Saturday, August 15, 2009
Update on Process
The City and County P&Zs are begging their work on Managing Growth and Economic Sustainability. Stay tuned to our website, www.aspencommunityvision.com, for more details on meetings and discussions.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Revised Environmental Quality Goal Statements and Action Items
There are 9 Revised Goal Statements for the Environmental Quality Chapter. Each Goal has a series of Action Items associated with it. This post lists all the goals. The posts below it include each Goal and it's associated Action Items. The Goals are numbered, and the Action Items are lettered.
1. Overall: The Aspen Area will be a state, national, and global leader in environmental quality. This includes investing in renewable energy production and influencing national policy to reduce emissions.
2. Overall: The City and County should provide continued public education and awareness on environmental quality efforts and issues in the Aspen Area.
3. Stormwater: Reduce the amount of urban pollutants in the Roaring Fork River.
4. Water: Ensure consistent water levels (minimum stream flows) in the Roaring Fork River.
5. Recycling: Reduce the amount of waste produced in the Aspen Area.
6. Air: Improve the overall air quality in the Aspen Area.
7. Development: Ensure the Aspen Area has environmentally responsible development.
8. Energy: Reduce the carbon footprint of the Aspen Area.
9. Weed Management: Ensure proper resource management on all land in the Aspen Area.
1. Overall: The Aspen Area will be a state, national, and global leader in environmental quality. This includes investing in renewable energy production and influencing national policy to reduce emissions.
2. Overall: The City and County should provide continued public education and awareness on environmental quality efforts and issues in the Aspen Area.
3. Stormwater: Reduce the amount of urban pollutants in the Roaring Fork River.
4. Water: Ensure consistent water levels (minimum stream flows) in the Roaring Fork River.
5. Recycling: Reduce the amount of waste produced in the Aspen Area.
6. Air: Improve the overall air quality in the Aspen Area.
7. Development: Ensure the Aspen Area has environmentally responsible development.
8. Energy: Reduce the carbon footprint of the Aspen Area.
9. Weed Management: Ensure proper resource management on all land in the Aspen Area.
Environmental Quality - Goals 1 & 2 with Action Items
1.Overall: The Aspen Area will be a state, national, and global leader in environmental quality. This includes investing in renewable energy production and influencing national policy to reduce emissions.
a.The City and County should demonstrate leadership in the area of environmental stewardship through improvements and/or retrofitting existing public buildings with renewable energy sources, efficiency improvements, and stormwater best management practices.
b. The City and County should influence other energy providers in the area to provide more renewable energy instead of coal powered energy.
c. Pursue collaboration among governments, businesses and non-profits that enable the Aspen Area to become a center for innovation in green design, energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies and national environmental policies.
d. The City and County should adopt and refine a strategic plan(s) related to Environmental Quality. The strategic plan should address ways to improve water quality and quantity, minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff in the Roaring Fork River, improve air quality, minimize the carbon footprint of the Aspen Area, and ensure all development in the Aspen Area is done as environmentally friendly as possible.
2.Overall: The City and County should provide continued public education and awareness on environmental quality efforts and issues in the Aspen Area.
a.The City and County should demonstrate leadership in the area of environmental stewardship through improvements and/or retrofitting existing public buildings with renewable energy sources, efficiency improvements, and stormwater best management practices.
b. The City and County should influence other energy providers in the area to provide more renewable energy instead of coal powered energy.
c. Pursue collaboration among governments, businesses and non-profits that enable the Aspen Area to become a center for innovation in green design, energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies and national environmental policies.
d. The City and County should adopt and refine a strategic plan(s) related to Environmental Quality. The strategic plan should address ways to improve water quality and quantity, minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff in the Roaring Fork River, improve air quality, minimize the carbon footprint of the Aspen Area, and ensure all development in the Aspen Area is done as environmentally friendly as possible.
2.Overall: The City and County should provide continued public education and awareness on environmental quality efforts and issues in the Aspen Area.
