City of Maple Ridge Green Infrastructure Discussion Opportunities and Challenges Dec. 15, 2016 Thanks, rod…

Outline Background Benefits and Services Challenges/Opportunities Next Steps

Background What Is Green Infrastructure (GI)? Green infrastructure has the following characteristics: Green infrastructure refers to the natural vegetation, soils, water, and bioengineered solutions that collectively provide society with a broad array of products and services that are crucial to health and livability.

Local Government GI Applications What Is Green Infrastructure?

Maple Ridge GI Applications Multi Departmental Integration & Coordination Recreation /Parks: community greenway corridors, active parks, open space areas, ‘communities in bloom’, street trees, urban forest management , operations and maintenance Transportation: street boulevard areas, bulb outs, traffic circles Stormwater Management: bio-swales, rain gardens, top soil amendments, bio-filtration ponds and wetlands, detention ponds, floodplain management, and landscape servicing agreements Sustainability: climate change adaptation, energy conservation, liveability, and sustainable corporate strategies Land Use Plans: Landscape design, form and character, open space areas, natural heritage, smart growth on ground, Silver Valley ecocluster developments Environment: dedicated park conservation areas and conservation covenants, enhancement restoration plans, soils management Operations: road ROWs, municipal lands & utility areas, floodway areas, detention systems, eco-swales, groundwater, drainage conveyance Emergency Services: Wildfire DP guidelines, environmental health and safety Finance: implementation securities, monitoring, maintenance, and enforcement

Background What Is Green Infrastructure?

Benefits and Services from Green Infrastructure are Well Documented

Benefits and Services Consistent with MR Objectives & Policies Green infrastructure has the following characteristics: Multifunctional: Green infrastructure provides a variety of benefits and ‘free’ ecosystem services to people and wildlife. Adaptive: Green infrastructure includes both natural and constructed forms, and can be implemented at different scales and surfaces (hard-scape to soft-scape). Sustainable: Green infrastructure supports broad-based community sustainability goals, including social well-being, community health, climate change adaptation as well as economic, social, and ecological sustainability. It can provide economic benefits by reducing the capital, maintenance, and replacement costs of conventional grey infrastructure.

Different Scales/Types Of Green Infrastructure What Is Natural Capital ?

Challenges/Opportunities Corporate and Regulatory Challenges Multi Departmental Responsibility. There is not single responsible authority. Suite of Tools Required. There are multiple tools needed to implement and manage green infrastructure. Adaptive measures are required. Education and Awareness. An approach that includes education, collaboration, and awareness of green infrastructure is required to help overcome many of our current challenges. Financial Resources & Support Required. Growing body of research and experience demonstrating significant cost savings from green infrastructure compared with conventional grey infrastructure.

Challenges/Opportunities Increasing Expectations from the Community Attractive places to live, work , and play: Award winning sustainable developments in new greenfield areas and in town centre. Public and private preferences vary with respect to form & function. Landscape informs / guides development: OCP policies and regulations promote working with natural environment. Increasing number of regulations & requirements from Province, MV, and LGs about low impact design and best practices. Maintenance Requirements: functional and aesthetic values. How much is enough? How to determine appropriate balance? Should local government be providing design parameters for softscaping? Accountability: Who pays? How much? Should everyone have to pay or only those who benefit from GI in local neighborhoods. What tools are available to help us manage green infrastructure?

Challenges/Opportunities Landscape Design Guidelines & BMPs Safety Concerns: site lines, forest interface areas, public utilities, wildlife interface areas, and noxious weeds Right Place, Right Plant: appropriate plant selection with consideration of life cycles, available space, form & character, prominent locations vs. remote areas, hardscaping vs. softscaping, density & sizes of plantings, native plants vs. non-native species, Maintenance Requirements: appropriate topsoil and landscape treatments, evergreens vs. deciduous plants, how often and what type of maintenance is required, meeting expectations of the public, sparsely vegetated areas and invasive plant management Public vs. Private Lands: may need to consider different types of land uses (industrial, residential duplex/single family, institutional) how the landscaping on interface areas may impact municipal owned lands.

Challenges/Opportunities Learning From Others – Designs and BMPs Different Zones/Land Uses – Designs and BMPs

Challenges/Opportunities More Resources/Funding Options Required Current Funding & Resources Local Area Service Agreements – Parks Operations or Contractors? Strata Agreements Municipal Parks Department and Operations Dept. Working Budgets Voluntary Measures by private land owners Alternative or Additional Options Development Cost Charges (DCCs) for developers Annual Physical Infrastructure and Green Infrastructure Budgets Local Area Servicing (LAS) Agreements General Tax Revenue

Next Steps Optimizing The Role Of Green Infrastructure How can Maple Ridge continue to optimize the benefits of Green Infrastructure in adaptive ways? What locations and land uses are priority spaces for a green infrastructure approach? What are the gaps and how do they need to be filled? How can City effectively incorporate GI initiatives into existing and future programs in a timely manner? What are the appropriate financial mechanisms and resources required?

Next Steps For EAC Sub-Committee Establish EAC Sub-Committee Group along with other stakeholder groups Communicate values and importance of GI Develop a Green Infrastructure Mgmt. Strategy Update existing policies, regulations, & BMPs Apply and/or implement Review, monitor, and update