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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSustainable DevelopmentSustainable Development The way we plan the physical layout or land use of our communities is fundamental to sustainability. Over the past several decades two main land use practices have converged to generate unsustainable urban sprawl: (1) zoning ordinances isolating employment locations, shopping, services and housing from each other and (2) low density growth planning aimed at creating automobile access to increasing expanses of land. Community sustainability requires a transition from poorly- managed sprawl to land use practices that create and maintain efficient infrastructure, ensure close -knit neighborhoods, and preserve natural systems. In Wisconsin, the Smart Growth law has begun to move communities in this direction. Smart Growth's vision is to promote denser settlements while providing mixed uses, open space and transportation choices -- the antithesis to sprawl. The 2005 -2025 City of Oshkosh Comprehensive Plan complies with the Smart Growth law and reflects this vision. Sustainable development not only addresses the broad view of community land use, but also the micro view of sustainable sites and buildings. Emphasis is on building with nature in mind, exemplified by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED Green Building Rating SystemTM. LEED promotes a whole - building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Oshkosh has its share of LEED certified buildings, several on the UW Oshkosh campus and at least one commercial building, a recently built Kwik Trip. Green rating programs have proven to be a reliable tool to standardize the language of "green" buildings. Goal: Guide and promote sustainable citywide development patterns and incorporate sustainable features into buildings Policies: Promote Sustainable Development Patterns Sustainable Planning and Zoning. Continue to employ and expand policies to provide more sustainable development patterns: denser settlement on average, while providing mixed -uses, open space and transportation choices. Continue to focus on revitalizing the downtown and central city area with mixed uses. Continue to negotiate boundary agreements with neighboring towns. Broaden the range of impact, facility, and permit fees for developers. These and other policies discourage sprawl. Many are already incorporated in the 2005 -2025 Comprehensive Plan. Sustainable Neighborhoods: Continue neighborhood improvement strategies, striving for development patterns identified in the city's Traditional Neighborhood Development District — defined as a compact neighborhood with mixed uses and housing types. Explore LEED's Neighborhood Design Rating System to help plan for more compact and complete neighborhoods. By bridging together adjoining districts, neighborhoods can have a mix of amenities close by with walkable streets, multi -unit and single - family homes, public spaces and well- connected streets serving pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers. Encourage new neighborhood business districts near residential areas in scale and pedestrian friendly. Mixed -Use Corridors: Consider more defined mixed use plans and ordinances for high traffic corridors. Review standards for mixed -use development in the Highway 41 Corridor Overlay District to address sustainability issues. Consider similar overlay districts for the Highway 21 and Jackson Street corridors. Identify other high traffic corridors and offer incentives to help redevelop underutilized commercial buildings, strip centers, and parking lots. Assign first priority to commercial redevelopment areas already identified in the Comprehensive Plan. Continue to promote attractive transit - oriented, mixed - income housing near new or alongside existing retail and office developments to reduce travel time to work and shopping areas. Encourage Green Building Life -Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA). Promote life -cycle cost analysis as a necessary component of designing a sustainable development. Provide educational materials to help developers and builders know how to assess the full range of social and environmental impacts of their projects so better choices can be made. Life -cycle costs take into account the full life of a building product or development —from its raw material production, manufacture, transport and actual use to its disposal. Life Cycle Cost Analysis can be performed on large and small buildings or on isolated building systems. Proven methods to account for Life Cycle Cost Analysis include approaches like the LEED Green Building Rating SystemTM or the International Organization for Standardization 14000 Environmental Management Green Buildings. Practice and promote sustainable building practices using the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program or a similar system. Consider requiring green building for all new city buildings and remodeling projects. The city can lead by example by establishing green building policies and goals and creating a framework to implement them. Consider offering incentives for green buildings or requiring green buildings in Tax Increment Financing Districts. Studies have shown green buildings can return significant savings over a 20 year period. Buildings and Energy. Partner with utility companies to offer energy efficiency education programs or incentives to improve energy use in buildings. Buildings account for 40% of energy consumed in the U.S. Strategies to reduce energy consumption are widely available on numerous Web sites, including the city's sustainability site: http: / /www.ci.oshkosh .wi.us /Sustainable0shkosh Cool Roofs. Consider a green roof pilot project on a city building. Green roofs or living roofs typically have native grasses, flowers, shrubs and vegetation planted into a layer of soil over a waterproof membrane. Other common features include gravel paths, patios, irrigation systems and photovoltaic arrays. Green roofs absorb rainwater, provide insulation, create habitat for wildlife, and help to lower urban air temperatures. White roofs are another option. These have a white membrane to reflect solar radiation off the roof, reducing the building's thermal load. Material Recovery. Provide incentives to promote the recovery of all recyclable building materials. Include not only construction waste from new building projects but also what exists on site. Promote adaptive reuse and renovation of older buildings. Many of these were made of stone and brick which are long- lasting, have a good fire rating, and thermal retention properties. Local Materials. Promote the use of building materials and products found in the immediate area and surrounding region. Buying and using quality area building materials strengthens the area economy, creates local identity, and decreases out of the region transportation costs.