Environmental Quality - Goal 3 with Action Items
3. Stormwater: Reduce the amount of urban pollutants in the Roaring Fork River.
a. Conduct master planning of the City’s subwatersheds and install regional stormwater treatment facilities to capture and treat runoff, beginning with the most heavily developed areas.
b. Consider the environmental impacts of impervious areas and create standards or incentives for reducing impervious areas in the Aspen Area.
c. Reduce runoff from impervious areas
d. Treat runoff before it enters the Roaring Fork River
e. Reduce the number of pollutants/potential for pollutants in the river.
f. Amend the City and County Land Use Codes to ensure proper site drainage for all development.
a. Conduct master planning of the City’s subwatersheds and install regional stormwater treatment facilities to capture and treat runoff, beginning with the most heavily developed areas.
b. Consider the environmental impacts of impervious areas and create standards or incentives for reducing impervious areas in the Aspen Area.
c. Reduce runoff from impervious areas
d. Treat runoff before it enters the Roaring Fork River
e. Reduce the number of pollutants/potential for pollutants in the river.
f. Amend the City and County Land Use Codes to ensure proper site drainage for all development.
Environmental Quality - Goal 4 with Action Items
4. Water: Ensure consistent water levels (minimum stream flows) in the Roaring Fork River.
a. Develop a reliable methodology for dedication of water rights for instream flow purposes.
b. Increase mitigation efforts to offset the detrimental effects of river diversions for that stretch of the Roaring Fork River between Stillwater and the confluence with Maroon Creek.
c. Improve the water quality of the Roaring Fork River as it is impacted by various return flows and storm drainage systems throughout the Aspen Area.
a. Develop a reliable methodology for dedication of water rights for instream flow purposes.
b. Increase mitigation efforts to offset the detrimental effects of river diversions for that stretch of the Roaring Fork River between Stillwater and the confluence with Maroon Creek.
c. Improve the water quality of the Roaring Fork River as it is impacted by various return flows and storm drainage systems throughout the Aspen Area.
Environmental Quality - Goal 5 with Action Items
5. Recycling: Reduce the amount of waste produced in the Aspen Area.
a. Increase the amount of recycling and effectiveness of recycling, including diverting most construction and organic waste from the landfill.
b. Implement programs to significantly increase recycling and reduce waste. Aspen’s recycling rate should meet or exceed the national average because all businesses and residents will recycle whenever possible. All residents and businesses should have recycling pick up of at least the 4 basic commodities (office paper, comingled, magazines/newspaper, and cardboard) and use this service.
c. Ensure adequate facilities exist in the City and County to accommodate increased recycling.
d. The City and County should collaborate to develop system for food waste pick up and a permanent food waste compost operation at the landfill.
e. All events in the Aspen Area should meet the zero waste and low impact requirements established by the ZGreen Program.
a. Increase the amount of recycling and effectiveness of recycling, including diverting most construction and organic waste from the landfill.
b. Implement programs to significantly increase recycling and reduce waste. Aspen’s recycling rate should meet or exceed the national average because all businesses and residents will recycle whenever possible. All residents and businesses should have recycling pick up of at least the 4 basic commodities (office paper, comingled, magazines/newspaper, and cardboard) and use this service.
c. Ensure adequate facilities exist in the City and County to accommodate increased recycling.
d. The City and County should collaborate to develop system for food waste pick up and a permanent food waste compost operation at the landfill.
e. All events in the Aspen Area should meet the zero waste and low impact requirements established by the ZGreen Program.
Environmental Quality - Goal 6 with Action Items
6. Air: Improve the overall air quality in the Aspen Area.
a. Improve air quality such that there is no wintertime brown cloud, no PM-10 levels over 50, and 98% of days have PM-10 levels below 35.
b. Begin addressing ozone levels in the Aspen Area, including improving tracking of ozone levels.
c. Improve public education and awareness of toxic pollutants, such as pesticides, so their use will be decreased.
a. Improve air quality such that there is no wintertime brown cloud, no PM-10 levels over 50, and 98% of days have PM-10 levels below 35.
b. Begin addressing ozone levels in the Aspen Area, including improving tracking of ozone levels.
c. Improve public education and awareness of toxic pollutants, such as pesticides, so their use will be decreased.
