Land Use Sector Strategies:Draft GGRA Plan

Baltimore Regional Transportation BoardInteragency Consultation GroupApril 4, 2012

Need to Offset Future Increases in GHG Emissions

Achieving the GGRA plan reduction target requires offsetting future increases in GHG emissions from new growth and development in Maryland

33 MMtCO2e of the 57 MMtCO2e (58%) that needs to be reduced from the 2020 Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario is to offset future increases in GHG emissions although the BAU forecast doesn’t take into

account climate programs already in effect in Maryland

Need to Cap GHG Emissions in Perpetuity

Maintaining the GGRA plan reduction target = capping emissions in perpetuity AND offsetting increases in emissions in perpetuity

Will technology and new pollution reduction opportunities enable us to perpetually offset (or prevent) future increases in transportation GHG emissions?

Wise course of action is to minimize new GHG emissions from new development in Maryland in order to minimize the amount of offsets required

Three-Legged Stool: Low-Carbon Fuel, Fuel-Efficient Cars, and VMT Reduction

o “The only method to ensure a reduction in overall transportation emissions over time is to sharply reduce the rate of growth in VMT, which will require a significant adjustment of land use patterns away from automobile-oriented development.”

- Growing Cooler, 2007

Smart Growth and Land Use/Location Efficiency

o By 2035,Maryland is forecasted to grow by:o 1 million additional residents o 600,000 new jobs

o Where new residents and employers locate will have an impact on future transportation GHG emissions

Smart Growth and Land Use/Location Efficiency

o Locate origins and destinations closer togethero Mixed-use developmento Transit-oriented developmento Make alternative transportation modes more

convenient and easily accessibleo Centrally located public facilities

Smart Growth and Land Use/Location Efficiency

o PlanMarylando To improve coordination between (and among) State agencies and

local governments on smart growth policies/programso Sets goals, visions and outcomes for different planning areaso State agencies will adjust policies/programs to meet Plan goals

o Maryland Sustainable Growth Commissiono Recommends methods to achieve Maryland’s economic growth,

resource protection, and planning policy (12 visions), for example:o Quality of life and Sustainability: a high quality of life is achieved

through universal stewardship of the land, water, and air resulting in sustainable communities and protection of the environment

Smart Growth and Land Use/Location Efficiency

Sustainability criteria (e.g., a decrease or no net increase in VMTs) that local transportation plans and projects must achieve in order to receive State transportation funds

Examine the use of variable VMT pricing as a GHG reduction strategy and as an alternative funding mechanism for State transportation needs

Smart Growth and Land Use/Location Efficiency

Investigate the feasibility of implementing Rule 9510 of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in Maryland

Rule 9510 background Reduce emissions from NOx and PM10 from development projects;

can reduce CO2 emissions too Targets operational emissions and project construction exhaust

Reductions required from an “unmitigated baseline” Project design elements, including VMT minimization and energy

efficiency, count as on-site reductions Off-site mitigation fees, used to pay for emission reduction projects Integrated into the land use approval process

Transportation GHG Targets for Local Governments and MPOs

Transportation Conformity process: consider the establishment of voluntary GHG

targets for future out years California’s Senate Bill 375:

investigate feasibility in Maryland

Transportation GHG Targets for Local Governments and MPOs

o California’s Senate Bill 375: Background Develop regional GHG emission reduction targets

for passenger vehicles (for 2020 and 2035) for each region covered by one of the State's 18 MPOs

Each MPO prepares a “sustainable communities strategy (SCS)” to demonstrate how the region will meet its GHG reduction target through integrated land use, housing and transportation planning

Transportation GHG Targets for Local Governments and MPOs

o California’s Senate Bill 375: Background Once adopted by the MPO, the SCS is incorporated

into the region's regional transportation plan (RTP)

If after State review/analysis, the final SCS would not, if implemented, achieve the GHG reduction target for the region, the MPO must prepare a separate “alternative planning strategy (APS)” to meet the target (the APS is not a part of the RTP)

Transportation GHG Targets for Local Governments and MPOs

o California’s Senate Bill 375: Background To get adequate credit for GHG reductions due to

land use/location efficiency measures, MPO transportation models are being updated

Developers can get relief from certain environmental review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) if their new residential and mixed-use projects are consistent with a region’s SCS (or APS) that meets the GHG reduction target

Transportation GHG Targets for Local Governments and MPOs

o California’s Senate Bill 375: Background Southern California Association of Governments

(SCAG) Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) 8% GHG reduction by 2020; 13% by 2035 SCAG SCS results in:

Over 65% of new homes are multi-family Over 50% of new jobs and housing near transit Saves over 400 square miles of open space Reduces congestion by 10% Accommodates region’s growth of 4 million people

through 2035

Transportation GHG Targets for Local Governments and MPOs

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) SCS Targeted transit investments

Over 40% of capital expenditures are for transit Investment in focused growth areas Support compact development and infill

Active transportation $6 billion for bike and walk infrastructure Improves safety and access to transit Over 5,800 miles of new bikeways About 12,000 miles of sidewalk upgrades

Funding Mechanisms: Land Use Planning/Smart Growth

Sustainable Communities Act of 2010 Maintains the existing historic commercial credit and

residential credit in their current form (20% credit); grants an additional 5% credit for historic buildings that are also certified as LEED Gold

Expands the credit to include qualified rehabilitated (non-historic) structures in Main Street Maryland communities and newly designated Sustainable Communities

$11 million of tax credits in fiscal year 2011 (ten projects funded)

$7 million of tax credits in fiscal year 2012 (six projects funded)

Funding Mechanisms: Land Use Planning/Smart Growth

o Other State agency funding programs: Community Legacy (DHCD) Neighborhood BusinessWorks (DBED) Rural Legacy Program (DNR) State Agricultural Preservation Certification

Program (MDP/MALPF) MDOT must consider designated Sustainable

Communities as it annually considers its Consolidated Transportation Program

Priority Funding Areas (and other Growth Boundaries)

PFAs are designated by local jurisdictions to provide a map for targeting State investment in infrastructure

The law directs the use of State funding for roads, water and sewer plants, economic development and other growth-related needs toward PFAs

USEPA accounting for growth requirements, under the Chesapeake Bay TMDL, might result in different offset ratio requirements within different geographic areas Might also influence land use patterns

For Additional Information

PlanMaryland, Sustainable Communities, Maryland Sustainable Growth Commission, Priority Funding Areas http://www.mdp.state.md.us/home.shtml http://www.mdhousing.org/website/programs/dn/default.aspx

San Joaquin Valley Rule 9510 http://www.valleyair.org/rules/1ruleslist.htm

California SB375 http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm

Land Use Sector Strategies:Draft GGRA Plan

Contact:Jason Dubow, DirectorEnvironmental Planning Division410-767-3370