Tiny Emeryville is a Green Giant

The City of Emeryville, sandwiched between Berkeley, Oakland, and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, is becoming a model for communities looking to improve their environment. Emeryville's resident population of under 10,000 swells to over 100,000 most days due to the heavy concentration of commercial and high tech businesses. Its density and industrial past have left the City with serious environmental problems, but it is working had to transform that image to one of a green, dense community.

Its most recent environmental project is a solar energy project on top of its City Hall and administrative building. The net cost to the City was $300,000 and the project is expected to save $800,000 over its 30-year life. The project is also expected to avoid over 2.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. The City is also investigating reduced permit fees for other solar installations.

Emeryville also has an award-winning program for stormwater management. In December 2005 the Emeryville City Council adopted Stormwater Guidelines for Green, Dense Redevelopment: Stormwater Quality Solutions for the City of Emeryville. These guidelines outline ideas for meeting new stormwater treatment requirements using site design, parking strategies, and stormwater treatment measuresto allow water to flow through plants and soil. Numeric requirements apply to development projects of 10,000 square feet or more. The guidelines generally require vegetative stormwater treatment measures, and apply city-wide.

In addition to the guidelines, a pamphlet for developers that provides a summary of requirements and provides answers to some basic questions regarding stormwater treatment and measures. (www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/planning/pdf/emeryvillereq.pdf)

A copy of the Stormwater Guidelines for Green, Dense Redevelopment is also available. (www.ci.emeryville.ca.us/planning/pdf/stormwater_guidelines.pdf)

Emeryville has developed a Multi-Family Green Building checklist that will be attached to the front of building plans, and connects developers with Alameda County's green building program (www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=269).

And Emeryville is one of the communities in California investigating Community Choice Aggregation (CCA). It is working with Berkeley and Oakland to explore a joint CCA project. All three have received preliminary analyses, and are awaiting more detailed studies. They are also working to inform their residents and businesses in advance of any city council decisions.

To learn about the CCA efforts of these three communities visit the Community Choice Aggregation page on the City of Berkeley web site. (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/sustainable/government/CommunityChoice/CCA.html)

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