help to identify policy and process challenges and proactive means by which those challenges may be resolved. Interestingly, much of the challenge with building better is based on the assumption that this must cost more. In reality, the technology markets (like solar PV and LED lighting) and the best-in- class building programs (like ENERGY STAR, LEED, and others) have enjoyed tremendous success over the past ten years, and costs are much more reasonable than they were previously. This is likely to become even more true with the implementation of new climate action strategies at the Federal and Provincial levels. However, these technologies and programs are still new to city officials and developers, and it can be challenging to get a building permit for a building that is innovative. The eight project sites included in this study together represent a sufficiently diverse pool of cases that they are generally representative of most of the development scenarios that municipalities typically experience, and will therefore provide a highly transferrable and repeatable set of results for use not only by the participating partners (who will of course benefit the most), but also for all other Canadian municipalities. 1 - 9 Results: This report includes a series of case studies and appendices which: 1. Summarize the technologies that enable net-zero energy at the community or neighbourhood level for various types of project sites, with some guidance about where those technologies are best used and where they are not; 2. Summarize the financial and incentive models that have been used across Canada, with comments on their relative strengths and weaknesses, and with comments about how municipalities can provide cost effective incentives that maximize returns for the tax base, while also maximizing effectiveness for the development industry; 3. Analyze the challenges encountered during the permit and approvals process for advanced construction designs, and offer comment on proactive ways which municipalities can reduce and eliminate as many barriers as possible, streamlining administrative processes; 4. Consolidate the above findings into a template policy in the form of a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) with accompanying enablement programs, which could be adapted and adopted in part or in whole by any Canadian municipality, particularly those in Ontario, and which would serve as a consolidated best-practice reference guide of incentive programs that may be used to catalyze the development of net-zero energy smart communities across Canada. This study is intended to provide the development industry with municipal support that is effective. It will help site owners to understand how to effectively and affordably make their developments more sustainable, and will provide them with examples they may adapt to their own use. The eight participating sites will be provided with practical support from s2e Technologies in identifying which technologies and strategies will best enable their projects to pursue net-zero energy performance, and the development industry in general will benefit from the generalized results of the case studies. The eight participating projects will further benefit from process / policy support from the participating municipalities, which should enable proactive resolution to challenges that might otherwise be encountered during the permitting and approvals process. Recommendations for Municipalities The report offers several conclusions across technical / financial / process topics, and culminates with a set of seven recommendations for municipalities to consider: 1. Benchmark: Assess the capabilities of your local industry. Identify key stakeholders among builders, suppliers, non-profits and others who are respected local leaders, innovators, and potential advisors to the municipality. 2. Training: After reviewing this report, especially chapters 3 and 4, consider what training might be necessary for your municipal staff, and what topics might be most helpful for them to understand better. 1 - 10 3. Continuous Learning: Adopt a formalized continuous learning program for municipal staff. Capture lessons and experiences as they occur: consider scheduling periodic meetings (perhaps quarterly) to discuss lessons and experiences from recent projects or activities. Document them formally and adapt municipal process (as appropriate) in response. first on these learnings and then perhaps on review of various technologies from chapter 3 of this report. 4. Consider implementing a Solar Right-To-Light bylaw to help reduce risk for developers who are considering investing in solar systems on properties affected by potential nearby redevelopment / intensification. 5. District Energy: Consider implementing any of the solutions in Appendix C: Enabling Policy for District Energy, to proactively define a method by which district energy proponents can participate in local energy markets. 6. CIP: Review the draft Community Improvement Plan included in Appendix D, including all of the proposed programs attached to that plan. Adapt it for your local context and implement the p mindful of the observations and recommendations of section 4.7 starting on page 112 (eg: about program stability, simplicity, target audience, setting reasonable expectations, etc.), and of the strengths of your local industry (refer to recommendation 1 above on benchmarking). Refine this draft CIP into something for use in your local municipality, and then review with local stakeholders. Programs in this CIP do not need to be funded immediately, and discussions of funding method should not delay a discussion on what programs will be most helpful for your local municipality: separate those discussions into two efforts and focus on getting the CIP adapted and adopted as quickly as possible. Then follow up with budget discussions separately for the following fiscal year, to bring the CIP into full force. 