Topic: Water and Wastewater

Civic building or office

Civic Building Retrofit

Building efficiency retrofit programs have been successfully undertaken by many local governments. Unlike most capital projects, energy efficiency upgrades for buildings provide an economic return through energy savings. They can therefore be viewed as investments opportunities, rather than simply expenditures.

A civic building energy retrofit can:

  • Reduce energy consumption and associated utility costs of the existing building portfolio
  • Be cost-neutral
  • Reduce emissions resulting from existing buildings, improving the carbon neutral status of local government operations
  • Improve working conditions and productivity for employees

Process to guide retrofits

Typical steps in civic building energy retrofits include:

  1. Establish policy and commitment, such as a Civic Green Building Policy
  2. Conduct an energy audit and opportunity assessment – usually done by a specialized energy consultant or engineering firm
  3. Prioritize actions and study feasibility of opportunities further where necessary
  4. Make decisions on investments and financing
  5. Design
  6. Tender
  7. Construction and commissioning
  8. Monitor results and report

The above steps are not necessarily done in sequence. Though there are advantages to comprehensive retrofits, individual buildings can also be selectively retrofitted – this can be a “quick start”, especially for small communities. For example, an older municipal hall can be upgraded with ENERGY STAR windows, better insulation and efficient heating and ventilation systems, improving efficiency and the working environment.

Retrofits will generally involve measures like efficient lighting, control systems, high efficiency mechanical (HVAC) systems, high performance windows, and water-efficient fixtures and appliances. These measures should be complemented with low-cost measures like improving building operating procedures and educating building users.

The right set of measures will be different for every building, as they will vary by type, age and condition of building, climate, and other factors. These are determined during the process steps 2-5 outlined above and driven by investment criteria.

Investment Criteria

Energy efficiency projects can be viewed as investments, as they provide a monetary return through energy savings. Financial analyses should therefore be appropriate for this type of investment.

Energy projects are often assessed solely in terms of simple payback, with short paybacks (e.g., 7 years) required. While this method is straightforward to calculate, it does not reflect the true long-term value of the project. Utilizing a more sophisticated method such as Net Present Value (NPV) or Internal Rate of Return, over a full life cycle such as 15 or 20 years, more accurately reflects the benefit of the investment. A positive NPV using life-cycle costing may therefore be considered as a primary investment criterion.

Implementation and Financing

A retrofit project may be managed and implemented internally, or via an Energy Services Company (ESCO) – this is called energy performance contracting. Energy performance contracts are turnkey projects, where the ESCO guarantees the upfront cost as well as future energy savings, minimizing risk to the local government. Costs of the initial energy studies, as well as a markup on services such as design and project management, are rolled into the overall project cost.

In some cases, an ESCO can also provide financing. However, local governments can usually arrange financing through the Municipal Financing Authority at much more favourable rates. In any case, the contracts are created such that the energy savings will cover all financing costs, so that there is no net cost to the local government.

Energy Efficiency and Buildings – A Resource for BC’s Local Governments, produced by Fraser Basin Council in association with Community Energy Association, provides further guidance on civic building retrofits as well as other building efficiency measures.

Examples

Examples of ways local governments have retrofitted civic buildings include:

  • Incorporating biomass energy boilers as primary heating sources
  • Re-insulating roofs
  • Installing energy efficient windows and doors
  • Renewing weather stripping
  • Installing solar arrays to heat pools
  • Replacement of dated HVAC systems
A Guide to Green Choices

A Guide to Green Choices: Ideas and Practical Advice for Land Use Decisions in British Columbia Communities

A Guide to Green Choices provides practical advice and ideas for local governments making land use decisions. The guide is meant to assist communities of all types (large, small, rural, resort-based, urban, etc.) and maximize both creativity and adaptability to varied scales, specific contexts, and changing on-the-ground conditions. It provides ideas and guidance across seven key issues that or common themes in planning growth and land use: green settlement patterns, protecting natural features, integrating settlements with nature, community economy, transportation choices, social inclusion, and food supply.

Partners for Climate Protection

The Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program is a network of more than 160 Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gases and acting on climate change.

PCP is a partnership between the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. It is the Canadian component of the international Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program. PCP receives financial support from FCM’s Green Municipal Fund (GMF), which is managed by the FCM Centre for Sustainable Community Development.

PCP offers:

  • A plan: PCP’s five-milestone framework is a proven municipal strategy to cut GHGs.
  • Resources: PCP members have access to useful resources and information, including case studies, templates, technical assistance and newsletters.
  • Networking: PCP offers valuable opportunities to share experiences with more than 150 participating municipalities, and with an international network of municipal governments.

