HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-09 EEC Meeting Packet
Meeting location:
Edina City Hall
Community Room
4801 W. 50th St.
Edina, MN
Energy & Environment Commission Meeting Agenda
Thursday, January 9, 2025
7:00 PM Accessibility Support:
The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing amplification,
an interpreter, large-print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Meeting Agenda
4. Approval of Meeting Minutes
4.1. Minutes from December 12, 2024 Meeting
5. Special Recognitions and Presentations
6. Community Comment
During "Community Comment," the Board/Commission will invite residents to share
issues or concerns that are not scheduled for a future public hearing. Items that are on
tonight's agenda may not be addressed during Community Comment. Individuals must
limit their comments to three minutes. The Chair may limit the number of speakers on
the same issue in the interest of time and topic. Individuals should not expect the Chair or
Board/Commission Members to respond to their comments tonight. Instead, the
Board/Commission might refer the matter to staff for consideration at a future meeting.
7. Reports/Recommendations
7.1. Paved Area / Community Gardens Work Plan Item
7.2. Approved 2025 EEC Work Plan
8. Chair and Member Comments
9. Staff Comments
9.1. Commission Work Plan Transition
Page 1 of 21
10. Adjournment
Page 2 of 21
BOARD & COMMISSION
ITEM REPORT
Date: January 9, 2025 Item Activity: Action
Meeting: Energy & Environment Commission
Agenda Number: 4.1
Prepared By: Marisa Bayer, Sustainability Manager
Item Type: Minutes Department: Engineering
Item Title: Minutes from December 12, 2024 Meeting
Action Requested:
Approve minutes.
Information/Background:
Approve minutes from Dec. 12, 2024 meeting.
Supporting Documentation:
1. Dec 12 Minutes
Page 3 of 21
MINUTES OF THE
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
7:00 PM THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2024
Meeting location:
Edina City Hall
Community Room
4801 W. 50th St.
Edina, MN
1. Call to Order
Chair Lukens called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. then shared the procedure for
public hearing and community comment.
2. Roll Call
Answering roll call were Commissioners Lukens, Haugen, Walker, Bartholomew,
Tessman, Schima and Weber.
Absent were Commissioners Martinez-Salgado and Dakane, and student Commissioners
Langsweirdt and Srivastav.
3. Approval of Meeting Agenda
Bartholomew made a motion, seconded by Walker, to Approve Meeting Agenda. Motion
Carried.
4. Approval of Meeting Minutes
4.1. Minutes from November 14, 2024 Meeting
Schima made a motion, seconded by Bartholomew, to Approve Meeting Minutes. Motion
Carried.
5. Special Recognitions and Presentations
5.1. 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
Ted Redmond with PaleBlueDot presented the 2023 Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Edina
has achieved a 17% reduction from baseline, which is on track with where we'd expect to
be, but there are some upward trends in specific sectors Edina should be paying attention
to. A major driver of change for emissions reduction is utility-scale grid decarbonization,
which affects the Buildings & Energy sector. Commissioners asked questions about
opportunities to reach our goals, including where to focus between now and 2030.
Commissioners stressed the importance that there is still work to do for the commission,
staff and Council to reach the Climate Action Plan goals.
6. Community Comment
A resident observing the meeting noted they appreciated the discussion and are
interested in school engagement, particularly the ability to impact and reach a lot of
homes and residents.
Page 4 of 21
7. Reports/Recommendations
7.1. Time of Sale with Energy Disclosure Staff Report Follow Up
Sustainability Manager Bayer reviewed data to answer questions asked by the EEC at the
November meeting. EEC will draft an Advisory Communication as a "cover page" to their
existing report, which will be shared at a future meeting.
7.2. Paved Area / Community Gardens Work Plan Item
Commissioner Weber noted that she has drafted the study and report. Sustainability
Manager Bayer will send it out to the EEC to review ahead of the January meeting where
they will be asked to approve the report.
