Submitted by: Phillip L. Harrington, Director, Department of Public Works. Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development

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1 Page 1 of 8 Office of the City Manager CONSENT CALENDAR June 13, 2017 To: From: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council Dee Williams-Ridley, City Manager Submitted by: Phillip L. Harrington, Director, Department of Public Works Subject: Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development RECOMMENDATION Adopt a Resolution approving the Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development (GI Plan Framework). FISCAL IMPACTS OF RECOMMENDATION Staff estimate preparation of the GI Plan will cost approximately $500,000. Funding for development of the Green Infrastructure Plan (GI Plan) is programmed in FY2018 and FY2019 budgets in the Clean Stormwater Fund , and State Gas Tax Fund CURRENT SITUATION AND ITS EFFECTS The reissued Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP 2) that went into effect January 1, 2016, includes a new requirement for the City to prepare a GI Plan that shows stormwater treatment targets can be met over the next twenty years. The first milestone required in developing this Plan is preparation and adoption of a GI Plan Framework by June 30, 2017, and that Framework is included as Attachment 2 to this report. The GI Plan Framework is a work plan that identifies the scope, schedule, and budget proposed by the City to prepare the MRP 2 mandated GI Plan. Council adoption of the GI Plan Framework indicates the City has budgeted funds and allocated staffing resources to accomplish the task of developing a GI Plan. The Alameda County Clean Water Program (ACCWP) provides technical, educational and administrative guidance to municipalities in the County to assist with MRP 2 compliance. ACCWP provided a template for the GI Plan Framework the City used as a basis for the Framework presented herein. In order to provide an opportunity for input and participation, staff presented the GI Plan Framework to the Public Works Commission (April 6, 2017), the Planning Commission (via an and Fact Sheet to the Secretary on April 11, 2017), and the Community 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA Tel: (510) TDD: (510) Fax: (510) manager@cityofberkeley.info Website:

2 Page 2 of 8 Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development CONSENT CALENDAR June 13, 2017 Environmental Advisory Commission (CEAC, February 9, 2017). Staff will continue to seek input from these and other applicable commissions as the GI Plan is developed. Council approval of the GI Plan Framework will allow staff to proceed with preparation of the GI Plan which will serve as a master planning document to guide selection and development of green infrastructure projects beginning in It will establish targets for the amount of impervious surfaces (including roads, parking lots, and building roofs) that will be converted into rain gardens, permeable pavers, or other GI facilities by the milestone years of 2020, 2030, and A primary goal of the MRP 2 requires installation of GI in Berkeley to reduce the adverse water quality impacts of urbanization on storm water entering into the San Francisco Bay. Two primary pollutants of concern are mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In addition to addressing water quality concerns, GI in Berkeley will be designed to enhance flood reduction, and beneficial stormwater reuse where possible. The GI Plan will also examine funding options, discuss funding shortfalls and sources, and include a schedule for GI improvements, long term maintenance, and associated costs. The GI Plan must be completed and submitted to the Regional Water Quality Control Board by September 30, BACKGROUND The City has a long history of embracing GI and of progressive approaches to stormwater management. Through preparation and adoption of the Berkeley Watershed Management Plan in 2012 and subsequent completion of several dozen private and public GI projects (such as the Spruce/Vine and Presentation Park bioswales), the City has already begun to shift from traditional storm drain infrastructure to a more resilient, sustainable system. The City will continue to balance goals of designing innovative drainage systems, complying with applicable regulations, and rehabilitating the existing storm drain system for reliable flood protection. ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY The City s GI Plan will increase the amount of stormwater treated with GI, which should in turn, reduce localized flooding and improve water quality. The GI Plan will be designed to work in conjunction with existing City planning documents and programs with the goal of creating an integrated and informed policy for the implementation of GI in Berkeley. These efforts will make Berkeley a more environmentally sustainable city. RATIONALE FOR RECOMMENDATION MRP 2 requires the City to develop and approve a GI Plan Framework by June 30, The GI Plan Framework attached to this report provides the City with flexibility in the development of our GI Plan while fully meeting the requirements of MRP 2. ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS CONSIDERED No alternatives to the GI Plan Framework were considered. Page 2