7. Celebrate: Establish a local marketing plan. Work with local stakeholders to determine what level of publicity is appropriate for your local green building programs, and to identify appropriate methods for recognition. Municipalities who implement the recommendations of this study will be well positioned to help the development industry transition towards net-zero energy construction, increasing local energy independence, catalyzing local economic development, reducing environmental impact and emissions, supporting environmental conservation, and enhancing quality of life. 1 - 11 2 - 1 2 - 2 2 - 3 2 - 4 2 - 5 2 - 6 1 - 3 in Kelly, Responsibility Councillor Yvonne FernandesErin Kelly John Jackson, ErCynthia Gaetani, Tia Driver Staff Contact Josh Shea, Natural Area CoordinatorJosh Shea, Natural Area Coordinator 1. Nick Gollan, Manager of Stormwater Utility 2. Linda Cooper, Manager of Development Engineering 3. Other going going -- Timeframe Ad hoc, onthroughout yearAd hoc, onthroughout year 2018 Recurs Annually Discrete Project Type 3 Kitchener's of 1 ) Page ) Description of Tasks Assist with research, the development of management plans for natural areas and stewardship activities for / in natural areas. Attend KNAP meetings and events. Act as liaison to seek input from and report back to Environmental Committee.Liaison to sit on Kitchener's Bee City Working Group and report back to, and seek advice as necessary from, Environmental Committee.1. Canvas Stormwater Utility staff to assess opportunities to help promote Low Impact Development retrofits and the stormwater credit policy in neighbourhoods. 2. Consider how erosion and sedimentation control (ESC) on construction sites might be improved. 3. Etc. {ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tƌğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ 9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ 2018 - {ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tƌğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ 9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ Kitchener Working Group Project Kitchener Natural Areas ProgramBee City Water Management Stewardship ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE WORK PLAN 2017 No.Kitchener Natural Heritage System (Theme 1 of the 1.11.2 Water Resources (Theme 2 of the 2.1 2 - ndes, 3 Responsibility Councillor Yvonne FernaEdward Saxon, Jordan Gray, John Jackson Committee Stacey Danckert, Edward Saxon,Tia Driver - Staff Contact Barbara Steiner, Senior Environmental Planner (initially) Brandon Sloan, Manager, Long Range & Policy Planning (Tasks 12)Mike Seiling, Director of Building (Task 3) 18. - 18). 2018 - - Timeframe To Be Determined Post Green Development Guidelines being considered as part of the new Urban Design Manual project in 2017Consider incorporating the diversion of construction waste into these or other guidelines (i.e. 2017 Project Type 3 of 2 Page wide campaigns (Regional - with Planning and Building staff Description of Tasks Brainstorm ideas: "green driving" tips; former RegionPublic Health, WPIRG, area municipalities); exisitng City of Kitchener initiatives (e.g. fleet policies and practices; signage in school zones) for strengthening message to public.Update to be considered by the whole committee during a regular meeting as an agenda item. 1. Consultto determine if current policies and practices are supportive; 2. Determine feasibility, next steps and how the Environmental Committee can be involved; 3. With respect to diverting construction waste, meet with Buildingstaff to determine current situation, and potential future actions. 2018 ) )) - reduction Idling Education - {ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tƌğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ ĻƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ{ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tƌğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ 9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ{ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tƌğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ 9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷ Project AntiKitchener Growth Management StrategySupport the application of a rating system such as LEED for existing and new private sector projects or in site/building redevelopments.Encourage the diversion of construction waste from landfills, and waste tools for new development and redevelopment project ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE WORK PLAN 2017 No.Air Quality (Theme 3 of the 3.1 Land Resource and Growth Management(Theme 4 of the 4.1 Energy Systems (Theme 5 of the 5.1 (formerly 3.2 and 6.2)Resource Consumption and Waste Management ˁŷĻƒĻ Џ ƚŅ ƷŷĻ {ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ 9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷΜ 3 - 3 ments for Responsibility Jordan Gray, Katarina Milicic, Tia Driver, Erin Kelly Stacey Danckert, Tina Belanger, Edward SaxonDefer Musselman, Determined ference Staff Contact Josh Shea, Natural Area CoordinatorTo Be(dependent on type of event)Carrie Senior Environmental PlannerJeff YoungManager, Special Events" - - ring this forward for discussion by the whole hoc, - Timeframe September January each yearAdthroughout year.October November each yearDefer start pending committee interest and capacity Project Type in an 3 of 3 backing on another Page - ITEMS OF INTEREST Review methodology for annual report card. Staff to b conference) meeting with - - Description of Tasks Plan Environmental Committee event for Earth Day.Members organize or participateevent related to the mandate of the committee. Consider partnering with another citizen advisory committee such as KYAC and/or piggyevent such as BikeFest. Research suitable events as a 1st step.Detailed application review and recommendation of successful grantees. One (telesubcommittee.Meet with the Managers of Special Events and Downtown Community Development to determine current situation, and potential future actions. - 2018 - Request Purchasing staff to describe current situation and potential for policy change to greener standards including require 9ƓǝźƩƚƓƒĻƓƷΜ - Policy 100) - he Strategic Plan for the Environment Project Environmental Events Community Environmental Improvement Grants (CEIG)Work with City staff to develop and/or implement a Green Festival Strategy for Citymanaged events and examine the possibility of applying it to third party events.Provide advice or information on environmental matters referred to the committee by Council and staff as per: the Terms of Re(Council Policy I Green Purchasing minimal packaging. 2. Strategic Plan for the Environment committee. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE WORK PLAN 2017 No.Environmental Education and Public Awareness ˁŷĻƒĻ А ƚŅ ƷŷĻ {ƷƩğƷĻŭźĭ tƌğƓ ŅƚƩ ƷŷĻ 7.17.27.3 Multiple Themes of t 8.11.