8. Chair and Member Comments
• Commissioners shared frustration with the work plan process and suggested
more collaborative ways to approach the work.
• Commissioners discussed how to encourage and engage the community to
participate and support topics important to the EEC's work.
• Commissioners asked for an update on the tree protection ordinance.
Sustainability Manager Bayer noted a meeting has not happened and she will keep
them updated when more information is available.
9. Staff Comments
9.1. Approved 2025 Work Plan
The 2025 approved workplan will be entered into Envisio. The major change was
separating out the "catch all" work plan item into individual projects, and recommending
the EEC reach out to an already established community event that supports EVs rather
than host their own standalone event. Commissioners expressed an interest in still
hosting an EV event and will be requesting it be added back to the workplan.
Sustainability Manager Bayer noted that she will be presenting the benchmarking
ordinance updates discussed in November at the Dec. 17 City Council meeting.
10. Adjournment
Haugen made a motion, seconded by Tessman, to Adjourn. Motion carried. Meeting
adjourned at 9:24 p.m.
Page 5 of 21
BOARD & COMMISSION
ITEM REPORT
Date: January 9, 2025 Item Activity: Action
Meeting: Energy & Environment Commission
Agenda Number: 7.1
Prepared By: Marisa Bayer, Sustainability Manager
Item Type: Report & Recommendation Department: Engineering
Item Title: Paved Area / Community Gardens Work Plan Item
Action Requested:
Approve report and Advisory Communication.
Information/Background:
Commissioner Weber will discuss the work plan item, including the report and Advisory
Communication. Approving the report will complete this 2024 Work Plan item. Following approval,
the report and Advisory Communication will be submitted to City Council.
Supporting Documentation:
1. Advisory Communication, Pavement Conversion and Community Gardens
2. Report, Pavement Conversion and Community Gardens
Page 6 of 21
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Date:January 9, 2025
To:Mayor & City Council
From:Energy and Environment Commission
Subject:Converting Underutilized paved areas and community gardens
xxApproved Work
Plan Item:
Yes
No
Council Charge:
1: Study & Report
2: Review & Comment
3: Review & Recommend
4: Review & Decide
Items not on the approved work plan: Council action is rarely taken mid-year for items not on the current approved
work plan. Action is only taken if Council chooses to discuss the Advisory Communication at the Council meeting and
provides specific direction through a Council vote. Commissions are encouraged to submit new initiative proposals
through the annual work plan process.
Action Requested:
Receive the study and report
Situation:
Workplan item for 2024, objective was to determine where underutilized paved areas may be located and
consider conversion to greenspace or pollinator habitat. Workplan item also called to investigate whether
or not any of these potential converted green spaces could be community gardens.
Background:
These items are included in the 2021 Climate Action Plan from the City of Edina. Transportation and Land
Use, Local Food and Agriculture and Greenspaces and Trees all have action items that correspond directly
or indirectly to this topic.
Assessment:
Commission believes that TS 3-4 should be undertaken once the Land Conversion Opportunity Study is
completed. Commission also believes that additional community gardens can benefit the city, but need to
determine appropriate sites prioritizing with equity in mind and explore other ways to administer and fund.
Page 7 of 21
Conversion to Green Spaces and Community Gardens Report
December 2024
Page 8 of 21
Contents
Situation ..........................................................................................................................2
Background.....................................................................................................................3
Land Use in Edina.......................................................................................................3
Community Gardens.....................................................................................................6
Assessment.....................................................................................................................6
References .......................................................................................................................7
Situation
Around the world, many communities are in the process of reducing the amount of
impervious ground cover and surfaces and/or increasing pollinator habitats. This can
have many desirable impacts – flood mitigation, critical pollinator support, reduced
potable water usage along with helping decrease urban heat islands.
At the same time, food insecurity is growing in many places. With supply chain issues
and inflation, the cost of food can be prohibitive for many. Each year, thousands of
Edina residents require support from local food shelves such as VEAP.
