The Shortline 12-8-23
Harrisonburg’s 2022 GHG Emissions Report highlights. Transportation Board votes down proposed SMART SCALE changes. SWBC requires new plans for water supply and use. San Diego's new ADU apartments.
Harrisonburg’s 2022 GHG Emissions Report is now available on the city website. Compared with the 2019 GHG report, the commercial sector has displaced transportation as the top source of emissions in the city (transportation is now the second-highest source, accounting for 27.5% of emissions). Overall, electricity was Harrisonburg’s highest emissions source, followed by natural gas and gasoline. Total community GHG emissions in 2022 for Harrisonburg were 601,000 metric tons, a 4.6% decrease from the 2016 baseline level.
Compared with the 530,000 metric tons of CO2e shown in the 2019 report, this would appear to be a 13.4% increase over 2019 emissions. The data in the 2019 report was based on environmental metrics from Dominion Energy’s 2019 Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Report, whereas the 2022 report uses ICLEI ClearPath data, which shows 658,016 metric tons of CO2e for 2019 (table 22).
The reason for this switch is to highlight the 20-year vs the 100-year impact of methane emissions. “The main difference in the GHG values for the 20-yr time horizon compared to 100-yr is a much stronger contribution for methane since it has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere,” according to the report.
The Valley
The Commonwealth Transportation Board on Monday voted by a slim margin against a proposal to lower the application caps for state transportation funds. These proposed changes were opposed by regional planners and city leaders. (Virginia Mercury)
The DEQ hosted a community meeting at the Massanutten Regional Library to gather feedback to help the DEQ create a short-term priority action plan to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. (Daily News-Record)
As part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, the DEQ is seeing input on carbon emission reduction priorities, actions, and concerns. (Online survey link)
A developer is proposing that a 31.5 acre parcel near Sentara be rezoned from A-2 (agricultural) to PMF (Planned Multi-Family) to allow for the construction of 500 apartments in two phases adjacent to The Reserve at Stoneport in Rockingham County. (Scott Rogers)
Members of Valley Interfaith Action (VIA) are lobbying the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors to approve on-demand transit organization Jaunt applying for a state 'demonstration grant' that would cover 80% of the program costs in Rockingham County for the first year. (WMRA)
Harrisonburg currently has around 40% impervious cover, according to the most recent Stormwater & Environmental newsletter sent from Public Works. “When an area has more than 10% impervious cover, it is known to cause stress to local streams … For context, HHS’s student parking lot is roughly 3 acres of impervious surface.”
The State Water Control Board last week approved new limits on how much sediment can enter into waterways in the counties of Rockbridge, Augusta, Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania because of the impact such pollution has on aquatic life. (Virginia Mercury)
Virginia
The State Water Control Board amended regulations last week that will require local governments in the same river basin to work together in crafting plans for water supply and use. New regional planning groups will be required to make a “reasonable effort” to coordinate with users that consume more than 300,000 gallons of water in a month. (Virginia Mercury)
Charlottesville: The Fifeville Neighborhood Association, Woodard Properties, and Piedmont Housing Alliance worked together to propose a new development and ultimately signed a type of contract called a community benefits agreement (CBA) memorandum of understanding. This type of agreement is so rare, just a handful are signed in the U.S. each year. (Charlottesville Tomorrow)
Two newly elected members of the Virginia House of Delegates — one Democrat and one Republican — are part of a new coalition sounding the alarm about the costs of the rapidly expanding data center industry in Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Residents and community leaders are organizing in opposition to new Western Loudoun power lines. PJM is seeking proposals on how to meet the growing need for power in Northern Virginia that has stemmed from rapid data center growth. (Loudoun Now)
Northern Virginia leaders expressed concern over plans to change SMART SCALE, the commonwealth’s transportation funding program. They say the proposals would have made standalone bike and pedestrian projects less competitive for funding, prioritizing highway expansions instead. (DCist)
In between the sprawling lawns of Loudoun County and the riverside lofts of Alexandria lie clusters of struggling, predominantly non-white neighborhoods that are increasingly left out of the success and prosperity experienced by Northern Virginia as a whole, according to a new report. (Virginia Mercury)
Dominion Energy Virginia imposed new interconnection requirements for most commercial solar, increasing costs 20 to 40% compared to the previous year. The General Assembly should clarify that solar developers are responsible for safety equipment and other costs of interconnection on the premises. (Virginia Mercury)
A proposed solar farm in Prince George County is drawing opposition from residents who say it’ll impact their quality of life. The Planning Commission voted unanimously at the end of October and determined that the proposal is not in “substantial accord” with the comprehensive plan. (WRIC)
Richmond City Council’s plan to inspect residential rentals has run into limitations put in place by state legislators. Under Virginia law, cities must identify districts where rentals are deteriorating or blighted, or add them to the program on a unit-by-unit basis. (VPM)
Jennifer DeBruhl says she will retire at the end of June as executive director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation, which has become a critical agency for managing Virginia’s ambitious plans to expand passenger and commuter rail service. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Elsewhere
A typical accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is small and hidden behind a larger house. But a program in San Diego makes it possible to add several units to a single lot—in some cases even dozens of units. (Fast Company)
Office-to-residential conversions have the potential to stop the erosion of a crucial tax base while restoring the vibrancy of cities, address a national housing shortage and affordability crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (USA Today)
Bipartisan majorities of the public support zoning policies that aim to increase housing supply and affordability, according to survey results released by The Pew Charitable Trusts. (Smart Cities Dive)
For those of us hoping innovative startups might succeed in solving the affordable housing shortage, recent news has not been reassuring. One of the most heavily funded unicorns in the space — modular housing developer Veev — was reported last week to be on the verge of shutting down. (Crunchbase)
Cambridge City Councillor Scott Hamilton plans to bring a motion to city council to ask staff to look at the possibility of building affordable housing over above-ground city parking lots. (CTV News)
The Cottages at Hickory Crossing, a permanent supportive housing community that opened in Dallas in 2016, houses 50 previously “chronically homeless” people who each pay $50 each month for their 430 sq. ft. homes. (Windy City Times)
More than two-thirds of Americans understand that the highway expansions happening in their backyards won't fix congestion as local pols often claim— and many want those officials to stop spending money on projects that endanger their families. (Streetsblog USA)
Compared to self-driving cars, and just about any other mobility mode, e-bikes have flourished in 2023, posting strong sales despite a slowdown in the overall bike industry. If 2023’s trendline continues, the humble e-bike, not the flashy self-driving car, will be poised to reconfigure American transportation. (Fast Company)
At least 1,300 employees of organizations representing fossil fuel interests registered to attend this year's United Nations climate talks in Dubai, more than three times the number found in an Associated Press analysis of last year's talks. (Stamford Advocate)