Environmental Quality - Goal 7 with Action Items
7. Development: Ensure the Aspen Area has environmentally responsible development.
a. Require all construction in the Aspen Area go through an “environmental review” prior to receiving a building permit. Create minimum environmental standards that apply to all development in the Aspen area.
b. Expand the residential and commercial REMP programs to cover all development, including inside and outside structures.
c. Coordinate the Land Use and Building Codes to allow and encourage the use of on-site renewable energy systems, like photovoltaics.
d. Explore the idea of reducing the ability to pay a fee (cash-in-lieu) instead of providing on-site mitigation for environmental requirements.
e. Require the deconstruction of buildings, rather than the demolition of buildings in order to increase the amount of construction and development materials that are recycled.
f. Explore opportunities to create incentives in the building process for using the Pitkin County landfill. This could include giving discounted access to the Pitkin County Landfill, coordinating landfill/building permit fees when a building is deconstructed instead of demolished, or prioritizing building permit review based on the amount of construction and development waste that is recycled.
g. Explore opportunities in the state to recycle construction and development waste that cannot be accommodated at the Pitkin County landfill, including the possibility to recycling sheet rock at the plant in Gypsum.
a. Require all construction in the Aspen Area go through an “environmental review” prior to receiving a building permit. Create minimum environmental standards that apply to all development in the Aspen area.
b. Expand the residential and commercial REMP programs to cover all development, including inside and outside structures.
c. Coordinate the Land Use and Building Codes to allow and encourage the use of on-site renewable energy systems, like photovoltaics.
d. Explore the idea of reducing the ability to pay a fee (cash-in-lieu) instead of providing on-site mitigation for environmental requirements.
e. Require the deconstruction of buildings, rather than the demolition of buildings in order to increase the amount of construction and development materials that are recycled.
f. Explore opportunities to create incentives in the building process for using the Pitkin County landfill. This could include giving discounted access to the Pitkin County Landfill, coordinating landfill/building permit fees when a building is deconstructed instead of demolished, or prioritizing building permit review based on the amount of construction and development waste that is recycled.
g. Explore opportunities in the state to recycle construction and development waste that cannot be accommodated at the Pitkin County landfill, including the possibility to recycling sheet rock at the plant in Gypsum.
Environmental Quality - Goal 8 with Action Items
8. Energy: Reduce the carbon footprint of the Aspen Area.
a. Energy from the City Utility will be from 100% renewable sources.
b. Reduce the community-wide carbon footprint by 30% from 2004 levels through increased use of renewable energy combined with energy efficiency in the public and private sectors.
c. Reduce electricity and natural gas usage in the urban growth boundary by 15% from 2004 levels.
d. The City and County will provide Aspen area residents (full and part-time) with voluntary ways to reduce their personal carbon footprints by 30% from 2004 levels.
e. Explore reducing energy use in our existing building stock by creating a “Clean Energy Financing District” that would allow government bonding of residential and commercial energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This “loan” would be attached to the building’s property tax assessment to be paid back over time.
f. Explore the creation of a “Construction Carbon Mitigation Program” to address the energy impacts from the construction and operation of new buildings within the Aspen Area.
a. Energy from the City Utility will be from 100% renewable sources.
b. Reduce the community-wide carbon footprint by 30% from 2004 levels through increased use of renewable energy combined with energy efficiency in the public and private sectors.
c. Reduce electricity and natural gas usage in the urban growth boundary by 15% from 2004 levels.
d. The City and County will provide Aspen area residents (full and part-time) with voluntary ways to reduce their personal carbon footprints by 30% from 2004 levels.
e. Explore reducing energy use in our existing building stock by creating a “Clean Energy Financing District” that would allow government bonding of residential and commercial energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This “loan” would be attached to the building’s property tax assessment to be paid back over time.
f. Explore the creation of a “Construction Carbon Mitigation Program” to address the energy impacts from the construction and operation of new buildings within the Aspen Area.
Environmental Quality - Goal 9 with Action Items
9. Weed Management: Ensure proper resource management on all land in the Aspen Area.
a. Educate the public on specific techniques to limit the spread of invasive noxious weed species.
b. Explore opportunities to partner with other governments, business, educational facilities, and non-profits in the Roaring Fork Valley to address proper resource management.
c. Continue policies that enable partnerships and cost sharing between government and property owners.
a. Educate the public on specific techniques to limit the spread of invasive noxious weed species.
b. Explore opportunities to partner with other governments, business, educational facilities, and non-profits in the Roaring Fork Valley to address proper resource management.
c. Continue policies that enable partnerships and cost sharing between government and property owners.
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