Task force member offers carbon‑neutral bond scenario using city lifecycle data

Member Luke Metzger presented a working draft illustrating how a 2026 bond package could be structured to be carbon neutral or slightly net negative. Metzger said he used the city’s screening lifecycle assessment (ACAR) to estimate net emissions through 2040 and that pairing investments in open space, flood mitigation and active transportation can offset emissions associated with new facilities and drainage projects.

Metzger framed the package as a draft for discussion — “not intended at all to be a recommendation” — and said that, in his scenario, a $675,000,000 bond could come out slightly carbon negative if funds are appropriately distributed. He noted the analysis scales emissions proportionally by dollar amount and uses a budget‑weighted average where categories include multiple project types.

Online commenter Donald and other members questioned where the affordable‑housing carbon numbers came from and whether ACAR includes operational emissions and land‑use/transit interactions. Metzger said the ACAR numbers include construction and operations but likely do not account for transit‑access synergies and acknowledged the numbers should be treated “with a grain of salt.” Members asked for the underlying ACAR materials and a clearer presentation of allocations used in the draft scenario.