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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - Mail Packet - 04/15/2025 - Council Futures Committee Agenda – April 14, 2025 Council Futures Committee Agenda – City of Fort Collins Page 1 of 2 April 14, 2025 AGENDA Futures Committee REMOTE VIA ZOOM, 4:30-6:00PM, Monday, April 14, 2025 Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://fcgov.zoom.us/j/97103424798 Or One tap mobile:     US: +17209289299, 97103424798#  or +12532158782, 97103424798# Or Telephone:     Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):         US: +1 720 928 9299  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 971 0342 4798     International numbers available: https://fcgov.zoom.us/u/abwdB4CpBR For Technical Assistance please call: 970-221-6505 CALL MEETING TO ORDER 4:30pm- 4:35pm Facilitated by Melanie Potyondy ROLL CALL, APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 10, 2025 MINUTES 4:35- 4:45pm Facilitated by Caryn Champine Click or tap here to enter text. DISCUSSION ITEM: The Future of Hydrogen 4:45-5:45pm Facilitated by Melanie Potyondy Speakers: Dr. Bret Windom, Andrew Zdanowicz and Samantha Preuss of the Chemical Energy Conversion Laboratory (CECL) at Colorado State University (CSU) What is hydrogen, and what role can it play in shaping our future energy systems? This presentation explores the fundamentals of hydrogen as an energy carrier and discusses innovative research underway at CECL within CSU’s Energy Institute. Learn how hydrogen is being studied and developed as a key component of tomorrow’s cleaner, more sustainable energy landscape. ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE UPDATES 5:45- 6:00pm Facilitated by Caryn Champine COMMITTEE MEMBERS Council Futures Committee Agenda – City of Fort Collins Page 2 of 2 Councilmember Julie Pignataro Councilmember Melanie Potyondy Councilmember Tricia Canonico Councilmember Susan Gutowsky, Alternate Staff Liaison: Caryn Champine, Director Planning, Development and Transportation Staff Support: Melina Dempsey, FCMoves 1 CITY OF FORT COLLINS FUTURES COMMITTEE MEETING Date: February 10, 2025 Location: Zoom Time: 4:30pm-6:00pm Committee Members present: Councilmember Melanie Potyondy Councilmember Julie Pignataro Councilmember Tricia Canonico Additional Council members present: City Staff: Caryn Champine Additional Staff present: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager Teresa Roche, Human Resources Director Tyler Stamey, Traffic Engineer Terry Runyan, City Manager’s Office Drew Brooks, Planning, Development, and Transportation Deputy Director Amy King, Environmental Services Meeting called to order at 4:33 pm Approval of Minutes: Councilmember Pignataro moved to approve the November 18, 2024 minutes. Chair Canonico seconded. Motion passed 3-0. Chairperson Comments: Chair Potyondy noted the speaker will provide a presentation then facilitate an exercise with committee members. 2 The Future of Sustainable Systems and Development, Gary Olp, FAIA, LEED Fellow and Founding Director of GGO Architects Topic Overview: Since establishing GGOA in 1987, Gary has championed environmental stewardship, pioneering energy-efficient architecture with passive solar techniques, renewable energy, natural daylighting, enhanced fresh air systems, waste reduction, and non-toxic materials. A founding leader of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Texas, he played a key role in developing the LEED for Homes rating system. Mr. Olp will be sharing his perspectives on the future horizon of sustainable systems, building practices, and community design. Green Shoots Gary Olp, GGO Architects, commended the Fort Collins Environmental Center’s wetland and floodplain restoration projects. • Cities are shaped by access – that is the driving force for 15-minute cities • Cities are under stress in many ways, including environmental and social • Broad Acre City brought on urban sprawl in the 1940’s-‘50’s • The car has corrupted walkable areas and caused sprawl • Parking dominates cities • 3,200 square feet of paved area per capita in the United States • Heat islands are a problem – College Avenue eliminates that with its street trees • Uber and Lyft are tremendous innovations that will help move toward 15-minute cities • Future use of parking structures? – Mandate by code that they become flat plates, 17 feet floor-to- floor to allow future conversion to office, retail, or housing Cities Respond to Natural Forces • Cities are organic and in constant state of flux • Cincinnati – serpentine flood wall is an amenity and allows the city to evolve in a way that it can be resilient and adaptive • New Orleans – Dutch engineers suggested water problem is being mitigated and the city is not adapting or evolving to absorb the problem – should