Eligibility/Deadline:

  • Canadian municipal governments.
  • Join through a resolution at council.

Integrated Community Sustainability Planning

Apply Sustainability Principles in your Community

An Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP) is any existing or new long-term plan, developed in consultation with community members, to help the community realize sustainability objectives within environmental, cultural, social and economic dimensions of its identity.

Background

Integrated Community Sustainability Planning is a provincial initiative which originated from the 2005 Federal/Provincial/UBCM Federal Gas Tax Agreement (GTA). It ties in very closely with provincial interests to address climate change and encourage the development of healthier, less costly and more sustainable communities. The ICSP Initiative goes well beyond the funding opportunities of the GTA. It promotes the development of partnerships within government and beyond to support the growth of community sustainability planning throughout the province over the long-term.

ICSP encourages communities to take a fresh look at their future and find ways to become more sustainable. With ICSP, communities can envision, plan and implement actions to secure their long-term well-being. ICSP builds on existing planning tools. It could be applying sustainability principles to a whole new plan, or to the type of planning a community already has. It provides a framework that helps communities plan for their own needs while ensuring that the needs of future generations are also met.

Principles

Many communities in and beyond BC have identified a vision for sustainability and are engaging in ICSP processes. These innovative planning approaches emphasize:

Long-term thinking – planning and/or plans are future oriented to enhance community sustainability (e.g. communities address the need to become resilient in the face of changing circumstances).

Broad in scope– planning or plans consider the communities’ economic environmental, social and/or cultural sustainability.

Integration – planning processes or plans reflect a co-ordinated approach to enhance community sustainability through linkages between different types of plans or planning activities.

Collaboration – planning processes engage community members and other partners to support community sustainability (e.g. First Nations, neighbouring communities, NGOs, private sector, other levels of government).

Public engagement and education – designing processes that enhance public input into planning processes.

Implementation – keeping plans off the shelf and putting them into action

Monitoring and evaluation – setting targets and tracking results to celebrate progress and focus efforts on areas that need the most improvement.

Concept

The following describes how the Ministry of Community & Rural Development’s (MCD) ICSP initiative is a long-term plan to support community sustainability.

The inner circle of Figure 1 identifies the various components of community sustainability as well as the processes local governments are encouraged to engage in. The outer circle recognizes what others can do (e.g. provincial and federal governments, and the private sector) to support local governments with their ICSP processes.

At the heart of community sustainability are sustainability principles that recognize the need to balance social, environmental, economic, and cultural interests. These are closely connected to:

  • Integrating plans (e.g. linking land use designations to the impact on water supply and transportation)
  • Aligning internal operations to ensure that the local government itself is a leader in sustainability (e.g. the local government operation embraces sustainability principles to guide its policies, regulations, purchasing practices and internal programs).
  • Engaging with community partners and citizens to reinforce sustainability goals (e.g. harnessing the synergies of other programs such as BC Healthy Communities Initiative, the Mountain Pine Beetle Program, Community Action on Energy Efficiency and the Real Estate Foundation’s Communities in Transition program).

ICSP extends to implementation. It challenges communities to ensure that sustainability principles are carried forward into identified strategies and actions. Measuring and monitoring these actions is one further step in the implementation actions.

The outer ring in Figure 1 identifies the actions that need to be taken at levels beyond local governments. It recognizes the need for leadership and vision from senior governments, for collaboration within and between governments and the private sector, and for support for the development of capacity-building tools.

Community Examples

For a comprehensive list of sustainability plan examples from across BC visit FBC’s Smart Planning for Communities page (in the Resources ‘e-binder’ section) and Canadian Sustainability Plan Inventory website.

The ICSP Process

Integrated Community Sustainability Planning can involve a continuum of three phases; Assessment, Core Planning and Implementation.

Assessment/Preparing

The Assessment/Preparing phase can involve a number of different activities from education of the community, staff and local government elected officials to assessment of planning capacity and what is needed to move ahead with ICSP. An ICSP community assessment enables local governments to develop a sense of where they are with current planning and what their capacity is to move forward with ICSP. It allows them to determine their gaps and where they need to start in order to move ahead.

Some communities might start by educating staff and council about sustainability; others might determine ways to ensure their planning processes are more integrated. MCRD has designed a template to help local governments to identify where to begin in this first phase. GTA funding up to $5000 is available to do a community assessment.

Consult the Capacity-Building and ICSP program guide on the UBCM website for information on how to apply for community assessment funding.

