Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/01/2007

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stormwater investments can attract devel- oper interest. Finally, many stormwater managers are working with planning and zoning depart- ments to identify areas for off-site mitiga- tion. Where site constraints rule out on-site stormwater handling, fees-in-lieu is an alter- native. The crux of such a program is to have already identified (at the district and watershed levels) the best areas to invest fees for water quality and flood prevention. In the end, good stormwater and comprehensive plan will converge on the follOWing goals: · Minimizing imperviousness at the water- shed level by targeting and redirecting development onto smaller footprints, · identifying and preserving critical eco- logical areas and contiguous open space, · maximizing the use of existing infra- structure and developed sites, and · retrofitting existing properties through home owner and property management campaigns. LINKING STORMWATER AND LAND USE THROUGH PLANNING AND ZONING Because stormwater runoff is a growing environmental threat. new rules are aimed at protecting and improving water quality. However, stormwater engineers must also understand that in urban and rapidly developing areas, ordinance drafting does not occur in a vacuum. Many areas have established zoning, planning, and land conservation activities, so the new rules are as much about integrating stormwater strategies into land development regula- tions as they are about instituting new practices. Developing a joint water and land development program involves both a management strategy and the components of that strategy. Sample approaches are as follows: Bare-Bones Ordinance with Design Guidelines This is good for communities that organize by districts and neighborhoods for gover- nance, infrastructure planning, and growth policies. District plan details are often highly interwoven and require the same integration as stormyvater BMPs. With input from the stormwater engineer, com- munities can recast the pattern book for traditional neighborhood design (TND) as a stormwater design manual. Other design dis- tricts might include brownfields, planned unit developments, and downtown redevelopment districts. In the end, you may have several design guidelines for many distinct districts. For example, Emeryville, California, faced a tough environment for stormwater control because of a high number of con- taminated sites. a built-out development portfolio, high water table, and clay soils. First, the city tackled its parking ordinance to reduce the number of spaces and find opportunities for public and off-site parking. Second. the city worked to incorporate greenspace into development sites and to add swales to treat and slow stormwater runoff. Finally. the city encouraged green building techniques such as cisterns and ZONING PRACTICE 11.06 AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION I page 5 47