Incentivizing Low Impact Development: Developing and Piloting Green Shores for Homes

Margaret Glowacki Land Use Planner/Fisheries Biologist

City of Seattle CEER 29 July 2014

Photo: NASA Visible Earth Funded by EPA

Insects to Salmon to Orcas Shores are vital to our iconic west coast species

Insects

Smelt, Herring and Sand Lance

Salmon

Orcas

How do we get homeowners from this…

…to something more like this?

Green Shores for Homes

EPA – Puget Sound Watershed Management Assistance Program

Green Shores for Homes awarded a grant in 2010 Collaborative effort between - City of Seattle & San Juan County in Washington State & British Columbia, Canada

The Watershed Company

Green Shores for Homes A Tale of three jurisdictions in the Salish Sea

Map Credit: Steven Fick/Canadian Geographic

Funded by an EPA Grant to the City of Seattle

Lake Washington

• ESA-listed Chinook salmon - 1999 • > 70% shoreline armored • Lake Washington – critical habitat - rearing and migration

Seattle

Renton

Bellevue

Kirkland

Mercer Island

City of Seattle Lake Washington homeowners surveyed (n=2,280; 19%

response) >70% believe salmon habitat = desirable function >90% limited understanding of alternatives to shoreline armoring

Green Shorelines Guidebook –Alternative

Shoreline Design – Residential Property

Green ShoresTM

Coastal Development Rating System – Commercial

Property

Green Shorelines Decision Tree

Green Shores Credits

Green Shores Rating System Voluntary credit rating system

designed to promote sustainable coastal development

Modelled after LEED™

Credits – 1) action based; 2) require minimal professional “sign-off”; 3) verified through permit documents & a site visit

“Defines” green shores for residential property

Builds local capacity through trained Green Shores for Home verifiers.

The Watershed Company

1. Technical Team develops and tests GSH credit system.

2. Local government partners indentify incentives. 3. Local governments engage homeowners and builders

about the credit system and incentive program. 4. Technical Team trains Green Shores for Home

Verifiers. 5. Increase the site specific technical information 6. Local Government pilots Green Shores for Homes

Green Shores for Homes Program Components

GSH Rating Credits Categories

1. Shoreline Processes 2. Shoreline Habitat 3. Water Quality - Runoff and

Pollutant Management 4. Shore Stewardship

Green Shores for Homes Incentives Technical Assistance Roaming technical expert Early project planning

assistance

Expedited/Free Permits Determine credit score of

project Expedite permit review Subsidize or waive permit fee

Green Shores for Homes Incentives Financial Tax break - determine what

actions earn tax breaks

Fee in Lieu Program - $$

Increase in property values

16

Site Specific Technical Information – Shore Energy

Sig. Wave Height (ft) @ -15’ LWD

Peak Period (s) @ -15’ LWD

How Does the Rating System Really Work?

• Rating system evaluation Submittal information required Ease of scoring each site Credit categories

• Results of evaluation

• Adjustment to rating system

The Watershed Company

Rating System Evaluation February 2014 • 2 Freshwater sites Kirkland, WA

Lake Washington • 2 Marine sites San Juan County, WA Salish Sea

• Tech team members 2 subgroups N &S

Lake Washington

Sea Salish

San Juan

Lake Washington

Lake Washington Green Shore Site Components

• Both sites • Partial bulkhead removal • Gray and green shoreline structures installed • Riparian vegetation • Large woody debris • Gravel and boulder placement

Site 2

Site 1

Lake Washington Site 1

Before After

Lake Washington Site2

San Juan County Sites Orcas Island - Site 1 • Bulkhead removed • Soft shore protection • Creosote pile removal San Juan Island - Site 2 • no bulkhead installed • rainwater management

limited site disturbance, native vegetation/tree

Site 2

Site 1

San Juan County Site 1

Before After

San Juan County Site 2

Submittal Information and Ease of Rating System

• Reviewed info provided for permit applications • Permits - Shoreline Master Program/Environmentally Critical Areas • Determine information needed to calculate credit score • Ease of use – link to credit document

The Watershed Company

Credit Categories 3 Main Categories • Shoreline Processes

Bulkhead removal Setbacks

• Shoreline Habitat Riparian vegetation Large woody debris

• Water Quality Impervious surface Pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer

• Monitoring required or bonus points, what if you don’t do something, i.e. don’t put in a bulkhead, don’t cut down trees, the roll of LWD in different environments.

What Did We Learn and What Did We Change?

• All sites are not created equally - site conditions influence what can be done on site

• Example - Parcel size, urban/rural, freshwater/marine

• Difference in LWD function in the marine environment compared to a lake environment.

• Result adjusted rating system so smaller wood is favored in the lake environment LWD okay for marine environment

What Did We Learn and What Did We Change?

• Most important - condition of site at the completion of project

• Award credits for saving trees • Don’t “penalize” a site that

doesn’t have a bulkhead & isn’t adding one

• Adjusted rating system • Implementation June 2015

Bonus Information

• Lake WA property owners

• What motivated the home owners to green their shoreline?

• Attracting a lot of attention from recreational boaters

Insects to Orcas Shores are vital to our most iconic west coast species

Insects

Orcas

Contact Information Margaret Glowacki Sr. Land Use Planner/Fisheries Biologist Seattle Department of Planning and Development margaret.glowacki@seattle.gov 206-386-4036

Thank you! Funding: Partners: Washington Sea Grant San Juan County Archipelago Marine Research Victoria, B.C. Stewardship Centre for B.C. Islands Trust B.C.