Core Planning

The Core Planning phase can be approached two ways: develop a sustainability plan OR apply sustainability thinking /principles to existing plans and policy documents. For several examples of processes and plans visit the Smart Planning E-Binder.

Implementation

The Implementation phase moves plans into action and ensures that plans and actions remain fresh and relevant over time. Beyond the application of a sustainability planning “lens,” local governments are demonstrating that current decision-making frameworks and/or administrative processes may need to be revised to ensure successful implementation of new approaches. Improved governance is one. A number of communities in BC are developing Sustainability Checklists, measures and indicators to help guide decision-making.

Smart Planning for Communities

Smart Planning for Communities (SPC), a program of the Fraser Basin Council, is a BC- wide, collaborative initiative providing resources and tools to local and First Nations governments for planning socially, culturally, economically and environmentally sustainable communities.

Contact us for further information.

Civic building or office

Civic Green Buildings Policy

Leading the Way with Green Civic Buildings

A Civic Green Building Policy embodies a commitment by the local government to constructing all new civic facilities to a certain level of performance or standard. It may also include criteria for undertaking retrofits of existing civic buildings.

A Green Building Policy can address building energy and emissions performance, and can also demonstrate the local government’s commitment to sustainability, and provide leadership and guidance to encourage the application of green building practices in private sector development.

Community Examples

  • Regional District of Nanaimo green building policy features an Integrated Design Process (IDP) as the foundation for all new RDN construction and major renovations.
  • City of Coquitlam Building GHG Reduction Approach: A total of 39 energy conservation measures have been implemented since 2008, reducing building GHG emissions by 899 tonnes or approximately 13% of total corporate emissions, while simultaneously reducing energy costs by $175,000 annually.
  • City of North Vancouver: Energy Efficient Buildings Initiative was created as a comprehensive effort to encourage more energy efficient buildings throughout the City of North Vancouver and includes policies and programs for both new and existing buildings.

Implementing a Civic Green Building Policy

A Civic Green Building Policy puts in place requirements and targets that ensure new civic buildings will result in reduced energy consumption and emissions, and will be consistent with the community’s overall sustainability, climate and energy goals. It may also address energy and emissions upgrades for existing buildings.

In addition to energy efficiency, green buildings also provide benefits in terms of improved indoor environments (such as daylighting and air quality), and reduced environmental impacts such as water consumption and materials use. These benefits can potentially lead to improved employee productivity and reduced sick days.

As green building knowledge has progressed, the incremental costs to meet green building objectives have decreased. In many cases, green and/or energy efficient design can be achieved for minimal incremental cost, and can potentially reduce the building’s life cycle cost.

A green building policy can draw attention to and encourage sustainable construction practices and maximize opportunities for investing in features that can have a net economic benefit using a full cost accounting approach.

New buildings

A Green Building Policy for new buildings may include:

  • Building location considerations – for example, within the town centre to maximize access to the public that the building will serve, and transit services.
  • Energy performance targets, over and above minimum building code requirements – for example, X% better than ASHRAE 90.1
  • A requirement for certification or equivalent with a green building standard such as LEED® (LEED includes a minimum energy performance requirement)
  • Emissions performance and/or renewable energy targets
  • A commitment to life cycle costing analysis
  • Economic performance targets, such as a minimum return on investment using life cycle costing
  • Considerations for locating new buildings – for example, near employee residences, the public that the building will serve, and transit services – see building location guidelines for more information.

Existing buildings

For existing buildings, the policy may include:

  • A commitment to undertake building retrofits, or continue doing so
  • Criteria for determining whether an energy efficiency investment should be made, possibly linked to economic performance targets and/or building performance targets
  • A requirement for retrofit certification to meet LEED (e.g. LEED for Existing Buildings)

A civic Green Building Policy may also be included within a broader green building policy that addresses community buildings. However, the policy content for community buildings would typically focus on encouragement and incentives for the private sector, rather than requirements.

Additional Resources:

Recycling & Waste Reduction

Managing Resources for Reduced Emissions

Recycling of “waste” resources, complementing waste reduction, not only conserves valuable landfill space, but can significantly reduce overall solid waste-related emissions, e.g. emissions generated from raw materials processing, manufacturing, hauling of waste, and potentially from incineration.

Waste as an Emissions Source
Waste reduction and recycling can reduce solid waste greenhouse gas emissions by both lowering the demand for new materials and products (referred to as “upstream impacts”) and by minimizing “downstream impacts” such as transporting waste over long distances and disposing of it in landfills.

Upstream Emissions

When materials such as metals and plastics are discarded rather than recycled, new materials must be used to make replacement products. The energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions related to producing new materials is usually higher than that of recycled or recovered materials.

