California Air Resources Board

I. Objective

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) seeks to develop project characteristics (i.e., “attributes”) that can be used to conduct screening-level greenhouse gas (GHG) impact analyses pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for determining whether non-residential land use development projects (e.g., office, retail, warehouse) have a less-than-significant impact on GHG emissions and are consistent with the Scoping Plan. This effort builds and expands upon a similar approach identified in Appendix D: Local Actions of CARB’s 2022 Scoping Plan Update, which identifies screening-level attributes of residential projects that are clearly consistent with the Scoping Plan by promoting 1) transportation electrification, 2) vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reduction, and 3) building decarbonization, and also addresses public feedback requesting that CARB develop similar CEQA Scoping Plan-consistency recommendations for non-residential projects.

The objective of this project is to prepare a white paper summarizing whether the existing body of research supports the development of a qualitative screening approach for evaluating the CEQA GHG impacts from non-residential land uses. The white paper will also identify and describe potential attributes associated with low GHG emissions for non-residential land uses, which could include office, retail, warehouse, etc., and one of the considerations for developing the non-residential land attributes shall include concerns of communities impacted by land uses proposed under this contract. While this contract seeks to identify attributes supportive of these goals to support the preparation of screening-level CEQA GHG analyses, land uses generating large or a majority amount of GHG emissions from other sources (e.g., production or processes at industrial facilities) will not be evaluated in this contract.

The white paper will also include a description of the range of GHG reductions associated with each attribute and the empirical evidence/literature supporting these reductions. If the contractor concludes that other approaches are better suited to evaluating the GHG impacts and Scoping Plan consistency of non-residential projects (i.e. bright line thresholds or consistency with local plans), this conclusion would need to be well supported in the white paper.

II. Background

The 2022 Scoping Plan Update makes clear that GHG reductions at the local level are necessary for the State to meet the climate goals that it outlines. Appendix D of the 2022 Scoping Plan Update then identifies how local jurisdictions can reduce their emissions in a manner consistent with the Scoping Plan through local land use and transportation planning decisions that promote transportation electrification, VMT reduction, and building decarbonization.

Most land use projects approved by local jurisdictions are subject to CEQA, which requires a project to analyze, disclose, and mitigate its environmental impacts. Appendix D of the 2022 Scoping Plan Update describes how CEQA’s requirement for analyzing consistency with the Scoping Plan can be used to facilitate the development of land use projects that advance the climate goals and priorities of the Scoping Plan. As minimal guidance currently exists for how to determine project-level Scoping Plan consistency under CEQA, CARB staff have often observed inconsistent analyses and findings of Scoping Plan consistency in CEQA documents.

Approval and development of land use projects that do not support and promote the Scoping Plan goals of transportation electrification, VMT reduction, and building decarbonization hinder state, regional, and local efforts to meet climate targets and represent missed opportunities for reducing and mitigating GHG emissions from these projects. To help address this issue, Appendix D of CARB's 2022 Scoping Plan Update identifies several attributes of residential projects consistent with the Scoping Plan. These project attributes can be used by lead agencies, project sponsors, consultants, and other users to support the CEQA-required analysis of Scoping Plan consistency, and CARB recently began submitting CEQA comment letters using these attributes to help evaluate whether these projects are consistent with the Scoping Plan. The project attributes from Appendix D of the 2022 Scoping Plan Update only address residential projects, and the objective of this effort is to expand the attributes associated with low GHG emissions projects to include non-residential uses, which could include office, retail, warehousing, etc. This proposed approach for evaluating non-residential uses may inform CARB’s future recommendations for single-use non-residential projects (i.e. a large office building or campus) as well as the non-residential components of mixed-use projects (i.e. the retail component of a mixed-use specific plan). Expanding the project attributes facilitates meeting climate goals by helping to advance the development of Scoping Plan-consistent non-residential land uses.

III. Scope of Work

The contractor shall: 

Task 1 - Project Advisory Committee

The contractor will work with the CARB contract manager to assemble a Project Advisory Committee. Two separate sub-committees will comprise the Project Advisory Committee: 1) a technical team and 2) equity team.

Project Advisory Committee - Technical Team

The Technical Team will help guide the development of potential non-residential project attributes that are supportive of the Scoping Plan goals of transportation electrification, VMT reduction, and building decarbonization. The Technical Team will focus on the technical and CEQA aspects of the work conducted under this contract, and will be comprised of relevant CEQA, real estate, planning, and academic/research experts (e.g., Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, local air districts, local metropolitan planning organizations, developers, real estate and industry experts, CEQA consultants/experts, university researchers).

Project Advisory Committee – Equity Team

The Equity Team will provide input and perspective of communities that may be affected by land uses, attributes, and other approaches that may be proposed under this contract, and will be comprised of representative environmental justice experts, community leaders and groups, and other relevant non-governmental organizations.

The contractor shall work with the Project Advisory Committee to identify appropriate relevant parties that will comprise the Technical and Equity teams, and the Committee will review and provide feedback on Task 2 (Develop Workplan), Task 3 (Conduct Literature Review), and Task 4 (Prepare White Paper).

Task 2 - Develop Workplan

The contractor will develop a workplan describing their approach for the literature review (Task 3) and specifics of the white paper (Task 4).

The contractor will coordinate with CARB and the Project Advisory Committee to help prepare the workplan. Elements that should be included in the work plan include sources, data, and existing research for inclusion in the literature review; potential non-residential land use categories (e.g., retail, offices, warehouses) and subcategories (e.g., grocery, big-box retail) to be considered; and the development of scoring criteria/metrics for selecting and ranking identified attributes.

