When I worked on the City's Sustainability Action Plan in developing the Natural Environment and Water Resources sections, our group was challenged to find inventory data from the city for Conservation Lands/ Areas. It seemed possible that biodiversity within natural areas or conservation areas had not been evaluated at that point. I don't know if that has since changed, and I understandthe funding mechanism challenge of this. But it is difficult tomanage the natural environment if that environment hasn't been evaluated ecologically.
A few concerns related to the Environmental Review exemption under the infill priority:
Smaller, high-value ecological areas (like pockets of mature trees or habitat corridors) may be developed more quickly, resulting in a loss of urban biodiversity. Individual projects might not require a detailed environmental checklist, potentially allowing, for instance, tree removal or impervious surface increases in smaller, overlooked (but ecologically important) natural patches. Unclear to me if infill exemptions are generally limited to already developed or disturbed areas.
I also support the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board’s recommended Policy Land Use & Zoning 2-4 [“Protect, restore, acquire, and maintain urban agricultural lands, urban forests, critical areas, shorelines, habitats, and open spaces as interconnected natural systems that provide flood protection, heat reduction, and carbon sequestration benefits, including through codes, capital investments, and regional partnerships.”]
Thank you for your consideration, Amy
Amy Rusev Dawley
[Personal contact details omitted from the reading text.]
Amy Rusev Dawley
Feb 18, 2026
Local Resident
[PDF page 1 of 1]
Good afternoon,
When I worked on the City's Sustainability Action Plan in developing the Natural Environment and Water Resources sections, our group was challenged to find inventory data from the city for Conservation Lands/ Areas. It seemed possible that biodiversity within natural areas or conservation areas had not been evaluated at that point. I don't know if that has since changed, and I understandthe funding mechanism challenge of this. But it is difficult tomanage the natural environment if that environment hasn't been evaluated ecologically.
A few concerns related to the Environmental Review exemption under the infill priority:
Smaller, high-value ecological areas (like pockets of mature trees or habitat corridors) may be developed more quickly, resulting in a loss of urban biodiversity. Individual projects might not require a detailed environmental checklist, potentially allowing, for instance, tree removal or impervious surface increases in smaller, overlooked (but ecologically important) natural patches. Unclear to me if infill exemptions are generally limited to already developed or disturbed areas.
I also support the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Board’s recommended Policy Land Use & Zoning 2-4 [“Protect, restore, acquire, and maintain urban agricultural lands, urban forests, critical areas, shorelines, habitats, and open spaces as interconnected natural systems that provide flood protection, heat reduction, and carbon sequestration benefits, including through codes, capital investments, and regional partnerships.”]
Thank you for your consideration, Amy
Amy Rusev Dawley
[Personal contact details omitted from the reading text.]