3 Page 3 of 8 Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development CONSENT CALENDAR June 13, 2017 CONTACT PERSON Tracy Clay, Supervising Civil Engineer (510) Mitch Buttress, Environmental Compliance Specialist (510) Attachments: 1: Resolution 2: Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development Page 3

4 Page 4 of 8 RESOLUTION NO. ##,###-N.S. FRAMEWORK FOR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN DEVELOPMENT WHEREAS, in order to be in compliance with Provision C.3.j of the reissued Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (MRP 2) adopted by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board on November 19, 2015 (Order No. R ); the City of Berkeley is required to prepare a Green Infrastructure Plan for the inclusion of low impact development drainage design into appropriate projects on public and private lands to address the adverse water quality impacts and pollutants from urban stormwater runoff and urbanization, including paving of roadways and parking lots; and WHEREAS, the goal of low impact development drainage design is to reduce runoff, minimize land disturbance, minimize pavement and other impervious cover, and remove pollutants from stormwater runoff using methods that employ natural processes of storage, detention, infiltration, evapotranspiration, and filtering of runoff through soil media as described in Provision C.3.c of MRP 2; and WHEREAS, the Green Infrastructure Plan shall meet the following milestones specified in Provision C.3.j of MRP 2: 1. Approval of a framework for the Green Infrastructure Plan by June 30, Approval of the Green Infrastructure Plan by June 30, Submittal to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board of the Green Infrastructure Plan with the City of Berkeley s Annual Stormwater Report by September 30, 2019; and WHEREAS, in order to be in compliance with MRP 2, a Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development has been prepared and presented to applicable City of Berkeley Commissions including Public Works Commission, Planning Commission, and Community Environmental Advisory Commission. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Berkeley that it hereby adopts the Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development.

5 Page 5 of 8 Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development This Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development is organized as follows. Section 1: Section 2: Section 3: Section 4: Section 5: Section 6: 1. Purpose Purpose Municipal Stormwater Permit Deadlines Specific Tasks for Plan Development Timeframe for Plan Development Staffing Assignments Budget The purpose of the Green Infrastructure Plan is to guide the identification, implementation, tracking, and reporting of green infrastructure projects. Green infrastructure refers to a sustainable system that slows runoff by dispersing it to vegetated areas, harvests and uses runoff, promotes infiltration and evapotranspiration, and uses bioretention and other low impact development practices to clean stormwater runoff. The Green Infrastructure Plan will be developed in accordance with Green Infrastructure Plan requirements in Provision C.3.j of the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit (Regional Water Quality Control Board Order No. R , adopted on November 19, 2015), which states in part:.the [Green Infrastructure] Plan is intended to describe how Permittees will shift their impervious surfaces and storm drain infrastructure from gray, or traditional, storm drain infrastructure where runoff flows directly into the storm drain and then to the receiving water, to green that is, to a more resilient, sustainable system that slows runoff by dispersing it to vegetated areas, harvests and uses runoff, promotes infiltration and evapotranspiration, and uses bioretention and other green infrastructure practices to clean stormwater runoff. The Plan is intended to serve as an implementation guide and reporting tool to set goals for reducing, over the long term, the adverse water quality impacts of urbanization and urban runoff on receiving waters. 2. Municipal Stormwater Permit Deadlines Provision C.3.j.i.(1) of the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit requires the City of Berkeley to approve a framework or workplan to develop a Green Infrastructure Plan by June 30, The complete Green Infrastructure Plan must be submitted to the Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) by September 30, May 9, 2017