This report looks at the conversion to green space or pollinator habits, and the feasibility
of any of these spaces should be turned into a community garden. Specifically, this
directly relates to two items on the CAP:
TL 3-4: Identify underutilized paved areas and incentivize conversion to
sustainable green space or infill development. Conversion focus should take into
consideration neighborhood’s greenspace, heat island mitigation, affordable
housing, and bike/walk mobility needs and prioritize site utilization based on
addressing the greatest needs at each site as determined through appropriate
engagement with the community, particularly people traditionally
underrepresented. (Pale Blue Dot LLC, 2021)
LF 1-2: Support existing school and community gardens and provide
opportunities to expand community growing spaces with a focus on locating
garden infrastructure to serve youth, immigrant, and people with lower incomes
or who are experiencing food insecurity. Community growing and garden spaces
may include use of park space, unused city owned space, or public right of
way/boulevard areas. Program should prioritize conversion of impervious spaces
to garden space and preservation/increase of overall green space benefit. (Pale
Blue Dot LLC, 2021)
Page 9 of 21
Background
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) approved in Edina in 2021 addresses several targets to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. From that
report, actions under Transportation and Land Use, Greenspace and Trees, and Local
Food and Agriculture apply to this topic. (Pale Blue Dot LLC, 2021)
Along with the CAP, the 2015 Parks Strategic plan is also relevant to this report. This
plan provided a clear vision for the next 20 years of Edina parks, including
redevelopment of parks, trails and recreational opportunities.
Land Use in Edina
93% of grasslands in Edina are manicured lawns (Pale Blue Dot LLC, 2021). According
to the 2021 CAP, Edina has a goal to reduce turf coverage from 25.2% to 22.6% and
reduce dark impervious surface cover from 25.5% to 23% by 2030. Reducing turf leads
to better stormwater mitigation, less potable water use and increased carbon storage.
Impervious surfaces contribute to urban heat islands and can hinder stormwater
mitigation. (Pale Blue Dot LLC, 2021)
The below image displays the percentage of ground cover that is grass (by Census
Tract)
Page 10 of 21
This diagram illustrates by type of impervious surface coverage
According to the CAP progress portal, item TL 3-4 is upcoming and has not yet been
started; however many other actions under Greenspace and Trees have been started or
completed, and many of them have an indirect positive relationship with our work plan
item. (City of Edina, 2024)
Greenspace and Trees CAP items already completed by the city that help advance
pollinator/native habitats: (City of Edina, 2024)
1. Remove lawn/grass requirements in ordinances
2. Manage city-owned natural areas to enhance and maintain diverse native
communities, implementation of best practices for stormwater management,
increased plant diversity and improved pollinator habitat
3. Manage city-owned lawn/turf areas to enhance and maintain diverse native
communities, increase turf replacement with native wildflower and prairie
grasses, increased plant diversity, improved pollinator friendly habitat, and
carbon gardening practices including elimination of synthetic fertilizer and
pesticide use, high mow deck settings, use of biochar amendments, and
polyculture lawn mixture.
Page 11 of 21
The following actions are underway:
1. Land Conversion Opportunity Study – analyze public and private property for
unused turf and impervious areas, create implementation plan to convert to
native plant and pollinator restoration areas (on track, percent complete
unknown)
2. Install roadside pollinator vegetation that creates effective barriers to prevent
drifting of air pollutants to adjacent schools and residences. (on track, 4%
complete)
3. Establish policy to require use of native plants in landscaping at City owned
properties. Continue natural vegetation conversion for passive park areas (on
track, 75% complete) – add 100 acres of native plant and pollinator restoration
area on city property by 2040
4. Establish policy and identify, create and promote incentives to assist
homeowners and households with low incomes by covering some of the cost of
converting traditional lawns by planting pollinator friendly food gardens,
permaculture, wildflowers, clover or native grasses (on track 25%, exploring
grant opportunities)
In accordance with the 2015 Strategic Parks plan, nearly 200 acres of Edina parks are
in some phase of planning or active construction in the next few years. This includes
removing invasive buckthorn, restoring wetlands, establishing native habitats and other
climate adaptive species. (Engineering, 2024)
Edina has also consistently been providing residents with opportunities to learn and get
assistance in creating pollinator habitats in their yards with Metrobloom.
