Riverside General Plan Update Scope of Work P a g e | 43
CLIMATE ACTION AND ADAPTATION PLAN AND
PEIR
The Consultant understands that the City prepared the Restorative Growth Footprint (RGF) (including a Climate Action Plan) in 2016. The General Plan Update will entail updating several of the City’s existing General Plan elements, resulting in the need to develop an updated CAAP that accounts for new General Plan build -out, provides a pathway to carbon neutrality by 2040 , and creates a CEQA streamlining mechanism for future development and public works projects within the city. The CAAP will account for new policies stemming from the General Plan Update that are expected to expand the City’s housing capacity and implement mobility improvements. Updates to the Land Use and Circulation elements are expected to yield revised projected VMT estimates, which will result in new GHG emissions projections and reductions from transportation sources included in the current RGF.
GOALS OF THE TASK
• Implement the Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Plan goals related to climate change and those more refined policies within the Sustainability Framework (Task 4) • Update the City’s baseline (2007 and 2010) Emissions Inventories using the ClearPath program
• Conduct a citywide vulnerability assessment as part of the existing conditions tasks in order to inform land use, circulation, and facilities planning
• Develop “business as usual,” “legislative adjusted ,” and “mitigated” or “adjusted business as usual” GHG emissions projections for the City to account for the following: goals and policies of the General Plan Update; adopted federal and State legislative actions, and revised CAAP measures and updated VMT projections for the City
• Create new GHG emissions targets based on the State and City carbon neutrality target of 2040
• Develop GHG reduction measures, implementation mechanisms, and a monitoring program • Develop qualified CAAP and PEIR on which to base future CEQA documents, providing streamlining and eliminating the need for project -by-project analysis and ad -hoc mitigation.
TASK 1: PROJECT START-UP
Kick-Off Meetings will be conducted immediately after NTP with the GPU team, various City departments, and key stakeholders. This will include a coordination strategy for work efforts with the GPU team. Next, the Consultant will commence data collection and will request and review relevant plans, GIS files, maps, past inventory data, etc. Key issues will then be identified for the update, and the Consultant will vet the structure and organization for the CAAP document with staff and stakeholders. Together with the City and General Plan Team, the Consultant will develop a project schedule linking the CAAP’s key milestones to the GPU schedule , including CEQA timelines and outreach dates.
DELIVERABLES:
• Project Schedule
• Draft CAAP Outline
TASK 2: PAST PLAN AUDITS
The CAAP team will review the RGF, Green Action Plan, past GHG inventories, etc. in consultation with City staff of various departments to understand the extent of implementation , what has been done, where successes have occurred, and any shortcomings on past implementation. The Consultant understands the importance of interdepartmental coordination relative to CAAP implementation. The Consultant is aware that CAAP implementation may be decentralized and may involve numerous City departments , from public wo rks and transportation officials to fire and water—and potentially external partners ( such as UC Riverside). Engaging with all internal Riverside General Plan Update Scope of Work P a g e | 44 departments and other stakeholders will be key to identifying what has worked well relative to CAAP implementation and where the City could find opportunities for improvement.
Task 2.1
Review the RGF, Green Action Plan, past GHG inventories, etc. in consultation with City staff of various departments to understand the extent of implementation, what has been done, where successes have occurred, and any shortcomings on past implementation.
DELIVERABLE:
• Implementation status matrix
Task 2.2
WSP will review the prior GHG emissions inventory and targets and identify updates needed to align with current State protocols and targets and the City’s target of 2040 for carbon neutrality. Since the time of preparation of the 2016 inventory, new tools have been developed , including the ICLEI ClearPath software, which is endorsed by the Office of Planning and Research. The Consultant will evaluate the most efficient and user -friendly tools based on those currently available.
DELIVERABLE:
• Memorandum that outlines methodology for inventory and target setting in alignment with current best practices
Task 2.3
Finally, the Consultant will conduct an audit of other relevant plans for emissions reduction strategies and synergies with CAAP actions. The Consultant wants to allow the City to build on other policies and plans completed to date as the CAAP is developed, as these can help inform and refine actions proposed in the CAAP.
DELIVERABLE:
• Matrix of policy relationships
TASK 3: COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT
Community members play an important role in helping to reduce local GHG emissions. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct public outreach and engagement activities during the development of the CAAP Update. Public outreach assists the City in both providing timely information to , as well as receiving input from, local residents, stakeholders, and/or other interested parties. The CAAP team will coordinate with the GPU team regarding outreach efforts to ensure that outreach for the CAAP is conducted in a timely, effective, and equitable manner. For further information, refer to Task 3 .