Downstream Emissions

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) increased their solid waste diversion rate from 45% in 1998 to 57% in 2003.

Downstream emissions include emissions resulting from managing the waste materials, such as from hauling waste, and methane emissions from landfills. As landfills close and new locations become more difficult to find, transportation-related emissions are intensifying from increased hauling distances. However, landfill emissions, due primarily to methane production from organic materials, are typically much larger than hauling related emissions. Organics management is a key action to address these landfill emissions.

Local Government Role

Regional District of North Okanagan has upgraded recycling services at the Greater Vernon Landfill, increasing the amount of solid waste diverted from the landfill. / UBCM.
Regional District of North Okanagan has upgraded recycling services at the Greater Vernon Landfill, increasing the amount of solid waste diverted from the landfill. / UBCM.

Most local governments provide waste management services, such as waste collection, transportation, and landfill management. Often, solid waste management involves partnerships with private businesses, including haulers and materials processers. Whether services are delivered by government operations or by private business, waste reduction and recycling has the potential to address emissions associated with these services.

The Carbon Neutral framework for local government operations will not likely take into account upstream emissions reductions associated with solid waste, nor downstream landfill emission reductions. There may be some potential for local governments to reduce vehicle fleet emissions for hauling, depending on the location of materials processing facilities.

Although reducing waste and diverting materials from the landfill for recovery is dependent on public behaviour patterns, local governments can play a key role in shaping waste reduction and diversion through the provision of services and policies.

Community Examples

Salmon Arm Landfill Gas Capture Project
Ladysmith Curbside organic collection
Hartland Landfill Gas Utilization

Local Governments and Organics Management

In BC, many local governments, particularly regional districts, manage landfills. Many existing landfills are generating emissions from previously disposed waste; the proposed BC Landfill Gas Regulation aims to maximize reductions of landfill gas emissions and identify opportunities to increase landfill gas recovery and its beneficial use.

The Carbon Neutral framework for local governments currently does not recognize emissions reductions for landfills. However, these emissions are real and local governments can play a significant role in preventing useful organic resources from becoming potent emissions sources that cannot practically be recovered.

Actions

To facilitate organics diversion and resource recovery, local governments actions can include:

  • Set diversion and disposal targets for organic wastes – these may be part of resource management plans, zero waste strategies or other policies
  • Explore the opportunities for setting up community-scale/centralized organics collection and composting or other processing services
  • Work with private waste management services to provide collection and/or composting or processing services
  • Work with adjacent/regional governments to develop shared solutions
  • Promote and possibly subsidize backyard and apartment composting bins
  • Ban organic waste from the landfill, in conjunction with setting up alternate management services
  • Co-locate composting or other organics processing facilities with complementary facilities, such as wastewater treatment plants that produce biosolids

Low-Emissions Management Solutions

US EPA information indicates that there is a substantial reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions due to diverting readily degradable organic materials such as food trimmings to other methods such as composting, compared to landfilling.

Composting

Composting of organic materials is one of the solutions chosen by many governments and organizations to manage organic resources. There are a wide variety of methods and technologies available, many of which are relatively simple and require minimal energy input, others that are more intensive and mechanized, depending on site constraints and other factors. Compostable materials include:

  • Food trimmings
  • Yard and garden trimmings
  • Wood waste
  • Agricultural residues and manures
  • Paper
  • Wastewater biosolids
  • Different materials can be co-composted, potentially increasing the economic viability of composting operations.

All composting processes produce a useful, stable product that can be used to enhance soil quality and fertility, maintaining carbon storage in the soil and enhancing the ability of plants to sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

Other Management Methods

Other organics management and processing methods include anaerobic digestion (AD), which is suited to readily degradable organics such as food waste. AD produces biogas that can be used as a fuel source (typically for heating and power generation). Like composting, AD facilities can potentially handle multiple materials, including food waste, biosolids and manure. However, AD systems tend to be cost effective only at larger scales, due to the capital cost of equipment.

Less degradable organic materials such as wood waste can be co-composted with other materials such as food or biosolids, or can be potentially be processed into fuels using other technology such as gasification.

Other Considerations

Major considerations for organics collection and management include the potential for attracting wildlife and odour generation. These issues must be carefully considered in the design of programs and facilities.

Examples

The Regional District of Nanaimo has developed an Organics Diversion Strategy. Major initiatives include banning commercial organic waste from the regional landfill in 2005, and launching a residential food waste collection pilot program in 2007. Composting services are provided by International Composting Corporation.

The first municipality in B.C. to introduce universal residential curbside pick-up of organic waste, Ladysmith is dramatically reducing the amount of waste going into the landfill.