Community Gardens
Edina currently has two community gardens – one run by the City of Edina (Yorktown
Plot), and the other the co-op at 7500 York. The Yorktown community garden has 55
plots and has had a consistent waitlist since opening in 2014. The rental fees are $45
for a 10’ x 10’ plot and $50 for a 10’ x 15’ plot. Fees are used to cover soil preparation
and tilling, compost, water and garden improvements. Residents are responsible for the
upkeep of their plots and receive warnings when not in compliance. (City of Edina,
2024)
The city staff manages the administration for the garden – helping reserve plots (Feb –
March), opening the garden early May, inspecting the garden July/Aug/Sept, and then
closing mid-October with communications throughout the year.
Page 12 of 21
City staff believes there may be more demand for additional community gardens.
Assessment
The commission believes that the following actions should be continued/advanced
•TL 3-4 identify underutilized paved areas – this should be completed once the
Land Conversion Opportunity is completed. According to the CAP, GS 2-1 calls
for a Land Conversion Opportunity study to be completed, along with a Ground
Cover Conversion Implementation plan to convert to native plant and pollinator
restoration areas, wetlands, permaculture areas, tree coverage or urban
agriculture. This action covers both private and public property and should be
used as input for evaluating which impervious surfaces can and should be
converted. (Pale Blue Dot LLC, 2021)
According to the Ground Cover Survey (Pale Blue Dot LLC, 2021), dark pavements
comprise 50% of all impervious surfaces in the city of Edina (dark roofs at 30%). As roof
replacement would be less feasible for many, the opportunity to reduce dark pavement
is a great opportunity to reduce impervious surfaces and replace with pollinator habitats.
•Parking lots are a top target for paved areas; however, most of the parking in
Edina is not city owned, requiring the city to work with the private owners to
depave parking lots. Edina city staff has not looked at paved areas for conversion
at this time.
o Edina could consider a program like St. Louis Park “depave” program for
businesses or homeowners who would like to replace pavement with
pervious surface (ideally pollinator habitat). Park maintenance staff could
be consulted regarding Edina parking lots, but many of our public lots near
parks are already overflowing with parking and not likely to reduce what is
there.
o Southdale area would be the largest target for impervious surface
reduction (along with helping decrease urban heat island affect). City
would need to determine best way to incentivize property owners to
depave.
•Recommend that wildflower/pollinator/native habitats be prioritized over
community gardens for converting underutilized paved areas. These habitats
provide more biodiversity benefits and require much less maintenance.
Community gardens require ongoing maintenance and administration.
Page 13 of 21
•Continue advertising and promoting services like Metrobloom and encourage
residents to apply for local grants to help install pollinator habitats.
•As food insecurity is growing, the commission recommends that we include LF 1-
2 in the 2025 workplan item for the EEC on food security. This initiative can dig
into where there may be hotspots for food insecurity to help drive prioritization for
community gardens.
•Commission also recommends further investigation into ways to manage
community gardens without city staff oversight. Local schools as part of
education, local churches with large properties, or other organizations may be
able to host and maintain a community garden. There are also grants available to
help with community gardens that may be utilized.
o Explore if developers can be required to include community gardens in
new developments
References
City of Edina. (2024). Community Garden. Retrieved from City of Edina:
https://www.edinamn.gov/255/Community-Garden
City of Edina. (2024). Plan Sectors. Retrieved from Climate Action Plan Progress Portal
: https://performance.envisio.com/dashboard/ClimateActionPlan-Edina
Engineering. (2024, August 16). Water Resources Manager. (L. Weber, Interviewer)
Pale Blue Dot LLC. (2021). Climate Action Plan. Edina.