TASK 4: UPDATED GHG EMISSIONS INVENTORY, PROJECTIONS, TARGETS,
AND GAP ANALYSIS
4.1 CAAP ASSUMPTIONS AND METHODOLOGY REVIEW
The Consultant will review the adopted 2016 CAAP’s methodology and all assumptions used to calculate “business as usual” (BAU) and “adjusted business as usual” (ABAU) GHG forecasts. The Consultant will recommend any revisions to the methodology and assumptions used in the 2016 CAAP and document these in a memo to staff. At a minimum, the updated CAAP will need to address projected growth in population, employment, and VMT attributed to the GPU.
DELIVERABLE:
• Technical memorandum documenting CAAP methodology and assumptions review, reporting any revisions to be applied to CAAP Update based on GPU
4.2 GHG INVENTORY, FORECAST, AND TARGET UPDATES
Riverside General Plan Update Scope of Work P a g e | 45 The Consultant team will develop an updated community wide GHG emissions inventory and municipal inventory. The most time -intensive task in developing a GHG inventory is the data collection phase. This is also a critical component to ensure a reliable base for long -term performance management through subsequent r e-inventories and analysis. The Consultant has performed some initial research to scope this effort and understand s the local context and possible sources of data. The Consultant will develop new GHG emissions targets that meet State and City policy timeframes, and then will revise the BAU, Adjusted Legislative and ABAU GHG emissions forecasts to account for revisions to growth projections used in the GPU. The principal expected change to growth projections is expected to be in projected VMT. The Consultant will use the most recent Regional Growth Forecast to generate projected VMT. VMT projections from the GPU transportation analysis will be used to update the ClearPath tool, which will provide revise d GHG forecasts for 2030, 2040 , and 2050 (consistent with State targets and the City target for carbon neutrality). The inventories, projections , and targets will account for emissions from all sectors , including the unique land uses and businesses present in the City , as well as direct, and where possible, life cycle GHG emissions. The CAAP team will identify and document the gross and per - capita emissions reductions that must be achieved to close the gap between BAU forecasts and targets.
ClearPath features are designed to facilitate long -term management of emissions data and periodic re-inventory. As a cloud -based software, all data from this inventory is stored safely with daily backups made. Without spreadsheets to lose, future inventory efforts will be moved seamlessly into re-inventory. ClearPath also allows for past inventories to be updated as additional Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessments of GHGs are released , providing a more complete comparison of inventories. WSP will apply the US Community GHG inventory protocol and use ClearPath to complete the communitywide GHG emissions inventory.
DELIVERABLES:
• Draft and Final Technical Memorandum with Updated Municipal and Community wide GHG Emissions Inventories; 2030, 2040 , and 2050 Gross and Per -Capita emissions reduction targets and BAU forecasts; and gap analysis. Memo randum will include a technical appendix with details of methodology and supporting assumptions for forecasting • A tracking and reporting tool for GHG emissions to be used by City staff
ASSUMPTIONS:
• The City attains and provides access to the ClearPath model .
TASK 5: 2016 CAAP MEASURES AND PREPARE NEW CAAP GHG REDUCTION
MEASURES EVALUATION
The Consultant will build on work done previously for the 2016 CAAP and will look to improve measures where implementation has fallen short. Furthermore, the Consultant will leverage our national bench of climate planning subject matter experts to develop innovative, regionally appropriate, and implementable reduction measures for achieving the City’s 2040 goal. The Consultant will look to CAAPs developed throughout the Country for emissions reduction solutions and best practices that can be leveraged based on the unique context in Riverside. The Consultant understands the City’s unique context and desire to include sectors such as agriculture.
Based on the results of the updated Land Use and Circulation elements, the Consultant will further refine projected VMT reductions from transportation measures quantified in the current CAAP and draft Transportation Element Update, including Smart Growth Policies, Electric Vehicle Promotion, and Transportation Demand Programs. The Consultant will use the resulting revised VMT reductions projections to calculate ABAU GHG emissions forecasts for 2030, 2040 , and 2050 using the ClearPath tool.
Riverside General Plan Update Scope of Work P a g e | 46 Furthermore, the Consultant will assess reductions available for all quantifiable reduction measures identified in the updated CAAP (e.g., reductions in energy use, water conservation). These projected reductions will also inform the ABAU forecast. If additional measures are require d to meet GHG reduction target s, WSP will identify opportunities for further reductions based on feedback from public outreach. ClearPath’s dynamic graphic interface allows for comparison of multiple reduction scenarios to determ ine the combination of measures that will achieve the reduction targets.