The District of Squamish, in partnership with Carney’s Waste Systems, provides organics composting services, and plans rollout of organics collection in 2009.

Organics Management

Keeping Organics Out of the Landfill 

Disposing of organic materials such as food waste in landfills results in production of methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas. In BC, waste management accounts for about 5% of the total greenhouse gas emissions [1]. It is also challenging to capture and utilize all of the methane that is generated in many landfills.

Managing organic materials that are traditionally part of the waste stream using other, low-emission methods is becoming a key part of waste management, or ideally resource management strategies for local governments. Not only does diverting organics from the landfill reduce methane emissions, it allows this valuable resource to be reclaimed for other beneficial uses.

Local Governments and Organics Management
In BC, many local governments, particularly regional districts, manage landfills. Many existing landfills are generating emissions from previously disposed waste; the proposed BC Landfill Gas Regulation aims to maximize reductions of landfill gas emissions and identify opportunities to increase landfill gas recovery and its beneficial use.

The Carbon Neutral framework for local governments currently does not recognize emissions reductions for landfills. However, these emissions are real and local governments can play a significant role in preventing useful organic resources from becoming potent emissions sources that cannot practically be recovered.

Actions

To facilitate organics diversion and resource recovery, local governments actions can include:

Set diversion and disposal targets for organic wastes – these may be part of resource management plans, zero waste strategies or other policies
Explore the opportunities for setting up community-scale/centralized organics collection and composting or other processing services
Work with private waste management services to provide collection and/or composting or processing services
Work with adjacent/regional governments to develop shared solutions
Promote and possibly subsidize backyard and apartment composting bins
Ban organic waste from the landfill, in conjunction with setting up alternate management services
Co-locate composting or other organics processing facilities with complementary facilities, such as wastewater treatment plants that produce biosolids
Low-Emissions Management Solutions
US EPA information indicates that there is a substantial reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions due to diverting readily degradable organic materials such as food trimmings to other methods such as composting, compared to landfilling.

Composting

I would argue that trying to build a more sustainable, carbon-neutral society without an aggressive approach to organics, would be like trying to get from one place to another by walking on a treadmill. Margo Reid Brown, Chair of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, Biocycle journal

Composting of organic materials is one of the solutions chosen by many governments and organizations to manage organic resources. There are a wide variety of methods and technologies available, many of which are relatively simple and require minimal energy input, others that are more intensive and mechanized, depending on site constraints and other factors. Compostable materials include:

Food trimmings
Yard and garden trimmings
Wood waste
Agricultural residues and manures
Paper
Wastewater biosolids
Different materials can be co-composted, potentially increasing the economic viability of composting operations.

All composting processes produce a useful, stable product that can be used to enhance soil quality and fertility, maintaining carbon storage in the soil and enhancing the ability of plants to sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

Other Management Methods

Other organics management and processing methods include anaerobic digestion (AD), which is suited to readily degradable organics such as food waste. AD produces biogas that can be used as a fuel source (typically for heating and power generation). Like composting, AD facilities can potentially handle multiple materials, including food waste, biosolids and manure. However, AD systems tend to be cost effective only at larger scales, due to the capital cost of equipment.

Less degradable organic materials such as wood waste can be co-composted with other materials such as food or biosolids, or can be potentially be processed into fuels using other technology such as gasification.

Other Considerations

Major considerations for organics collection and management include the potential for attracting wildlife and odour generation. These issues must be carefully considered in the design of programs and facilities.

Examples

The Regional District of Nanaimo has developed an Organics Diversion Strategy. Major initiatives include banning commercial organic waste from the regional landfill in 2005, and launching a residential food waste collection pilot program in 2007. Composting services are provided by International Composting Corporation.

The first municipality in B.C. to introduce universal residential curbside pick-up of organic waste, Ladysmith is dramatically reducing the amount of waste going into the landfill.

The District of Squamish, in partnership with Carney’s Waste Systems, provides organics composting services, and plans rollout of organics collection in 2009.

Green Infrastructure Policy

Policy for Low-Carbon Infrastructure

A set of clear objectives that address energy, emissions and broader sustainability issues is one step in a structured approach to addressing emissions due to infrastructure systems. These objectives are often not well established within local government policy and existing infrastructure design and engineering processes, and can be viewed as complementary to other, more established design criteria such as those for health and safety, quality, and reliability.

