Item A: Low Impact Development: Results of Review

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Regulate new and redevelopment projects to control stormwater discharge rates, volumes, velocities and durations. Maintain or restore, to the maximum extent practicable, a development site’s predevelopment hydrology with regard to rate, volume and duration of flow. Require onsite retention (flow volume control) facilities and infiltration to the maximum extent practicable. While actual permit renewal conditions are not yet fully established, these potential new conditions may present a mandate for additional implementation of LID practices. Medium Potential: NPDES permit conditions may further require or encourage implementation of LID practices. Barriers: Complexities of developing and implementing land use regulations; challenges to balancing and integrating LID objectives with other City initiatives and priorities. C. Green Building Program The City’s Green Building Program, housed in the Planning Department’s Building and Permit Services Division, was established to encourage more sustainable building practices in all phases of development from project design to deconstruction. This program continues to grow in depth and expertise; in 2008 a full-time Green Building Analyst position was created and filled. The current focus of the program is to promote green building in the community, identify and address barriers to wider application of green building strategies, and facilitate green building via technical assistance and incentives. High Potential: The green building program shares many common elements and practices with LID and as a relatively new program has great potential for increasing the use of LID practices through collaborative outreach, education and development of incentives. Barriers: Funding of additional level of effort and budget for outreach materials (no funding currently allocated). Addressing Barriers to LID Implementation In developing the green building program, staff have been researching other programs and soliciting feedback from the local development community regarding barriers to green building and potential incentives. Barriers to wider adoption of green building strategies include: lack of green building expertise, upfront cost of green design, regulations, permitting fees and timelines, and costs of green certification programs. One often-cited barrier to implementation of LID techniques is confusion about code and regulatory requirements. To address regulatory barriers, green building program staff maintains current information on green building technologies, trends and policies, help identify state building code and other regulations that inhibit adoption of green building techniques, and recommend changes to policy, procedures and regulations to resolve issues. Strategies to address other barriers are discussed below. Outreach and Education The City is developing a comprehensive green building outreach and education program. LID strategies are a key component of green building and will be incorporated into the program through: Green Building web site with green building information, strategies, and resources. Educational materials on green building topics displayed at the City’s permit information counter and the green building kiosk in the Planning & Development building. This area receives a high volume of traffic from building professionals and members of the public seeking permits. Targeted outreach events for designers, builders, contractors, homeowners and remodelers, neighborhood associations, and industry and stakeholder groups, such as the Home Builder’s Association, American Institute of Architects, Eugene Branch, Cascadia Green Building Council, and Northwest Ecobuilding Guild. September, 2008 City of Eugene LID Report, Page 11 of 26