Submitted By
Ahmad M. Zayyad, Deputy Village Manager
Reviewed By
KJ
Agenda Item Title
Title
Presentation of the Final Draft of the 2022 Comprehensive Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resiliency Plan for the Village of Oak Park titled “Climate Ready Oak Park”
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Overview
Overview
This presentation provides the final draft of the 2022 Comprehensive Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resiliency Plan for the Village of Oak Park titled “Climate Ready Oak Park”, developed with support from the Village’s consultant team GRAEF, and ERG. The final draft presents new plan sections and incorporates revisions drawn from community input and the review of the Environment and Energy Commission provided in May and June 2022.
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Recommendation
Recommendation
N/A
Fiscal Impact
N/A
Background
In November 2021, the Climate Plan team, including consultants GRAEF and ERG, launched a seven-month community engagement and technical planning process. The Climate Plan team is pleased to present the results of this science-based and community-centered planning process: Climate Ready Oak Park.
The Climate Ready Oak Park Commitments
Climate Ready Oak Park seeks to:
1. Decrease community-wide greenhouse emissions by 60% by 2030, relative to 2019 emission levels.
2. Achieve community-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
3. Establish 30 percent of Oak Park’s land as green infrastructure or enhanced park management for native plants, wildlife, and people.
4. Direct 40 percent of public dollars earmarked for climate and sustainability initiatives to the most vulnerable and impacted community members.
5. Partner with frontline organizations and the most impacted community members to co-design and implement climate and sustainability policies and programs.
Climate Ready Oak Park has been prepared with several guiding principles:
• This is a long-range and ambitious plan, developed in response to the climate crisis. Climate Ready Oak Park considers what is possible under future scenarios, rather than what cannot be done under current.
• This is a comprehensive plan which acknowledges the interrelated impacts of climate change on human health, community affordability, and ecosystems. Strategies include climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as climate resilience to adapt to climate change impacts. Strategies also incorporate broader sustainability actions, to meet environmental, economic, and social goals, both now and in the future. Strategies must be science-based, flexible, and vetted by the community.
• This is a community-wide plan. To be successful, Climate Ready Oak Park can and must be implemented by the combined effort of intergovernmental partners, local institutions, community-based organizations, local businesses, and community members.
• Full implementation of the plan will require a variety of financing mechanisms, and funding sources from both within and outside the community.
• Equity is foundational to and woven throughout Climate Ready Oak Park. The planning process and document have been designed to advance inclusion and collaboration with underrepresented community members and to prioritize benefits for those who need them the most.
The Climate Ready Oak Park community planning process included several opportunities for public input, including a dedicated interactive website with engagement and educational modules, in-person tabling at neighborhood events, a Do-It-Yourself community meeting kit, and presentations at Village Board and citizen commission public meetings. In addition, the Climate Plan team facilitated focused monthly collaborative workshops co-led with community-based partners, designed to elicit specific guidance from those who self-identify as Black, disabled, older adult, and/or youth, with an emphasis on the inclusion of lower-income individuals and people of color. The Climate Plan team also hosted workshops and conducted interviews with frontline organizations and their participants, seeking input regarding food insecurity, housing insecurity, mental health and well-being, and English-language learner populations. The Climate Plan solicited input from renters by conducting focused surveying in mixed-income housing. Climate Plan questions were also included in the IPLAN community health survey. Finally, the Climate Plan team met with a number of intergovernmental partners, institutions, and community groups, receiving input on a range of governmental, environmental, housing, and small business priorities.
The Climate Ready Oak Park technical planning process included the following elements.
a) Auditing and updating the Oak Park community greenhouse gas inventories from 2017 through 2020. The primary drivers of community emissions are residential and commercial building energy use and transportation.
b) Preparing the Oak Park municipal greenhouse gas inventory for 2020. Municipal operations account for less than 2% of total emissions generated by the community of Oak Park.
c) Developing a forecast of future greenhouse gas emissions through 2050 under a “business as usual” scenario, which assumes no changes to current practices. The forecast projects a relatively small increase in emissions under a business-as-usual scenario.
d) Reviewing the Oak Park science-based greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets for the years 2030 and 2050. The interim target is a 60.3% decrease in emissions by 2030 (relative to 2019 emissions). The 2050 target is net-zero emissions.
e) Conducting a geospatial climate and social vulnerability analysis. The climate hazard assessment evaluated 1) Tree Canopy, 2) Impervious Surface, 3) Flood Risk, 4) Traffic Volume, Injuries, and Community-Reported Hazards, and 5) Air Pollution. The social vulnerability assessment evaluated many socioeconomic conditions, including 1) Income, 2) Disability, 3) Race/Ethnicity, and 4) Age. A racial equity analysis further analyzed potential income disparities and enclaves for people of color. The maps indicate that environmental and socioeconomic conditions are not equally distributed across the community.