Task 3 - Conduct Literature Review

Based on the workplan (Task 2), the contractor will conduct a literature review, as well as supplemental interviews with relevant experts (if necessary), evaluating whether the existing body of research supports the development of non-residential project attributes.

The literature review will also evaluate and collect empirical evidence (e.g., elasticities) that will be used to support the identification and selection of non-residential land use types (e.g., office, retail, warehouse) and attributes (e.g., electrification) for consideration.

During the literature review, the contractor will periodically coordinate with CARB and the Project Advisory Committee to discuss the progress of the literature review, solicit feedback, to determine whether any adjustments to the project’s approach are necessary or warranted.

Task 4 - Prepare White Paper

Based on consultation with CARB and the Project Advisory Committee, the contractor will prepare a white paper summarizing the results of the literature review (Task 3).

Based on the results of the literature review (Task 3), the white paper will also identify and describe potential non-residential project attributes supportive of the Scoping Plan goals of transportation electrification, VMT reduction, and building decarbonization for CARB consideration, which will also include a description of the range of GHG reductions associated with each attribute and the empirical evidence/literature supporting these reductions.

If the literature review finds the existing body of evidence supports the development of non-residential project attributes associated with low GHG emissions, the white paper will identify specific non-residential project attributes for CARB consideration based on the results of the literature review. The white paper shall include:

• A matrix that lists, describes, and ranks possible non-residential project attributes based on their GHG reduction potential, feasibility, and equity considerations for selection by CARB (specific criteria to be determined upon consultation with Project Advisory Committee)
• The positives and limitations, (e.g., lack of utility, too broad, legal) of each attribute
• Recommendations for potential next steps to further/refine non-residential attributes (e.g., additional research efforts)

If the literature review finds the existing body of evidence does not support the development of non-residential project attributes, the white paper will describe the limitations and barriers to their development, as well as recommendations for additional research/next steps that could allow for the future development of non-residential attributes (e.g., development of thresholds, rather than attributes for certain types of land uses).

IV. Deliverables

The project pre-proposal must include but is not limited to the following deliverables:

During Active Contract Period

• Work with CARB staff at the beginning of the project to draft a memorandum detailing the composition and scope of the Project Advisory Committee (Task 1), a second memorandum outlining the methodology, subjects, and scope of the workplan (Task 2), and a third memorandum outlining the results of the literature review (Task 3). These memoranda may be used to develop the Task 4 white paper.
• Quarterly Progress Reports including public-facing updates to be posted to CARB’s website
• Quarterly Progress Meetings
• Informal monthly progress update meetings with CARB contract manager (if applicable)

Prior to Contract Close

• Draft white paper, “Project Attributes of Non-Residential Projects Consistent with the Scoping Plan”
• Final white paper, “Project Attributes of Non-Residential Projects Consistent with the Scoping Plan,” reflecting edits requested to the draft by CARB staff and the Project Advisory Committee
• Presentation summarizing findings at seminar or public meeting(s) (if applicable)

NOTE: contractor will be responsible for ensuring their documents comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additional deliverables to be determined in consultation with CARB staff.

V. Timeline

It is anticipated this project will be completed in 18 months from the start date (start date is estimated to be in Spring 2024). The estimated budget for this project is up to $150,000.

Scoring Criteria

1. RESPONSIVENESS TO THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OUTLINED IN THE PROPOSAL SOLICITATION (20 POINTS)

The proposal should explain—in adequate detail and clear, understandable language—how the proposed project satisfies the project objectives to develop non-residential land use project attributes that can be used to support screening-level CEQA GHG impact analyses of Scoping Plan consistency. The contractor may also elect to include any recommendations not requested in this SOW they feel would augment or expand the project’s objectives within the project’s defined timeline and budget.

2. WORK EXPERIENCE AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE (20 POINTS)

The proposal should demonstrate that the proposers have the work experience or subject matter expertise required to successfully carry out the proposed project as described, as well as any augmentations or modifications the research team recommends. Additionally, the proposal should describe how the project will build upon previous relevant work that was funded by CARB, other regional, state, and federal agencies. The proposers should have knowledge and understanding of CEQA; methods and tools used to quantify and mitigate project-level GHG emissions in CEQA analyses; CEQA traffic impact analyses; relevant CEQA case law; and land use, transportation, and urban planning, including environmental justice and equitable development.

3. EXPANDING EXPERTISE (10 POINTS)

The proposal should explain how the project team expands expertise such as by incorporating multidisciplinary expertise or perspectives, including members from various public universities, non-academic institutions, or community-based organizations, or providing opportunities to build skills and expertise for individuals from underrepresented groups. Reviewers will consider if key personnel contributing significantly to the project (i.e., a principal investigator, co-principal investigator or co-investigator, contributing 25 percent or more of their time to the project) have not worked with CARB in the past five years.

4. EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL OR METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH (20 POINTS)

The proposal should clearly explain the logic and feasibility of the project’s methodology, spell out the sequence and relationships of major tasks, and explain methods for performing the work, including why the methodology proposed is the best method to address the goals of this project. The proposal should include a clear description and plan for how each task will be completed.

5. LEVEL AND QUALITY OF EFFORT AND COST EFFECTIVENESS (15 POINTS)

The proposal should describe how time and resources will be allocated and demonstrate how this allocation ensures the project’s success. Proposal reviewers will evaluate, for example: if the objectives of the project can be met given this allocation, if there is adequate supervision and oversight to ensure that the project will remain on schedule, if time and cost are appropriately divvied up across different project tasks and stages.