Solidifying Your Infrastructure Objectives

Hope reduced energy costs through the construction of a new water reservoir (prior to construction, they need to pump 200,000 gallons a day to maintain water quality in an open air reservoir).
Hope reduced energy costs through the construction of a new water reservoir (prior to construction, they need to pump 200,000 gallons a day to maintain water quality in an open air reservoir).

Infrastructure systems such as water supply, wastewater management and solid waste management are subject to many challenges, including aging equipment and systems and increasing construction and operation costs. However, strengthening the sustainability aspect within infrastructure planning and design can help to address these challenges, as well as reduce energy consumption and emissions.

Depending on the size and capabilities of a local government, infrastructure engineering is done in house and/or by consultants to varying degrees. All along that spectrum, it is important to establish sustainability and emissions objectives that will help to guide both staff and consultants in their design work.

Implementation of these considerations in local government policy is in relative infancy, compared to other initiatives such as green building policy. However, examples of potential policies include:

  • Official Community Plan: at a high level, sets directions for energy and resource usage that will influence infrastructure-related emissions.
  • Purchasing: purchasing policy may be updated to require Requests for Proposals and Terms of Reference for infrastructure projects to include sustainability requirements. For example: Vendors to supply information or analyses that indicate net energy and emissions performance of their equipment or design; Create baseline assumptions for suppliers, to allow “apples to apples” comparison – e.g. emissions factors, life cycle cost analysis methodology; Encourage approaches such as Integrated Resource Recovery (see Management Plans for Infrastructure and Resources)
  • Green/Sustainable Infrastructure Policy: A separate policy or strategy document could be created that embodies infrastructure objectives and possibly performance targets

Potential Objectives

Examples of potential objectives include:

  • Energy: minimize the net energy intensity of the system(s) when planning and designing new systems, upgrades or replacements. Intensities can be evaluated on a per-service-unit basis – for example, kWh/cubic metre of water supplied or wastewater treated.
  • Emissions: minimize the net greenhouse gas intensity, analogous to energy use, for example through reduced energy intensity and use of renewable energy sources.
  • Life cycle costs: minimize the net, long-term cost of service provision on a per-unit basis (e.g. $/cubic metre of water supplied or wastewater treated), considering all elements of the infrastructure systems, capital and operating costs, and potential revenues from sources such as waste heat.
  • Demand management: Develop Demand Side Management (DSM) strategies in parallel with any major infrastructure projects.
  • Materials: consider the energy and emissions intensity of construction materials.

Additional or modified objectives, and potentially performance targets such as emissions reductions, can be developed based on the specific context.

Zoning Bylaw

Using zoning bylaws for climate action

Zoning bylaws define how specific areas of land can be used. For example, land can be zoned for residential, commercial, industrial or recreational. Zoning bylaws can also specify the nature of these uses in more detail (eg. multi-family residential, mixed residential) and regulate characteristics such as lot size, placement, density and height of structures.

Zoning shapes smart land use by implementing sustainable land use policies set out in the Official Community Plan and Regional Growth Strategy. The rezoning process is a powerful tool local governments can use to take climate change action. Nearly all of British Columbia’s communities use zoning, although some exceptions do exist. Local government’s core zoning authority is set out in the Local Government Act.

Climate Action through Zoning

Zoning can play a strong role in developing a compact and complete community, to the extent that directly impacts GHG emission and energy use in the following ways:

  • Lower emissions from transportation: Zoning for concentrated development and mixed land uses means shorter distances among residents’ destinations – work, home, shop, play – that are accessible by walking, cycling and transit.
  • Lower emissions and lower energy requirements by buildings: Compact and connected built form uses less energy and facilitates alternative energy systems.
  • Creating incentives for green development: Zoning can include density bonuses which encourage good practices and design by using incentives.

In addition to direct climate benefits, co-benefits of zoning for complete and compact land use are:

  • Strengthened local economy
  • Convenient access to goods and services
  • Improved human health through reduced air pollution and more active transportation
  • Reduced infrastructure costs and lessened property tax burden
  • Increased housing choices that meet changing demographics and demand
  • Cut costs on rising energy expenditures

Learn more about land use and transportation.

Diverse Zoning Strategies for Diverse Communities

Approaches that can be combined for infusing a zoning bylaw with climate action strategies include:

  • A comprehensive review of the zoning bylaw with the goal of integrating regulations and incentives to support smart land use and buildings
  • Zoning bylaw amendments for high-priority strategies like more housing choice, transit-oriented development, protecting agricultural lands, and low carbon building features.
  • Incremental changes with the goal of advancing climate action objectives

More Housing Choice

Single detached housing comprises the single biggest infrastructure component of most BC communities.[1] New zoning classifications or changes to existing categories can broaden the permitted housing types in existing areas, maximizing the return on infrastructure investment while reducing emissions and energy use.

