South San Francisco aiming for carbon neutrality

“South San Francisco is already experiencing the effects of a changing climate, and these impacts are projected to worsen even with only modest increases in greenhouse gas emissions,” said community planner Eric Yurokovich, who pointed to heat waves, drought, flooding and sea level rise.

According to a 2017 survey, 43% of the city’s emissions come from transportation, 32% from powering non-residential buildings, 10% from landfill waste and 9% from powering residential buildings. In all, the city produced the equivalent of 609,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide that year, up from 517,000 metric tons in 2005, and the numbers are projected to continue to increase as more jobs and housing are ushered in.

Councilmembers and members of the Planning Commission weighed in on how the city should tackle the problem during an April 6 meeting, agreeing that as the city pushes things like costly electrification of existing buildings and transit modes that don’t rely on single-occupancy cars, education and outreach efforts to residents should be at the forefront.

The city has already made headway on the goals, including approving requirements for new residential buildings to rely solely on electric power. But the law does not impact existing buildings, which will need to be converted if the city intends to reach its goals.

The rules, called reach codes, mean traditionally natural gas-powered items like heaters and stoves would need to be replaced with electric alternatives, a switch that in older buildings can also entail pricey upgrades like new electric panels. The city receives 96% of its power from Peninsula Clean Energy, which it said provides entirely carbon-free electricity.

“If we’re going to talk, especially to those that are renters and ask them to start electrifying their appliances, there needs to be a way that we’re building that bridge, and not hitting them with a price tag that they can’t even bear to understand,” said Councilmember Eddie Flores, who added that climate change and its effects are not an immediate concern for many residents who struggle with things like housing and groceries.

The council stopped short of extending the electric requirements to commercial buildings amid worry existing power-supply infrastructure would be unable to handle the load. Councilmember James Coleman, however, said he hoped the council would revisit the issue, and that he would like the city to also explore adopting an ordinance to require residents and business owners to replace gas appliances at the end of their lives with electric alternatives.

On the transportation side of things, Mayor Mark Nagales said the city should work to increase “last-mile” connection from public transit stops to improve usefulness of existing bus, train and ferry services. Last-mile services are those that can facilitate travel from a transit stop to a traveler’s end destination, like their home or workplace. Shuttles services, or bicycles and scooter share programs are among options.

Nagales said pushing the city’s large employers to shift their workforces away from single-occupancy cars for commuting should also be a goal. “With the gas prices right now and people working from home I think we have an opportunity here to really promote alternative modes of transportation,” he said.

But multiple commissioners shared that they struggled to use public transit personally due to long travel times and inconvenience. Commissioner Michele Evans said improvements were needed to public transit before doing things like reducing parking availability in new buildings — an idea floated in the past by some councilmembers.

Planning Commission Chair Sam Shihadeh agreed, but added that it would be unrealistic to expect SamTrans buses to increase service if ridership was low.

The climate action plan also calls for policy to aid in replacing gas power cars with electric alternatives, like requiring chargers to be installed in new multifamily and commercial buildings.

Other identified goals are reducing the city’s waste by promoting composting, recycling and conservation. Longer term ideas include sequestration projects — those that would capture carbon in the atmosphere, like planting trees and restoring Colma Creek as an ecological habitat.

The city will continue to refine the goals in coming months and several community meetings are planned to gather public input. Visit shapessf.com for more information.

corey@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200, ext. 105