What is urban greening?
Urban greening programs usually include creation and maintenance of green space, such as parks; planting and care of trees; and the creation of green infrastructure.
Green spaces and plants in urban areas provide numerous environmental and community benefits. They can help to reduce flooding and sewer overflow by absorbing large amounts of stormwater, provide wildlife habitat, help to maintain air quality, reduce urban heat islands and provide green space for neighborhood socializing and community building.
Urban Greening Grant
The City of Pacific Grove applied for and was awarded a Proposition 84 Grant to develop an Urban Greening Plan. Proposition 84—the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006—authorized funding for the purpose of creating urban greening plans to guide and coordinate urban greening projects in local jurisdictions across the state. Development and implementation of urban greening plans support the State’s environmental goals and planning policies; promote infill development and equity; protect the environment; and encourage efficient development patterns.
Below are the elements that will make up the Urban Greening Plan for the City of Pacific Grove.
GIS based watershed model
The City has contracted with California State University, Monterey Bay to create a field-validated watershed hydrologic model to estimate the annual and seasonal flow of water that reaches the Pacific Grove Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) through the city’s stormwater system. Modeling is continuing through the 2015-2016 wet season. The final report will estimate long-term stormwater contribution to ASBS from large storms, medium storms, small storms, and the dry-season from different sub-watersheds and land use types within the ASBS watershed.
Public Tree Inventory
The Citywide Public Tree Inventory was completed in September 2015. The inventory included 7,394 City-maintained trees, 623 planting areas available for new tree plantings, and found canopy coverage at 28.6%. The following documents were completed as part of this element:
Landscape Trees for Pacific Grove
The recommended landscape tree list for Pacific Grove was updated in April 2015 by the Beautification and Natural Resources Commission.
Landscaping Guidelines & Policies
The Pacific Grove Landscape Guidelines and Plant Palette document is a guiding document with recommendations for landscape design, planting practices, and maintenance for the homeowner and to assist landscape and construction professionals. It provides an integrated approach to creating healthy, environmentally friendly landscapes for the Pacific Grove environment.
Stormwater Low Impact Development (LID) Infrastructure Assessment
This element will consist of initial planning and conceptual design of priority areas for green infrastructure and the urban forest to implement stormwater treatment measures. The Assessment will take into consideration the outcomes of all previous elements developed for the Urban Greening Plan and extensive public input.
Work on this element is set to begin in May 2016.
Ways to Participate
Your attendance and comments at meetings is welcome and appreciated.
Opportunity for public input for the Stormwater Low Impact Development (LID) Infrastructure Assessment and Final Urban Greening Plan will be posted here in mid-2016.
Survey and Workshops
A public workshop was held on Sept. 16, 2016 that facilitated the identification and preliminary development of Low Impact Development Projects that will be part of the Urban Greening Plan.
Funding for the City of Pacific Grove’s Urban Greening Plan is provided by Proposition 84 to Improve the Sustainability and Livability of California's Communities through the Strategic Growth Council's Urban Greening for Sustainable Communities Grant Program.