With a combination of strategies that includes infill housing, smaller lots, and secondary suites, benefits of compact communities can be realized, including viable local shops and improved transit service.

For example, bus service can generally be justified with a residential density of as low as 10 units per acre which translates to 50-by-120 foot residential lots with a duplex or secondary suite on 50 % of the lots, and single-family house on 50 % of the lots [2]. Frequent bus service can be supported with a mix of low-rise apartments, townhouses, and small-lot single-family.

Infill: More Housing Choices in Existing Single Family Areas
  • Identify locations where infill will improve the neighbourhood, e.g. front/back duplexes on ½ block can improve the look of both streets and make them safer with “eyes on the street”
  • In existing single-family areas, zone for medium-density housing where opportunities exist. For some ideas on how to build more support for infill, see A Guide to Green Choices.
  • Zone for ground-oriented dwellings with street entrances (e.g. duplex, triplex, fourplex, row house, townhouse) and ensure their design and character (see Development Permit Area Guidelines) is complementary, and retrofit the neighbourhood to be more compact.
  • To encourage infill, local governments can strategically pre-zone key sites to provide certainty for developers and catalyze infill, while also ensuring that amenities and infrastructure upgrades from new development will be secured.
Small Lot Zones
  • In areas that are contiguous to existing single family neighbourhoods and areas identified for infill, zone to permit lots that are smaller than standard single family lots. If desired, small lot zones can be created with incentives for building duplexes (instead of single family) and secondary suites to further increase density.
  • Smaller lots yield more units per hectare, and can lower costs for single family lots.
Secondary Suites

Many local governments support secondary suites, which comprise 34% of the BC rental stock. A secondary suite is additional to the principal dwelling unit on a lot. The suite is often allowed in the principal dwelling (e.g. single family, duplex, townhouse) and some local governments allow a suite to be located in an accessory building (Garden Suite, Granny Flat, or Coach House). Secondary suites are an opportunity to offer more housing choices in neighbourhoods, while maintaining “single-family” character. Typically, 20% of single-family homes in BC already have a suite, legal or not.

Considerations for crafting zoning to allow secondary suites include:

  • Zones in which secondary suites are allowed – single family, rural, townhouse, etc., and lot requirements (size, parking)
    Process to legalize existing suites
  • Maximum gross floor area and size of secondary suite, proportionate to the principal dwelling
    Density Bonus if a secondary suite is included in construction, e.g. exclude suite floor area from floor area ratio calculation
  • Utility fees that reflect a suite’s additional use of infrastructure
  • Management of perceived traffic and noise impacts, and management of suites

Creativity with Comprehensive Development Zones

Comprehensive development zones (CD zones) are ‘one of a kind’ zones, usually created when rezoning larger sites and a mix of proposed land uses that do not match up with existing zones. Climate action opportunities include:

  • Creative negotiation between the local government and developer to create a feasible development plan that meets local climate action objectives (e.g. neighbourhood parkland, access to waterfront, tree retention, innovative stormwater management, energy-efficient building forms and systems, and transit oriented development. Specific commitments for contributions can be secured with separate agreements connected to rezoning approval, inclusion in the CD zone, or density bonusing.
  • Detailed and unique zoning regulations (e.g. street pattern, land use) to shape development to its context; e.g. connect new development to active transportation routes and transit. [3]
  • Cluster development: Concentrate buildings and site disturbance on one part of the property, and leave a more environmentally sensitive remainder undisturbed or rehabilitated. A compact pattern creates a compact form to make active transportation routes and transit connections work, and may also increase opportunities for alternative energy and more efficient buildings. [3]
Zoning for Transit Oriented Development and Active Transportation Choices
  • Transit oriented development relies on coordination of transportation and land use planning. Zoning is a key tool:
    Neighbourhood scale: Zoning can increase density and mixed uses that facilitate transit and active transportation.
    Site-specific / block scale: Zoning can strengthen layout and design for transportation choices.
    Zoning for Transit Oriented Development in a Neighbourhood
    The objective is to link transportation and land use objectives by linking a concentration and mix of uses that generates vibrancy and viable transit service:
  • Zoning for neighbourhood commercial and downtown areas can allow complementary land uses on a single parcel and within a small area (office, retail and residential). Local governments can retain development finance experts to review and help to fine-tune zoning (and other complementary measures) so that transit oriented development is an attractive opportunity.
    Zone for uses that generate significant transit demand (e.g. concentrated employment, entertainment, apartments, schools) closest to available (or planned) high-quality transit service. More information on density requirements, and options for built form of densities.
    Along current and planned transit corridors, a careful mix of land uses generates transit demand in daytime and evening and creates a vibrant pedestrian environment.
    Strengthen transit oriented development and active transportation choices by not allowing automobile-oriented developments (e.g. drive-through restaurants, large-format retail, low density residential) along key transit corridors and in areas designated for higher density uses.
    See Smart Bylaws Guide, Part 3, ‘Compact Complete Communities’ – contains sample bylaws for Transit Oriented Development
Zoning to Encourage On-Site Transportation Choices

