Comprehensive Plan

Vision

Climate Action: The Town is a leader in mitigating climate change and in increasing resilience to climate change impacts for both residents and the environment by incorporating creative system-wide changes. The Town prioritizes strategies to increase the resilience of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), low-income, and other residents who are disproportionately impacted by climate change.

Environment: Preserve, protect, and restore natural areas and ecologically sensitive and productive areas through all feasible means. Plans and policies will improve equity by increasing the community’s access to experiencing natural places, especially for those who currently have less access.

What We Will Measure
What We Will Measure
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions
Municipal emissions
The number of BIPOC and low-income residents who participate in climate change-related public engagement
Percentage of budget allocated to enact climate change actions over the next 10 years
Increase in various measures of ecosystem health: native plantings, tree canopy, pollinators, air pollution, biodiversity, water quality

Goals	Projects
Goals	Projects
Categories Goal 1: Achieve 80% reduction in per capita greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, as compared to 2010 levels. This goal refers to community-wide greenhouse gas emissions, not only emissions due to municipal operations.
Strategy 1.1 Increase the use of renewable energy sources, e.g., solar for all residents, including low-income residents.	Develop partnerships with public agencies or organizations to increase opportunities to access renewable energy (CCAP).
	Continue evaluation of the potential to integrate renewable energy infrastructure during the review of development permits.
	C Demand for more expansive renewable energy County and State legislation, ordinances, and policies.
Strategy 1.2 Integrate Climate Action with the Local Living Economy.	Expand the Worthwhile Investments Save Energy (WISE) Program and Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (EERLF).
	B Collect and communicate data to the public and decision-makers on food-related greenhouse gas emissions for dining facilities and households in Carrboro.
	C Improve access to local healthy food options such as fresh fruits and vegetables to all community members.
Categories Goal 2: Achieve 80% reduction in municipal emissions by 2030. As this goal refers to greenhouse gas emissions due to municipal operations, refer to Public Services & Communications Chapter to view relevant strategies/ projects already underway.
Strategy 2.1: Budget for implementing the Town’s climate action plans (both community and municipal) in accordance with the June 25, 2019 Resolution.
Categories Goal 3: Expand equitable and inclusive community participation in the decision-making and implementation of climate change goals and policies.
Strategy 2.2: At a minimum, 20% of the budget required to meet the Town’s climate action goals is funded over the next 10 years.	D Promote the green economy including local innovators and low-impact industries. (See Economic Sustainability)
Categories Goal 4: Enable lower-income residents and small business owners to be able to financially participate and benefit from climate resiliency programs.
Strategy 4.1 Increase participation of rental properties in energy, drinking water, and climate resiliency building programs.	A Establish a Rental Property Task Force and Process.
	Establish a certificate program and public database for the energy performance of rental housing.
Strategy 4.2 Expand access to weatherization, energy efficiency, and continue water conservation measures for all, especially lower-income residents and small business owners, in new construction and retrofits to existing buildings.	A Pursue compliance with voluntary section of building code or request specific energy performance rating/measures as a part of land use and/or building permit, especially for affordable housing units/projects.
	B Incentivize energy efficiency and green building with special designations and recognition programs to exceed minimum standards and meet climate change demands.
	C Develop and promote technical assistance programs for small business owners and income-qualified homeowners and renters to install weatherization, energy efficient, and water conservation measures.
	Develop a free or low-cost financing program for weatherization, energy efficient, renewable energy/community generation, and water conservation projects which can be an addition to affordable home rehabilitation programs.
Categories Goal 1: Conserve and restore watersheds, ecosystems, and native species.
Strategy 1.1 Support native plantings throughout town.	A Conduct a heat study of Carrboro to identify urban heat islands to determine where native planting programs can be strategically located. Establish parameters within the Land Use Ordinance to mitigate the urban heat island effects in priority areas.
	B Work with local groups and organizations to support and expand a native pollinators program that provides technical assistance on native planting for Carrboro residents (renters and homeowners) and business owners.
	C Continue to provide education to Public Works and Planning staff, Advisory Commission members, and interested community members in native plant establishment and maintenance along with tree preservation.
	D Establish and protect native vegetation in riparian and stream channel restoration projects.
	E Continue to work with OWASA and Town of Chapel Hill to improve riparian vegetation condition along sanitary sewer rights of ways and greenways.
Strategy 1.2 Expand nature-based stormwater solutions as part of ecosystem enhancement, watershed restoration, climate resilience, and quality of place improvements.	A Review and revise the provisions in the Land Use Ordinance related to stormwater and development to provide better protection to streams and riparian areas.
	B Continue to identify and prioritize opportunities for water quality retrofit projects from previous endeavors.
	C Implement bioengineering/restoration methods to protect and/or restore riparian and aquatic habitats.
	D Offer technical and financial assistance to renters and homeowners for residential installation of green infrastructure, with an ability to offer priority to more flood prone and lower income residents.
	E A Racial Equity Impact Assessment can be used to evaluate and prioritize projects.
Strategy 1.3 Create strategic initiatives to overcome historic soil quality degradation and determine ways to protect and restore soil quality as a crucial component of ecosystem and community enhancement.	A Examine Carrboro’s soil quality conditions and how soil quality improvements can contribute to climate change resiliency.
	B Recognize and promote the importance of soil organic carbon content. Coordinate with efforts to expand composting program.
	C Develop new outreach and technical assistance to accelerate access to information on soil quality and pursuit of soil restoration projects.
Categories Goal 2: Promote policies to ensure distribution of environmental burdens and access to natural areas and ecosystems to be equitable across race, income, and ability, especially in neighborhoods that have been denied and historically underserved.
Strategy 2.1 Ensure environmental policies and tools do not have disparate impacts based on race and income, and undo harm from historical policies and zoning.	A Evaluate individual permits within a broader context of cumulative burden to ensure that stormwater impacts do not burden flood-prone neighborhoods or low-income residents.
	B Investigate land use planning and flood mitigation approaches to better address impacts to already burdened properties.
	C Train Stormwater Advisory Commission Members, Racial Equity Commission members, and Public Works staff to conduct Racial Equity Impact Assessments on ordinances and actions taken thus far on any policy related to stormwater.
Categories Goal 1: Address disparate impacts of transportation decisions and investments in Carrboro’s BIPOC, lower-income, and differently-abled populations.
Strategy 1.1 Center equity in transportation planning processes.	A Continue to promote the inclusion of equity as a weighing factor in the selection of local and regional transportation projects.