Pale Blue Dot LLC. (2021). Ground Cover Survey and Carbon Sequestration Study.
Edina.
Page 14 of 21
BOARD & COMMISSION
ITEM REPORT
Date: January 9, 2025 Item Activity: Discussion
Meeting: Energy & Environment Commission
Agenda Number: 7.2
Prepared By: Marisa Bayer, Sustainability Manager
Item Type: Report & Recommendation Department: Engineering
Item Title: Approved 2025 EEC Work Plan
Action Requested:
Discuss approved 2025 EEC Work Plan.
Information/Background:
City Council approved the EEC 2025 Work Plan at their Dec. 3, 2024 meeting. The attachments
include the approved work plan and an overview of the Council Charges. EEC should advise if any
changes are needed to the Work Plan leads to be updated in Envisio, and discuss next steps for the
work plan items.
Supporting Documentation:
1. 2025 EEC Work Plan
2. Council Charge Overview
Page 15 of 21
Page 16 of 21
Page 17 of 21
Level of Impact
Council Charge 1: Study & Report 2: Review &
Comment
3: Review &
Recommend
4: Review &
Decide 5: Event
Commission
Role
Study a specific
issue or event and
resport its findings
to Council. Provide
a report to
Council.
Review a specific
policy issue and
staff will seek
comments from
each individual
member of the
group to pass on
to Council.
Commission
comments
included in staff
report.
Review a specific
policy issue and
provide a
recommendation
on the issue to
Council. Provide
report and
recommendations
to Council.
Study, review and
decide on an issue.
The Decision will
be the City’s
official position on
the matter unless
the issue is
formally reversed
by Council.
Commission
makes the
decision.
Plan & implement
a community
event.
Commission Vote
Majority vote
required for
advisory
community report
No vote is taken
by the commission
Majority vote
required for
advisory
communication
report
A majority vote is
required
No vote is taken
by the commission
Commission
Recommendation
No official
recommendation
is provided to
Council or staff
No official
recommendation
is provided to
Council or staff
An official
recommendation
is provided to
Council
No official
recommendation
is provided to
Council
No official
recommendation
is provided to
Council
Report Type
Needed
Required:
Advisory
Communication &
Staff Report
Required: Staff
Report
Required: Staff
Report
Advisory
Communication at
commission
discretion or
requested by staff
Required: Staff
Report
Advisory
Communication if
requested by staff
None
Report Information
Needed
Cover Sheet:
Description
initiative,
additonal staff
involvement
Staff Report: Staff
recommendations
based on expertise
and City’s stance
Staff Report:
Inclusion
additional staff
impacted by
decision
Progress update
should be
recorded on work
plan progress
portal
Progress update
should be
recorded on work
plan progress
portal
Presentation to
Council
Commission
Presentation
Optional
None
Commission
presentation
encourgaged
None None
Council Action
None or mid-year
work plan
modification
directed
None Majority vote by
Council required None None
Staff
Considerations
Liaisons should
communicate
what City staff will
recommend
Individual
comments of each
commissioner
should be included
in the staff report
Liaisons should
communicate to
the commission
what City staff will
recommend
Not every decision
must have
commission
action.
Not every decision
for an event must
have commission
action
Page 18 of 21
BOARD & COMMISSION
ITEM REPORT
Date: January 9, 2025 Item Activity: Information
Meeting: Energy & Environment Commission
Agenda Number: 9.1
Prepared By: Marisa Bayer, Sustainability Manager
Item Type: Other Department: Engineering
Item Title: Commission Work Plan Transition
Action Requested:
No action requested.
Information/Background:
City Council approved a new, two-year work plan development process to allow better connection
of commission work plan initiatives to the overarching strategic priorities, long-term objectives and
available resources. The goal is to make work plan initiatives more intentional, and provide
opportunity to adopt a phased approach for items (e.g., use year one to study and report and in year
two, develop recommendations if directed by Council).