Enabling reduced on-site vehicle parking is critical to an enjoyable pedestrian environment, reduced construction costs, and reduced transportation demand.

  • Require and regulate bicycle parking on properties. See City of Portland Oregon’s bicycle standards.
  • Lot layout zoning regulations can result in less conflict between cars and pedestrians/cyclists. For example, limit the number of driveways that enter a property and require buildings to locate close to the front property line.
  • Require ground floor uses that create a vibrant street frontage (e.g. retail, restaurant) and building entrances along the sidewalk.

Zoning for Low Carbon Buildings

Zoning regulations can be tweaked to encourage energy efficient buildings to be built and retrofitted. A zoning bylaw with attention to smart buildings includes:

Floor area ratio exclusions
  • More highly energy efficient apparatus tend to occupy more space than the less efficient, so spaces occupied by heating and cooling apparatus from FSR are excluded.
  • Thick walls and shading devices provide insulation and save energy. These features are encouraged by excluding the width of exterior wall width from FSR calculations [4].
  • Ventilation shafts support improved air flow and provide internal light access.
Building setbacks, height restrictions
  • Minimal building setbacks where possible. Buildings setbacks may discourage the construction and retrofit of thicker and more energy efficient walls / cladding. Zero setbacks coupled with design guidelines encourage buildings with much more efficient shared walls.
  • Solar collectors allowed to project into setback areas [4].
  • Passive solar heating and natural ventilation features are not prohibited, and solar rooftop equipment is excluded from building height measurement [3].
  • In addition to zoning, a policy that encourages green building features, and anticipates variance applications for reduced setbacks that are justified by green building features [4].
Energy generation as a permitted use
  • Where wind power generation may be possible, zoning allows small scale wind generation in appropriate areas, e.g. rural residential.

Zoning to Protect Agricultural Lands

Strong local agricultural production and market means that less food for the community is shipped from away; the result is lower GHG emissions from transportation and greater self-reliance. Zoning can protect local agriculture with the following regulations:

  • Large lots and contiguous areas zoned for agriculture
  • If multiple uses are allowed, allow those that do not interfere with primary agriculture use and support those that complement and make primary uses more viable
  • Buffers and setbacks, especially where agricultural uses interface with non-agriculture uses

Leveraging the Rezoning Process

Local governments have considerable influence and opportunity for climate change action ‘wins’ through discretionary rezoning decision-making. Creative and proactive opportunities with rezoning include:

  • Density bonusing: Secure amenities that advance goals for developing a complete community and green buildings (e.g. public spaces, green building features) in exchange for a higher density of development.
  • Covenant opportunities: As a condition of approving a specified number of units or floor area ratio, require registration of a Section 219 covenant on title to guarantee green building performance features, requirements for alternative energy. [5]
  • Policies and Incentives to raise the bar for building performance: Bowen Island encourages all residential buildings to incorporate energy efficient and green building practices. Local governments can use Sustainability Checklists to rate and raise the bar on rezoning applications for triple bottom line criteria. Fast-track the processing of rezoning applications that meet climate action targets.
  • Local government initiated rezoning (“pre-zoning”): Local governments can rezone private properties to encourage new uses that are aligned with the OCP, and eventually phase out existing uses that are contrary to current local government goals. For example, a local government can rezone for medium density mixed-use infill.
  • Reduce development costs in central locations: Regulations that reduce costs in central locations, such as reduced parking requirements and relaxed setbacks, can encourage development and revitalization.

References

  1. Natural Resources Canada, 2004. Energy Use Data Handbook August 2006: Secondary Energy Use and GHG Emissions, Residential Sector
  2. Local Government Commission and Steve Tracy, 2003. Smart Growth Zoning Codes: A Resource Guide
  3. Community Energy Association, 2007. Energy Efficiency and Buildings. Community Action on Energy and Emissions
  4. Susan Rutherford, 2006. Green Buildings Guide. West Coast Environmental Law Foundation.
  5. Deborah Curran, 2004. Smart Bylaws Guide, West Coast Environmental Law.