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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-06-10ENV~1992-06-10-SPE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MINUTES JUNE 10, 1992 The Environmental Committee met this date commencing at 3:00 p.m. under the Chairmanship of Alderman C. Weylie with the following members present: Dr. J. Kay and Mr. J. Maine. Officials Present: Mr. S. Klapman, Mr. B. Stanley, Ms. B. Newell, Mr. C. Ford, Mr. W. Beck, and Mr. L.W. Neil. 1.DELEGATION - TRANSIT DIVISION Mr. W. Beck, Director of the City's Transit Division, attended the Committee to address a question that was raised at the Committee's June 3rd meeting pertaining to the City's acquisition of air- conditioned transit buses and explain the City's policy in that regard. In support of air-conditioned transit buses, Mr. Beck made the following points: -1991 air-conditioning technology is utilized, including less harmful freon 22 -Council has undertaken wide-ranging initiatives to encourage and intensify transit use by providing more bus shelters, installing concrete pads to improve bus stop sites, etc. -one transit bus replaces approximately fifty cars in peak travel times and 50% of these cars have air- conditioning, thus air-conditioned buses are not at a disadvantage in trying to capture new riders if they have air-conditioning -engines being purchased are more environmentally friendly and meet 1995 fuel admission standards -air-conditioning was just one aspect of a comprehensive effort to make the transit system more desirable to current and potential passengers Further, Mr. Beck advised that the City was purchasing Iow floor buses which will become a standard Ministry requirement. Mr. J. Maine questioned what studies have been done to suggest that people can be drawn out of their air-conditioned cars and into air-conditioned buses. Mr. W. Beck again commented that air- conditioning must be considered as part of the entire attractiveness of the transit system and that the user friendliness of a bus has many aspects. He noted that market surveys of transit customers have been done but the question of air-conditioning has not been considered in isolation. Mr. Maine stated that he has heard many favourable comments from transit riders about the new Iow floor buses but that he had heard passengers repeatedly question why they could not open the windows. Further he stated that air-conditioning was being wasted when bus doors were being left open with the engine running while the bus was waiting at the transit terminal. In response to Alderman C. Weylie, Mr. Beck stated that air-conditioning does not have to be on but the new buses were being fully tested at this time. Also, he advised that the bus windows are locked by the driver while the air-conditioner is operating but otherwise the windows can be unlocked and opened. Dr. J. Kay commented that regardless, air-conditioning negatively impacts on fuel economy of the bus. Mr. Beck stated that the Transit Division has received many compliments for including air- conditioning on its new buses. Dr. Kay recommended that surveys be done that focus only on the air-conditioning issue before new vehicle orders are placed. Further, he stated that inspite of preventative maintenance measures, the freon in the air-conditioners was still subject to leakage and the problem of C.F.C.'s still exists. Mr. Ford volunteered to contact the bus manufacturer to inquire if the manufacturer could utilize absorption cooling through a chemical process rather than through a mechanical process. Dr. Kay expressed concern about the maintenance required for air-conditioning systems and particularly since these systems were new to ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MINUTES - 25 - JUNE 10, 1992 1.DELEGATION - TRANSIT DIVISION (CONT'D) City staff. Mr. Ford advised that the City was in the process of buying reclamation equipment and that there were local firms who receive recaptured freon and clean it for reuse. It was mentioned that within 5-10 years C.F.C.'s will be banned and if replacment freon was unavailable, capital investments in air-conditioning will be worthless once the ban was in place. Dr. Kay recommended that very careful consideration be given to the financial implications of the long- term policy for acquisition of air-conditioning on new buses. It was also suggested that staff obtain information from the City of Toronto on their air-conditioning policy for municipal vehicles in consideration of their "No C.F.C" policy. Also, in response to other comments made this date, Mr. C. Ford indicated that the temperature and drafts in the new buses could be monitored with the doors open and with the doors closed. Finally, Dr. Kay and Mr. J. Maine complimented Mr. Beck on the operations and initiatives of Kitchener Transit notwithstanding their individual concerns about the air-conditioning issue. 2.FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES CONFERENCE - MONTREAL Alderman C. Weylie advised that the environmental presentation and slides that she and Mr. S. Klapman had presented at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Conference in Montreal last weekend was very well-received and delegates were enthusiastic with respect to Kitchener's Strategic Plan for the Environment. 3.STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT At the Committee's June 3rd meeting, reference was made to the Mission Statement and Philosophy of the City's draft Strategic Plan for the Environment and the following terminology: - sustainable development - ecological approach to community planning and development - sustainability Mr. B. Stanley advised that staff have tried to stay away from use of the term 'sustainable development'. The Committee discussed the clarity of the Mission Statement. Mr. J. Maine stated that he felt it was not entirely clear and that discussion of its meaning should take place for purposes of clarity. Mr. S. Klapman strongly suggested that amendment of the Mission Statement should only be considered if it was incomplete or incorrect. Following discussion, Mr. Maine agreed that his concerns could be amplified at a later date in an implementation document. Mr. Maine noted that he was looking for a commitment from the City in respect to its approach to managing development and growth in consideration of how the community was put together. Mr. B. Stanley commented that the conception of the environmental plan and its purpose has evolved since the Mission Statement was written and approved. He noted that at that point in time the Mission Statement may have had a "narrower" perspective and recommended that before considering any change, an in-depth review should be undertaken. It was agreed that Mssrs. B. Stanley, J. Kay, J. Maine and other necessary staff would meet as a sub- committee to continue discussions on this matter and then bring it back for consideration at a future meeting of the Committee. