incentivizing low impact development: developing and ... · technical team develops and tests gsh...
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Incentivizing Low Impact Development: Developing and Piloting Green Shores for Homes
Margaret Glowacki Land Use Planner/Fisheries Biologist
City of Seattle CEER 29 July 2014
Photo: NASA Visible Earth Funded by EPA
Insects to Salmon to Orcas Shores are vital to our iconic west coast species
Insects
Smelt, Herring and Sand Lance
Salmon
Orcas
How do we get homeowners from this…
…to something more like this?
Green Shores for Homes
EPA – Puget Sound Watershed Management Assistance Program
Green Shores for Homes awarded a grant in 2010 Collaborative effort between - City of Seattle & San Juan County in Washington State & British Columbia, Canada
The Watershed Company
Green Shores for Homes A Tale of three jurisdictions in the Salish Sea
Map Credit: Steven Fick/Canadian Geographic
Funded by an EPA Grant to the City of Seattle
Lake Washington
• ESA-listed Chinook salmon - 1999 • > 70% shoreline armored • Lake Washington – critical habitat - rearing and migration
Seattle
Renton
Bellevue
Kirkland
Mercer Island
City of Seattle Lake Washington homeowners surveyed (n=2,280; 19%
response) >70% believe salmon habitat = desirable function >90% limited understanding of alternatives to shoreline armoring
Green Shorelines Guidebook –Alternative
Shoreline Design – Residential Property
Green ShoresTM
Coastal Development Rating System – Commercial
Property
Green Shorelines Decision Tree
Green Shores Credits
Green Shores Rating System Voluntary credit rating system
designed to promote sustainable coastal development
Modelled after LEED™
Credits – 1) action based; 2) require minimal professional “sign-off”; 3) verified through permit documents & a site visit
“Defines” green shores for residential property
Builds local capacity through trained Green Shores for Home verifiers.
The Watershed Company
1. Technical Team develops and tests GSH credit system.
2. Local government partners indentify incentives. 3. Local governments engage homeowners and builders
about the credit system and incentive program. 4. Technical Team trains Green Shores for Home
Verifiers. 5. Increase the site specific technical information 6. Local Government pilots Green Shores for Homes
Green Shores for Homes Program Components
GSH Rating Credits Categories
1. Shoreline Processes 2. Shoreline Habitat 3. Water Quality - Runoff and
Pollutant Management 4. Shore Stewardship
Green Shores for Homes Incentives Technical Assistance Roaming technical expert Early project planning
assistance
Expedited/Free Permits Determine credit score of
project Expedite permit review Subsidize or waive permit fee
Green Shores for Homes Incentives Financial Tax break - determine what
actions earn tax breaks
Fee in Lieu Program - $$
Increase in property values
16
Site Specific Technical Information – Shore Energy
Sig. Wave Height (ft) @ -15’ LWD
Peak Period (s) @ -15’ LWD
How Does the Rating System Really Work?
• Rating system evaluation Submittal information required Ease of scoring each site Credit categories
• Results of evaluation
• Adjustment to rating system
The Watershed Company
Rating System Evaluation February 2014 • 2 Freshwater sites Kirkland, WA
Lake Washington • 2 Marine sites San Juan County, WA Salish Sea
• Tech team members 2 subgroups N &S
Lake Washington
Sea Salish
San Juan
Lake Washington
Lake Washington Green Shore Site Components
• Both sites • Partial bulkhead removal • Gray and green shoreline structures installed • Riparian vegetation • Large woody debris • Gravel and boulder placement
Site 2
Site 1
Lake Washington Site 1
Before After
Lake Washington Site2
San Juan County Sites Orcas Island - Site 1 • Bulkhead removed • Soft shore protection • Creosote pile removal San Juan Island - Site 2 • no bulkhead installed • rainwater management
limited site disturbance, native vegetation/tree
Site 2
Site 1
San Juan County Site 1
Before After
San Juan County Site 2
Submittal Information and Ease of Rating System
• Reviewed info provided for permit applications • Permits - Shoreline Master Program/Environmentally Critical Areas • Determine information needed to calculate credit score • Ease of use – link to credit document
The Watershed Company
Credit Categories 3 Main Categories • Shoreline Processes
Bulkhead removal Setbacks
• Shoreline Habitat Riparian vegetation Large woody debris
• Water Quality Impervious surface Pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer
• Monitoring required or bonus points, what if you don’t do something, i.e. don’t put in a bulkhead, don’t cut down trees, the roll of LWD in different environments.
What Did We Learn and What Did We Change?
• All sites are not created equally - site conditions influence what can be done on site
• Example - Parcel size, urban/rural, freshwater/marine
• Difference in LWD function in the marine environment compared to a lake environment.
• Result adjusted rating system so smaller wood is favored in the lake environment LWD okay for marine environment
What Did We Learn and What Did We Change?
• Most important - condition of site at the completion of project
• Award credits for saving trees • Don’t “penalize” a site that
doesn’t have a bulkhead & isn’t adding one
• Adjusted rating system • Implementation June 2015
Bonus Information
• Lake WA property owners
• What motivated the home owners to green their shoreline?
• Attracting a lot of attention from recreational boaters
Insects to Orcas Shores are vital to our most iconic west coast species
Insects
Orcas
Contact Information Margaret Glowacki Sr. Land Use Planner/Fisheries Biologist Seattle Department of Planning and Development [email protected] 206-386-4036
Thank you! Funding: Partners: Washington Sea Grant San Juan County Archipelago Marine Research Victoria, B.C. Stewardship Centre for B.C. Islands Trust B.C.