Item A: Green Infrastructure and Low-Impact Development

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The Stormwater Management Manual provides the ‘tools” or best management practices to facilitate low-impact development practices. It includes many stormwater facilities that allow onsite management of stormwater including eco-roofs, pervious pavement, contained infiltration and flow-through planters, soakage trenches, infiltration sumps, drywells, and rainwater harvesting. The most comprehensive approach to determine local regulatory barriers to low-impact development may be that of the Puget Sound Action Team. The Puget Sound Action Team is a partnership of state agencies and tribal and local governments charged with developing and coordinating conservation programs to protect and restore Puget Sound. In 2005, the Puget Sound Action Team retained a consultant and worked with 11 Puget Sound local governments to develop new and/or revise existing local government regulatory language related to stormwater management and land development to increase the use of low-impact development practices. Depending on the goals of each individual local government, both incentive-based and prescriptive approaches were developed to increase the use of low-impact development practices. However, the majority of local governments preferred an incentive- based approach. Each of the 11 local governments assigned project managers and assembled interdisciplinary teams comprised of Public Works and Planning and Development staff to work with the Puget Sound Action Team and its consultant. The most successful interdisciplinary teams included staff with expertise in stormwater management and land use planning. The program was continued in 2006 with eight local governments and will be continued in 2007. One of the commonalities of the work with the 11 Puget Sound local governments was that barriers to low-impact development practices were not limited to stormwater development standards, but found in many sections of the development code, other sections of the municipal code, and in administrative policies and procedures. For the City to implement a similar comprehensive review of the Eugene Code and administrative policies and procedures would require the City Council to prioritize the comprehensive review in the current or a future Planning Division work program and for Public Works to prioritize the comprehensive review in the Stormwater Management Team work program. RELATED CITY POLICIES The City’s Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan (CSWMP) was adopted in November 1993 as a refinement to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan. Goal 1 of the CSWMP states: Through an interconnected system of constructed and natural facilities, provide multiple stormwater benefits to the community including: flood control and drainage services, protection and enhancement of water quality and natural resources that perform stormwater functions, recreational facilities and educational opportunities. In February 1998, the City Council adopted 19 Growth Management Policies. Policy 17 states: Protect and improve air and water quality and protect natural areas of good habitat value through a variety of means such as better enforcement of existing regulations, new or revised regulations, or other practices. L:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M070117\S070117A.doc