f) Drafting and revising impact areas, goals, and actions in response to community engagement and technical planning findings, to support climate mitigation, climate resilience, and sustainability outcomes. The impact areas are 1) Energy Use in Buildings & Housing, 2) Transportation, 3) Extreme Weather & Resiliency, 4) Community Health & Environmental Quality, 5) Sustainable Economic Development, 6) Healthy & Sustainable Food, 7) Waste Reduction, and 8) Parks, Plants & Biodiversity. Buildings and Transportation are the primary impact areas meeting the climate action commitments. Parks, Plants, and Biodiversity is the primary impact area for meeting the enhanced land management commitment. Extreme Weather is the primary impact area for meeting the commitment to direct resources to the most impacted community members.
g) Developing emissions reduction scenarios to reach the interim 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and net-zero emissions neutrality by 2050. Scenarios were prepared for the Building and Transportation impact areas. While current technology may not allow for absolute zero emissions, carbon neutrality (defined as net-zero emissions) is likely achievable through the inclusion of nature-based carbon removal strategies that absorb carbon back into the soil.
h) Preparing budgetary estimates for community-wide plan implementation, and identifying potential funding and financing strategies. The Climate Plan team also coordinated with Village staff to develop budgetary estimates for short-term actions to be implemented directly by the Village.
i) Drafting the final plan document, including recommendations for the lead responsible party, action priority, timeline, cost range, and lead implementer.
Alternatives
• Seek additional information from staff.
Previous Board Action
• On October 19, 2020, the Village Board received a report on the Greenhouse Gas Inventory update (ID 20-284).
• On February 8, 2021, the Village Board discussed staff recommendations for a community engagement process to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Resiliency Plan aligned with the ICLEI ClearPath platform (ID 21-74).
• On March 22, 2021, the Village Board approved a motion for the use of sustainability funds and directed staff to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultant services for the preparation of a sustainability and climate action plan (MOT 21-45).
• On April 19, 2021, the Village Board approved a budget amendment for this project. (ORD 21-36)
• On June 28, 2021, the Village Board received a staff report of the 2021 Sustainability Initiatives, including the RFP for Comprehensive Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resiliency Plan (S/CARP) consultant services (ID 21-171).
• On September 20, 2021, the Village Board approved a motion to select GRAEF to perform the Village’s S/CARP consulting services (MOT 21-89).
• On October 18, 2021, the Village Board approved a resolution to approve a professional services agreement with GRAEF and authorize its execution (RES 21-250).
• On December 6, 2021, the Village Board approved a resolution to approve a first amendment to the professional services agreement with GRAEF and authorize its execution (RES 21-323).
• On February 28, 2022, the Village Board received a report providing the draft results of the 2020 Greenhouse Gas Inventory for the Village of Oak Park. (ID 22-65).
• On May 9, 2022, the Village Board received a report providing the draft impact areas, goals, and actions of the Draft 2022 Comprehensive Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resiliency Plan for the Village of Oak Park (ID-22-136).
Citizen Advisory Commission Action
• On August 24, 2021, the Environment and Energy Commission received a report from staff concerning the bid selection process for the Comprehensive Sustainability and Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (“Oak Park Climate Plan”) consultant and provided feedback.
• Beginning in October 2021, the Environment and Energy Commission has received monthly written updates tracking the Climate Plan project progress.
• On October 5, 2021, the Environment and Energy Commission received a presentation from GRAEF concerning the draft scope of work and provided feedback during a facilitated discussion.
• In November 2021, Staff solicited and integrated feedback from the Environment and Energy Commission and Community Relations Commission regarding the community engagement process and deliverables.
• On January 12, 2022, the Environment and Energy Commission discussed the role of commissioners as Climate Plan Ambassadors, in support of the community engagement process.
• On February 8, 2022, the Environment and Energy Commission received a presentation from ERG concerning the draft community greenhouse gas inventory and provided feedback.
• On March 8, 2022, the Environment and Energy Commission received a presentation concerning the update to the draft community greenhouse gas inventory. The EEC also discussed options to support the Climate Plan outreach efforts.
• On April 5, 2022, the Environmental and Energy Commission participated in a facilitated discussion to provide input on the Climate Plan.
• On April 7, 2022, the Plan Commission participated in a facilitated discussion to provide input on the Climate Plan.
• On April 12, 2022, the Transportation Commission participated in a facilitated discussion to provide input on the Climate Plan.
• On April 13, 2022, members of the Historic Preservation Commission participated in a facilitated discussion to provide input on the Climate Plan.
• On April 20, 2022, members of the Civic Information Systems Commission provided input on the Climate Plan.
• On May 3, 2022, members of the Environment & Energy, Building Codes, Civic Information, Community Relations, Plan, and Transportation commissions provided feedback on the draft plan goals and actions (no quorums were present).
• On May 12, 2022, members of the Environment & Energy, Ageing In Place, Health, Citizens Involvement, Disability Access, Plan, Building Codes, and Farmers Market commissions provided feedback on the draft plan goals and actions (no quorums were present).
• On June 14, 2022, the Environment and Energy Commission received a presentation from GRAEF concerning the second draft of the plan and vulnerability assessment.
Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments
Provide feedback to the Climate Plan team on the final draft plan. Direct staff to finalize the 2022 Oak Park Comprehensive Sustainability, Climate Action, and Resiliency Plan, Climate Ready Oak Park, and deliver the final plan for adoption by the Board.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities
The Plan will be implemented through a community-wide effort that includes the intergovernmental partners.