Board of Public Works Weighs in on Low Impact Development Ordinance

This is the first in a series of Low Impact Development (LID) Ordinance updates. Your input and engagement is vital to this process so please stay tuned.

On Friday, November 13, the Board of Public Works discussed the Bureau of Sanitation’s proposed Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance. A total of 30 community members attended the meeting and spoke during the public comment period. In a 2-1 vote the Board decided to postpone their decision about the ordinance until December 11, 2009.

The proposed ordinance calls for all new or re-development projects to capture, infiltrate and use the runoff that is a result of a storm of .75 inches or less. This will prevent pollutants from leaving the development site. If developers are unable to meet these requirements they would be required to provide mitigation projects at other sites or pay a fee to the City to fund other pollution prevention projects.

While the Board agrees that the LID ordinance is important, they would like to allow for more direct, public input on the issue. The Stormwater Program will therefore be hosting an additional community meeting (similar to the October meetings) to encourage public comment.

A meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 1 at 6:30-8:30 at the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Sanitation, Media Technical Center (2714 Media Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90065) to allow residents to provide input on the matter. All are welcome to attend!

Please stay tuned for these upcoming LID-related blog posts:

- Board of Public Works Weighs in on LID Ordinance

- Input Needed - Attend the Low Impact Development ordinance community meeting (12/01)

- What exactly is Low Impact Development?

- How will the Low Impact Development ordinance affect LA’s water quality?

- Why is LA’s Bureau of Sanitation department proposing a Low Impact Development ordinance?

- What folks are saying about the Low Impact Development Ordinance – reactions from community groups, businesses and residents