[RP TownTalk] [HOPE_in_Hyattsville] Our county’s chance for a greener future: CB-80 10/26 9 am

Sun Oct 24 12:34:33 UTC 2010

________________________________
From: Bridget Warren <bridget.warren at gmail.com>
Sent: Fri, October 22, 2010 6:10:13 PM
Subject: [HOPE_in_Hyattsville] Our county’s chance for a greener future: CB-80 
10/26 9 am

Hello all-

I wanted to share important information on a crucial stormwater bill (CB-80, 
lots of details and links below) that the County Council is about to vote on. 
Many of the Route 1 corridor towns have Anacostia River tributaries running 
through them. Some have been restored, others need to be. 

On Tuesday, October 26 Prince George’s County Council has a chance to chart a 
new course for county development that is economically and environmentally 
sustainable. There are many reasons to support CB-80 outlined below, I hope if 
you agree this is critical you will:

	* Write to the County Council members who not yet decided on their vote (emails 
below).
	* Call the Clerk of the Council ASAP to sign up to speak on Tuesday 
301-952-3600.
	* Come to the Council hearing room at 9AM on Tuesday to make your voice heard: 
County Administration Building 14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive Upper Marlboro, 
Maryland 20772-3050.Thank you,
Bridget

Please contact these council members and ask them to vote for CB-80 on October 
26: 

	* District 2, Will Campos (wacampos at co.pg.md.us)
	* District 5, Vice-Chair Andrea Harrison (councildistrict5 at co.pg.md.us)
	* District 7, Camille Exum (CAExum at co.pg.md.us)
	* District 8, Tony Knotts (TKnotts at co.pg.md.us)
	* District 9, Marilyn Bland (mmbland at co.pg.md.us)
Council members Harrison and Knotts approved CB-80 when it came up for a 
committee vote earlier this month, so please thank them for those votes and ask 
them to continue to support CB-80 for passage by the full council.

Bioretention, Knollbrook Drive, Prince George’s County
Studies have shown that building green:
	* Attracts customers who are willing to travel farther, visit more frequently, 
and spend more money in business districts with trees and natural landscaping 
(link) 

	* Increases residential property values 28% compared to similar properties 
without street trees, median plantings, and other green improvements (link) 
	* Planting a tree within 50 feet of a house can increase its value by about 9%, 
while location of a house within ¼ mile from a park increased values by 10% 
(link) 

	* Is on average no more expensive than traditional practices, while attaining 
higher occupancy levels, lease rates, and sales prices (link) 

	* Managing stormwater runoff through state-mandated ESD methods is in most 
cases cheaper than standard engineering alternatives (link) 

	* Is increasingly required to attract federal tenants – GSA has mandated that 
by 2015 18% of federal buildings in its portfolio will incorporate green 
practices (link) - (over 1000 properties!) Prince George’s County can position 
itself for major growth by getting ahead of this curve and building the federal 
buildings of the future

Bioretention, Mother Jones Elementary School, Prince George’s County
Prince George’s County has an opportunity to move in this greener direction by 
enacting the clean water bill (CB-80), which will require builders to manage 
stormwater runoff onsite instead of sending it rushing offsite via curbs, 
gutters, and storm drains where it carries pollution to our waterways and causes 
severe erosion. The costs of these downstream problems are passed on from 
builders to taxpayers when stormwater is not adequately controlled onsite. 

Storm debris on Anacostia River after heavy rain in August 2010.
CB-80 will:
	* Save taxpayers money for costly infrastructure repairs on roads, bridges, 
etc. (link) 

	* Brightwater Consulting has estimated, based on MD DNR data, that the stream 
restoration backlog in the county is over $900 million because an astonishing 
88% of our stream miles are degraded
	* Reduce the county’s compliance costs for strict new water quality rules being 
implemented to protect the Chesapeake Bay (link) 

	* Restore our degraded rivers and streams by requiring improved stormwater 
runoff controls as part of the new and redevelopment process.
	* Existing development has caused existing problems, so strong redevelopment 
standards are vital to cleaning up our county’s environment!
	* Improve our quality of life by introducing green practices such as tree 
plantings, rain gardens, green roofs, etc. at all development sites, increasing 
the aesthetics of both new and established communities in the county
	* Lead to the higher quality development Prince George’s County citizens have 
wanted for years. The experience of neighboring counties, and cities like 
Philadelphia, is that higher environmental standards attract higher quality 
builders constructing higher quality projects. Don’t believe the polluters who 
say that higher environmental standards will stop redevelopment!

L: Stormwater flooding of Paint Branch caused the Jiffy Lube on Route 1 to lose 
50 feet of it's parking lot.  R: A "Green Street" in Prince George's County.
When all these factors are considered you can see that it makes financial and 
environmental sense for the county to enact CB-80. 

Mount Rainier’s Vision for a Green Downtown
_________________
	1. "Casey Trees Green Issue Briefs, Green Business Districts." Available here 
(back to top)
	2. "Casey Trees Green Issue Briefs, Green Residences." Available here 
(back to top)
	3. "The Determinants of Neighborhood Transformation in Philadelphia: 
Identification and Analysis—The New Kensington Pilot Study." Available here 
(back to top)
	4. "Green Building Costs Less Than Conventional Building."  Available here 
(back to top)
	5. EPA case studies (actual built projects costed for different stormwater 
systems): Compiled from Tables 1 and 2, “Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low 
Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices.” Available here; MD case 
studies (real world sites with conceptual stormwater designs): Meliora 
Redevelopment Report, 2008, Available here 
(back to top)
	6. "All New GSA Construction To Achieve LEED Gold: Leases Require LEED Silver 
or Energy Star." Available here 
(back to top)
	7. According to Mayor Adam Ortiz, Prince George’s County built a $7 million 
pumping station to address stormwater-caused flooding in the Town of Edmonston. 
Additionally, WSSC estimates costs of $7-$45 million over the next several years 
to repair pipes damaged by stormwater-caused erosion. 
(back to top)
	8. For more details, see press release here and here 
(back to top)

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