6 Page 6 of 8 3. Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development Specific Tasks for Plan Development Preparation of the Green Infrastructure Plan will require the following specific tasks. Identify Green Infrastructure Projects Future green infrastructure projects will be identified for inclusion in the Green Infrastructure Plan. This will include documentation of existing plans for private and public development projects that would be subject to MRP Provision C.3 requirements for development projects to include stormwater treatment facilities. The Green Infrastructure Plan will also document the continuing implementation and results of the City of Berkeley s process, initiated in Fiscal Year , to review planned capital improvement projects that are not subject to Provision C.3 stormwater treatment requirements, to identify the potential for incorporating green infrastructure. Additionally, a GIS-based tool will be used to identify, map, and prioritize potential green infrastructure projects that may be included in the Green Infrastructure Plan. Develop Tracking Procedures Procedures will be developed for estimating the pollutant load reduction and other benefits of green infrastructure projects, and for tracking and reporting on completed projects. The procedures will be described in the Green Infrastructure Plan. Incorporate Guidelines and Typical Designs The Green Infrastructure Plan will incorporate guidelines for streetscape and green infrastructure project design and construction, and green infrastructure typical design drawings and specifications. These will be based on regional examples and guidelines, typical design drawings, and specifications. The City of Berkeley will evaluate the regional materials for consistency with local standards, and will revise existing guidelines, standard specifications, design details, and procedures as needed. Update Planning Documents and Programs Planning documents and programs, including those listed below, will be reviewed, and relevant sections will be modified, as needed, for implementing green infrastructure in public and private development projects to support the implementation of the Green Infrastructure Plan. Planning documents will be updated during their regular revision cycles. This will include the following City of Berkeley planning documents and programs: General Plan, specific plans, and area plans Strategic Transportation Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan, and Bicycle Plan Street Rehabilitation Plan Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Capital Improvement Program Urban Forestry Management Program Watershed Management Plan 2 May 9, 2017

7 Page 7 of 8 Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development Other plans and programs that may affect the future alignment, configuration, or design of roadways, parking lots, buildings, and other facilities that may present the opportunity for the installation of Green Infrastructure. Evaluate Funding Sources An evaluation of funding sources for potential future public green infrastructure projects will be included in the Green Infrastructure Plan. Guidance provided by the Clean Water Program may be used to develop an in-lieu fee for private development projects that are constrained from fully meeting stormwater treatment measures onsite, as a potential funding source for future public green infrastructure projects. Training and Outreach Staff will attend training sessions on green infrastructure planning, implementation, design, and maintenance. Updates and opportunities for input on the preparation of the Green Infrastructure Plan will be provided to the Berkeley City Council, Public Works Commission, and other appropriate City of Berkeley commissions. Additional outreach to the general public and development community will be conducted in coordination with the Clean Water Program. Compile Green Infrastructure Plan Documentation of the tasks described above will be compiled into the Green Infrastructure Plan for review by the Berkeley City Council. Adopt the Green Infrastructure Plan An appropriate legal mechanism will be adopted to begin implementing the Green Infrastructure Plan. Submit Plan to the Water Board The Plan, and applicable policies or other legal mechanisms for Plan implementation, will be submitted to the Water Board with the City of Berkeley s 2019 Annual Report of Stormwater Program Implementation. 4. Timeframe for Plan Development The schedule for conducting specific tasks is presented below. Adoption of the Green Infrastructure Plan is scheduled for June The Plan, and applicable policies or other legal mechanism for Plan implementation, must be submitted to the Water Board by September 30, May 9, 2017

8 Page 8 of 8 Framework for Green Infrastructure Plan Development Schedule of Specific Tasks Identify Projects Task FY FY FY FY Develop Tracking Procedures Incorporate Guidelines Update Planning Documents and Programs Evaluate Funding Sources Training and Outreach Compile Plan Adopt Plan Submit Plan to Water Board = Milestone 5. Staffing Assignments Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Phillip Harrington, Director of Public Works will direct the preparation of the Green Infrastructure Plan. 6. Budget It is estimated that preparation of the Green Infrastructure Plan will cost approximately $500,000. Funding for development of the Green Infrastructure Plan (GI Plan) is programmed in FY2018 and FY2019 budgets in the Clean Stormwater Fund and State Gas Tax Fund May 9, 2017