HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Item - 2020-07-27 - Number 07.1 - Staff Memo 07/14/20 (PP 19-0004) CGO:
MEMORANDUM
TO: Chair Rob Heape
Members of the Planning Commission
FROM: Jenny Slepian, Sustainability and Management Analyst; and
Sustainability Advisory Board
SUBJECT: Implementation of Lake Oswego's Sustainability and Climate Action Plan
(PP 19-0004)
DATE: July 14, 2020
BACKGROUND
The Sustainability and Climate Action Plan for Lake Oswego was adopted by the City Council at
their May 5, 2020 meeting through passage of Resolution 19-54. There were some slight
modifications that were made following adoption, based on feedback from City Councilors. The
plan is now available on the City website.
The Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) submitted a letter to the City Council that has been
incorporated into the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, which outlines the first priorities
for implementation. One priority is promoting installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging
stations in new development:
• Action EV3: Work with developers to educate them on the benefits of providing EV
charging stations at multifamily housing developments and new parking garages.
DISCUSSION
The above action is one way the City can mitigate climate change. The SAB has and will
continue to gather information that aims to inform stakeholders on possible paths forward. The
Planning Commission may want to appoint one or two of its members to work with SAB in
developing tools to implement the above action.
SAB hopes to work with the Planning Commission on Action EV3. It is important to note that
while EV3 has been given a longer timeline of up to five years, this does not prevent
implementation work from beginning. Many of the actions in the Sustainability and Climate
503.635.0291 380 A Avenue PO Box 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us
Page 2
Action Plan were given revised timelines to allow for a) any ongoing uncertainty from COVID-19
that may require City Council attention in other areas, where their approval is needed to
proceed with a program, and b) allowing a more even distribution of Sustainability and Climate
Action Plan goals over a longer period, which was raised as an issue of importance by many
Department heads to help them prioritize staff workloads.
The Sustainability and Climate Action Plan is a working document, and its adoption came with
the expectation that annual progress reports will be presented to the City Council. The progress
reports may recommend that certain actions be given priority, or suggest a revised timeline
based on availability of staff, community concern, partnerships with other organizations who
can be of assistance, changing policy guidance from the State of Oregon or utilities, or
availability of grants and other funding mechanisms.
Implementation of EV3, beginning with a research and information gathering period, can begin
through a partnership between the Planning Commission and the SAB There have also been
conversations with members of the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) who may be
interested in electric vehicle goals. An additional partner in this process should be Portland
General Electric, whose EV team is currently working on a strategy for installation of charging
stations at multifamily developments. The Clackamas County Sustainability department has
strong relationships with multifamily property managers and owners and could also be included
in implementation of this goal.
We are looking forward to employing a collaborative approach in achieving this goal from the
Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. The process used to implement EV3 will help lay the
groundwork for implementation of the other EV actions in the plan, so it is important to take
the time to create a working partnership amongst stakeholders and investigate how other
communities have implemented similar programs.
RECOMMENDATION/NEXT STEPS
Once representatives of the Planning Commission and TAB are identified, the SAB will begin
work on EV3 and invite these representatives attend a SAB meeting.
LINK TO SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLAN FOR LAKE OSWEGO—MAY 2020
https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/Final%20Compiled%20SCAP.pdf
503.635.0291 380 A Avenue PO Box 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us