let some of the natural floodplain areas flood rather than trying to build out those areas • Socio-economic factors influence how cities develop • Insurance coverage can be used as a way to reshape cities to respond to fires, flooding, and other issues • Fort Collins could easily be inundated by a major wildfire – resiliency and adaptability must be considered • Resiliency, holistic integrated strategic planning, and coordinated public policy are a better way forward than mitigation • Building codes can be used to plan for wildfire-resistant buildings and homes: proper siding, no attics, living or metal roofs • Austin City Hall: rain garden installed to absorb and filter storm water to be released clean into the Colorado River Automobiles are going to be around for the foreseeable future, but what happens when they aren’t? • Redesign parking structures to be amenities with retail on ground floor and to be aesthetically interesting 3 • Parking garage farms – green spaces to clean the air and for food production What is a 15-Minute City? • Can get anywhere within 15 minutes – will require a holistic approach • Urban center nodes Nature Knowledge: What’s Old is New • Rome was a 15-minute city • Cities rely on being able to sustain themselves and develop along transportation corridors • Mesa Verde, Lisbon – walkable cities • Living buildings to grow food, clean the air, and cut down sound – also allows for greater density • Urban re-wilding – landscaping for biodiversity with wildlife corridors and bridges • Future-proofing cities by creating green space, directing storm water off paved areas into green space • Use of trolleys to reduce parking and keep the car from dominating • Entertainment and sports facilities are vital • Downtown Fort Collins has many positive aspects – less successful in south part of town Councilmember Pignataro commented on buildings along West Elizabeth with vacant retail space below apartments. Mr. Olp commented on the importance of having people living downtown in order to have a vital downtown – retail needs clients and customers. Fort Collins may not have enough residential density driven by pedestrian access yet. Councilmember Potyondy asked Mr. Olp if he has seen any cities who have had luck reimagining their attitude toward gas stations. Mr. Olp commented on Sedona, Arizona, which pushed gas stations to the exterior of the city and screened them with berms and landscaping. Charging stations, however, can happen at buildings or places of business. Mr. Olp commented on the importance of holistic design and preserving views as design parameters when moving toward densification. Councilmember Pignataro suggested constructing future parking garages to be easily retrofitted as discussed. City Manager DiMartino replied that is something that has been discussed, but not built into design standards. She noted it is important to balance near-term costs with long-term flexibility. Champine noted the Civic Center garage does have ground floor retail, but stated there are many more opportunities moving forward. Champine asked about adaptive reuse for civic buildings and civic space. Mr. Olp replied most buildings can be refurbished in a way to allow for different uses. He discussed an example of a building in Dallas that was previously a successful diamond and watch dealer in a prominent Jewish community which was ultimately destroyed by highways cutting through it and the resulting closure of the store. The building was left vacant for many years, but has now been converted to include eleven loft units, commercial/retail, and co-working space. He stated one issue with a civic center, for example, is its depth and sunlight can only be brought in for a portion of the building to make it habitable. He stated the middle of buildings can be cut out to form courtyards. He also suggested the same could be done for 4 malls by eliminating the middle and turning the storefronts outward to recreate the feeling of being on an urban street in a small town. Mr. Olp commented on Portland’s convention center that drains storm water from the roof and surrounding runoff from parking lots and sidewalks into a rain garden that was built all around the building. The garden helps to reduce the scale of the building, cleans the water, and is an aesthetically pleasing feature. Councilmember Canonico asked if there is any data on whether cities are seeing wildlife using bike and pedestrian underpasses. Mr. Olp replied he has only seen elk crossings specifically. Other Business Champine discussed some topics that the Committee will be exploring this year, including local government and AI, the future of hydrogen fuel, the latest in community engagement and deliberation, and local government budgeting. Councilmember Potyondy adjourned the meeting at 5:58 pm.