Benjamin Woods for City Council
Urban Heat Island & Tree Equity - The 2040 Comprehensive Plan Harmony With Nature states that we need to bring our tree canopy to 60% with 40% coverage needing to be met per city block.
What specific measures will be implemented to maintain our current tree canopy, as well as guarantee tree equity throughout the whole city?
ANSWER
To maintain and enhance Roanoke's tree canopy, we can implement tree preservation ordinances, promote community tree planting initiatives, and provide incentives for property owners to plant and maintain trees and supporting undergrowth. Additionally, we will prioritize tree and undergrowth planting in underserved neighborhoods to ensure equitable distribution and work with local organizations to monitor and support tree health city-wide.
Flood Resilience
Downtown Roanoke was built on top of wetlands and tributaries to the Roanoke River. The topography of the region makes downtown Roanoke vulnerable to the stormwater runoff from bordering localities. There are state and federal funding incentives to encourage localities to be flood resilient.
What is your plan to protect Roanoke from another catastrophic flood like the Flood of 1985?
ANSWER
To protect Roanoke from catastrophic floods, we will invest in modernizing our stormwater infrastructure, including the construction of green infrastructure such as rain gardens and keep investing in permeable pavements. We will also leverage state and federal funding to enhance floodplain management and restoration projects, and work closely with bordering localities to implement comprehensive, regional stormwater management strategies. Community engagement and education on flood preparedness will be key components of a resilience plan going forward.
Roanoke River & Tributaries - The Roanoke River and 11 of the 13 tributaries are currently impaired and are on the 303(d) list for exceeding safe levels of either bacteria (E. coli), sediment, temperature, and PCBs or a combination of these pollutants since 2006. Over the next year DEQ will be conducting another Benthic Clean Up Study of the Roanoke River, Tinker Creek and Wolf Creek.
Regarding the restoration of the cleanliness of our waterways and mitigation of stormwater runoff, please outline the specific initiatives that you intend to implement
ANSWER
To restore the cleanliness of Roanoke's waterways and mitigate stormwater runoff we can build on targeted clean-up and pollution reduction programs, focusing on E. coli, sediment, temperature, and PCBs. Additionally, we need to be more insistent in lobbying state and federal governments to increase funding for enhanced monitoring and remediation efforts.
Airport Pollution & Runway Extension
The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport “Master” Plan is to extend one of the runways for safety reasons. The plan is focused on creating more growth opportunities based on the increase of air travel. Small jets typical of the ones that land at our airport usually are older and use lead gasoline. Levels of airborne lead in the United States have declined 99% since 1980, but emissions from aircraft that operate on leaded fuel may still pose risks to nearby communities. Airport air pollution can also disproportionately impact sensitive subpopulations. Henry et al. (2019) studied impacts of several California airports on surrounding schools and found that over 65,000 students spend 1 to 6 hours a day during the academic year being exposed to airport pollution, and the percentage of impacted students was higher for those who were economically disadvantaged. The airport is near William Fleming High School, Round Hill Elementary, and Roanoke Area Math and Science Elementary as well as being surrounded by predominantly Black communities that have already been harmed by urban renewal.
How will you protect Roanoke citizens, especially marginalized communities, from more noise and air pollution that could be created by an increase of more air traffic to our area? Will you support an investigation of how the current pollution created by the airport is impacting public health, especially the children?
ANSWER
The only realistic things we could do is to work with the airport authority to implement noise abatement measures and engage the community in discussions to balance growth with health and safety concerns.
Community Engagement - Which initiatives will you lead and implement to ensure that our marginalized communities, inclusive of public housing residents, are effectively engaged with?
ANSWER
We need to modernize resident communication outreach across all areas of the government, not just in times of emergency. Getting texting, emailing programs to city residents about specific programs, hazards, or help needs to happen to close the communication gap across the city.
Parks & Recreation
Parks & Recreation is an important necessity for the City and aides in mitigating stormwater runoff with tree equity, flood resilience, climate change and community participation and engagement. There needs to be equity to ensure that the public, including marginalized communities, have access to natural areas to improve their health and well being.
What measures will be implemented to ensure that the Parks and Recreation Department has the necessary financial resources to fulfill its duties and operations?
ANSWER
Look for parts of the budget to save money in the short term in order to pay for climate mitigation programs, and increased park services. Along with starting additional considerations on what resiliency and mitigation efforts would save the city in the long term.