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MINUTES - 26 - JUNE 10, 1992 3.STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (CONT'D) On motion by Dr. J. Kay it was resolved: That the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan for the Environment dated June 1992 be received and referred to a special meeting of Committee of the Whole of City Council to meet with the Environmental Committee. 4. OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW RE: ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS Mr. B. Stanley and Ms. B. Newell attended the meeting to make a presentation on the City's review of the Kitchener Official Plan. On the matter of population growth forecasts, Mr. B. Stanley described how the regional staff had taken a "top-down" approach whereas City staff had taken a "bottom-up" approach. He pointed out that a key component of the forecasts related to the level of migration from the greater Toronto area and that it is expected that migration will decrease from now until 1996 and then remain constant thereafter. The regional "top-down" approach forecasts that over the next twenty-five years, the rate of growth will be only slightly less than over the last twenty years. To develop the "bottom-up" figures, staff reviewed and relied on all the community plans and the inner city plans that the City has utilized over the last twenty-five years and then translated and projected the population figures. Staff then compared the results of the two forecasting methods and questioned what the build-out would be from the existing developed urban area. It was noted that many of the future subdivisions had been planned based on a density of ten units per hectare comprised primarily of single family dwellings on fifty foot lots with no street town houses and multiple dwelling developments making up from 10-40% of dwellings. However, a density of 20 units per hectare is now envisaged comprised of single dwellings with 30 foot frontages, semi-detached dwellings and street townhouses with multiple developments making up a minimum of 50% of all dwellings. He stated that in order to meet the regional forecast to the year 2016, 35,000 dwelling units were needed. Presently, the City can accomodate 40,000 dwelling units and with the new vision of increased density would be able to build significantly more dwelling units. Therefore, the lands in the southwest area of the City do not need to be brought into urban development. Mr. J. Maine questioned what the relationship of transportation issues was to the growth scenarios and if it would still be necessary to use cars to reach shopping areas. Mr. Stanley advised that this question fell under the issue of "Nodes and Corridors" and should be more thoroughly discussed by City Council. He commented that a Node would be considered an area containing a major shopping centre, high-density developments, schools, offices and other community related facilities. He pointed out that in the past the City transit service resembled the spokes of a wheel but that linear transit patterns were being imposed over those spokes. Mr. Stanley noted that Council may wish to direct the extent of this form of development on its arterial road systems and transit routes. Mr. S. Klapman there are concepts. obstacles concepts. commented that the development industry was profit-driven and that the industry has said too many rules and regulations that mitigate against developing new development However, the industry has indicated that if the City was willing to clear away these to development of new concepts the industry could bring on developments based on new In reviewing the document, Dr. J. Kay suggested that it was important to document the extensive analysis that has taken place. Ms. B. Newell confirmed that staff intended to rewrite the preamble to the official plan review. Dr. Kay referred to the technique of "backcasting" as opposed to "forecasting". The backcasting method would involve questioning what we want our city to look like in the year 2021 and determining what steps are necessary to achieve that vision of a sustainable society. Dr. Kay pointed out that there was a lack of ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MINUTES - 27 - JUNE 10, 1992 4. OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW RE: ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS (CONT'D) discussion about the effect of the universities on the city since along with the school boards, they were one of the largest employers in the Region and stated that how their role changes would have an effect on the city. Further he stated that the universities had a stabilizing influence on the economy of the city. Dr. Kay referred to the inordinate attention to the automobile in the Official Plan document and Ms. B. Newell advised that this section would be rewritten to reflect other forms of transportation. Dr. Kay referred to policy 1.71 "Decommissioning Policies" and questioned if it applied to all new activities or if it applied to just the activities where it is required. Mr. B. Stanley advised that the onus is on the municipality to do an environmental audit and that any plant closure draws regulations that are in the Official Plan and required by the Ministry and the city with the matter of any clean-up being the onus of the vendor. Mr. J. Maine questioned how the City's plan relates to the three visions of the Region. Mr. B. Stanley advised that the Region would be making a presentation to Kitchener Planning Committee on June 15th and subsequently after further discussion Kitchener would respond to the Region in September with the Region's decision of its vision document by mid-October. Mr. Stanley stated that the hope was that the City and the Regional visions would then mesh. Under policy 5.2 "Public Transit", Dr. Kay suggested that the order of the opening paragraph be revised to address need, reduction of energy consumption and pollution and then efficiency of operation of the transit system. Further he stated that there was nothing under policies addressing the large university student market that is not using public transit at this time. 5. NEXT MEETING It was agreed that the Committee would hold the next meeting at the call of the Chairman. 6. ADJOURNMENT On motion, the meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m. L.W. Neil, AMCT Assistant City Clerk