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C.168

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Date:	July 11, 2017

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

AUTHORIZE Staff to Nominate Four Communities in Unincorporated Contra Costa County for the Resilient by Design Challenge

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 07/11/2017

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Jody London, 925-674-7871

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: July 11, 2017
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to nominate the following areas in unincorporated Contra Costa County for the Rockefeller Foundation's Resilient by Design challenge: Bay Point, downtown Rodeo, and North Richmond.

FISCAL IMPACT:

If selected, County staff may be requested to participate in a small number of meetings with outside experts. Costs associated with this nomination and any future meetings are expected to be minimal and accomplished within approved budget levels.

BACKGROUND:

The Rockefeller Foundation is making a $4.6 million grant to the Resilient by Design challenge. The effort is modeled after projects that the Rockefeller Foundation sponsored in New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. The program will select ten sites that represent the most vulnerable ecological systems and vulnerable bayfront communities, as well as infrastructure, that are at risk from sea level rise, severe storms, flooding, and earthquakes.

Each site will be assigned a design team of architects, engineers, designers, planners, and others, selected through a companion process, that will spend the next year working with key stakeholders and local residents to develop innovative solutions for these communities to address impacts of climate change. Each design team will receive a total of $250,000. Community organizations will have an opportunity to receive funding to participate in the research and design process. So while funds will not come directly to the County, funds will be spent to support climate resiliency in the County.

Anyone can nominate a potential site. The deadline for site nominations is July 14. It is staff's understanding that the goal is for nine of the sites to be in each of the nine Bay Area counties, with one additional project.

The Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) study completed last year by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission identified potential hazards and vulnerabilities along the Contra Costa County shoreline from Richmond to Pittsburg; a follow-on study of the eastern Contra Costa County shoreline is anticipated, pending a grant from the Delta Stewardship Council to the Bay Conservation and Development Commission. From the ART findings, we have data on physical and social vulnerabilities of shoreline communities to support the site nomination process.

Staff recommends that the following sites be nominated for consideration by Resilient by Design: Bay Point; Downtown Rodeo; North Richmond.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the Board decides to not nominate potential sites, the County foregoes an opportunity to bring attention and resources to vulnerable communities in the unincorporated areas of the County.