The Consultant will conduct a climate vulnerability analysis and adaptation actions consistent with the requirements of the Safety Element of the General Plan. The climate vulnerability analysis and development of adaptation actions will be qualitatively informed by Task 2 – Past Plan Audits and Task 3 – Community Outreach and Engagement, and quantitatively by running a geospatial analysis.
The geospatial analysis enables identification of exposure and vulnerability to each climate -specific hazard for each planning year. This allows for identification of locations of risks and opportunities for intervention for each climate hazard and for socially vulnerable populations, critical infrastructures and facilities, property, and the environment and areas for recreation. Once areas for adaptation intervention are identified and prioritized, WSP will identify areas where they overlap with climate change mitigation interventions to ensure co -benefits receive the greatest priority.
The Consultant assumes all outreach for CAAP reduction measures will be in concert with GPU public outreach; no separate public outreach effort has been scoped for the CAAP Update.
DELIVERABLES:
• 2016 CAAP Progress Assessment (based on work done under Task 1) and 2016 Measures Forecast
• Draft CAAP Reduction Measures
• ABAU for 2030, 2040 , and 2050 for revised reduction measures • Climate vulnerability analysis
• Adaptation actions
ASSUMPTIONS:
• Climate vulnerability analysis will be conducted using existing secondary source data; no new data will be created
• City will provide off-the-shelf data such as building footprints, economic/property value, critical infrastructure
• The Consultant will source climate hazard and other data, such as, but not limited to, US Census data, projected climate change data, and heat risk data from state, federal, and nonprofit / institutional providers
TASK 6: CAAP UPDATE, APPENDICES AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION Finally, the Consultant will compile all information generated in Task s 1 through 5 to update the City’s adopted CAAP document. This will include updating the regulatory context, as necessary , targets and BAU forecasts, and updating the reduction measures, adjusted legislative and ABAU forecasts. Updates to specific implementation actions will be done in concert with City staff. Finally, the Consultant will identify and update the quantitative and qualitative metrics that support the collection and monitori ng of implementation data.
The Consultant assumes one administrative draft CAAP for review by staff and a Final CAAP for public review.
DELIVERABLES:
Draft and final versions of the revised CAAP document , including: GHG inventory, targets, GHG emissions reductions measures, and climate adaptation strategies and actions. • Two (2) reviews of the Draft CAAP Update document
Riverside General Plan Update Scope of Work P a g e | 47 • Revisions of the Draft CAAP based on staff feedback and preparation of public review draft • Executive Summary and other collateral documents
• CAAP consistency review checklist
• CAAP implementation cost report
• CAAP cost effectiveness analysis
TASK 7: CAAP IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING PROCEDURES
The Consultant will develop a clear and transparent procedures guidance manual and identify tools to help the City track its progress toward carbon neutrality goals and targets, including annual reporting tool identification, benchmarks and data collection guidance, budg eting, and resource requirements. The document will facilitate CAAP implementation by identifying near, medium, and long-range priorities, responsible parties, and potential funding sources.
DELIVERABLES:
• Implementation, monitoring, and reporting guidance manual , including reporting tool • Online public dashboard development (to be updated and maintained by the City)
TASK 8: CAAP PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
The Consultant will work closely with the GPU team on coordination of CEQA efforts. Key metrics for both EIRs will be developed through the GPU process —specifically, GPU build -out will be used to model VMT data that is necessary for inputs into Air Quality and GHG modeling. GPU VMT also will be a key input into the ClearPath model for modeling the ABAU forecast. Therefore, these technical analyses will need to be closely aligned. The Consultant anticipates one set of technical studies will inform both EIRs. The projects will be by definition “cumulative” to each other and , therefore, alignment of all analyses and stakeholder outreach is critical to the defensibility of each. The CAA P EIR will be programmatic pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15168. The EIR for the CAAP will include the same fundamental steps as identified for the GPU.
Riverside General Plan Update Scope of Work P a g e | 48 DELIVERABLES:
• See Programmatic EIR Scope under the GPU
TASK 9: PLAN ADOPTION
The Consultant will assist staff with preparation and attend hearings on the CAAP adoption and PEIR certification.
DELIVERABLES:
• Preparation of briefing materials ; attendance at pre -hearing meetings ; preparation of meeting materials , including PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and other preparatory materials; and preparation of meeting summaries. (Includes attendance of up to 2 CAAP staff at each 4 public hearings )