Commissions will implement their approved 2025 Work Plan. EEC will have a joint meeting with City
Council in 2025 to discuss the upcoming work plan, with Council being asked to provide more
direction on projects. EEC will then develop a two-year work plan (2026-2027) with an opportunity
to review and update as needed during work plan implementation.
Supporting Documentation:
1. Staff Memo, Commission Work Plan Transition
Page 19 of 21
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Background
The City Council establishes boards and commission to increase resident engagement in city work and
provide opportunities for residents to serve the community and participate in meaningful work. Currently,
the work plan process is conducted on an annual basis. For up to six months, commissions simultaneously
work on their current initiatives while discussing and developing a new annual work plan. Work plan
development starts in June and final work plans are approved in December.
There were no proposed adjustments to the 2024 work plan process. Starting in 2025, commissions will
transition to a two-year work plan process.
Purpose
The purpose of adjusting the timeline allows better connection of work plan initiatives to the organization’s
overarching strategic priorities, long-term objectives and available resources. The goal is to make work plan
initiatives more intentional and include the budget values (Sustainability, Stewardship, Engagement, Equity,
Health). Two-year work plans provide the opportunity to adopt a phased approach and allocate time to
ensure each aspect of a project or task is executed and implemented effectively.
Commissions are asked to continue to keep their work plans to 4-5 work plan items and use a phased
approach for work plan items. For example, a commission will use year one to study and report and in year
two, develop recommendations if directed by Council after the study and report. This alignment will provide
focus, track progress, adapt to evolving needs and optimize our resources to deliver impactful results.
Administration Department
EdinaMN.gov
Date:December 16, 2024
To:Commission Members
cc:Staff Liaisons
From:MJ Lamon, Special Projects & Engagement Manager
Subject:2025 Commission Work Plan Transition
June - August
•Work Plan Development
October
•Chair presents proposed work plans
November
•Staff presents proposed changes
December
•Council approves work plans
Page 20 of 21
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
1. Strategic Alignment: Strategic alignment ensures that the budget and work plans are directly tied to
the organization’s overarching goals and objectives. It involves mapping resources and planned actions
to strategic priorities, ensuring all efforts contribute to long-term success and addressing the
community's needs effectively.
2. Prioritization & Resource Allocation: Prioritization and resource allocation focus on ranking initiatives
and distributing available resources—such as funding, personnel, and time—according to their
importance and impact. This process ensures that the most critical and high-value projects receive
the necessary support while balancing constraints and competing demands.
3. Phased Approach & Completion: A phased approach breaks down the work plan into manageable
stages aligned with realistic timeframes and resource capacities. This approach acknowledges the
limits of what individuals or teams can achieve within a two-year period, prioritizing tasks to avoid
overcommitment. Each phase sets clear, attainable goals, ensuring steady progress while maintaining
quality and efficiency. Completion emphasizes finalizing deliverables for each phase before advancing,
promoting accountability and the feasibility of meeting long-term objectives.
Highlighted Changes
•Commissions develop two-year work plans
•Divide commissions into two groups and annually four commissions will develop their two-year plan
while the other group will do a review and update, if needed
•Adjust the purpose of joint work session meetings with Council to focus on discussion around
development of the two-year work plan. Council will be asked to provide more direction on projects
for the upcoming work plan.
Timeline
Group 1 = HRRC, CHC, ACC, PARC Group 2 = HPC, EEC, ETC, PC
2025 2026
June-Aug
• Group 2 Joint Meetings with Council
Aug-Sept
• Group 1 work plan review & amendments
Sept-Dec
• Group 2 Develop Two-year Work Plan
June-Aug
• Group 1 Joint Meetings with Council
Aug-Sept
• Group 2 work plan review & amendments
Sept-Dec
• Group 1 Develop Two-year Work Plan
Page 21 of 21