FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) is proud of the work we’ve accomplished over the past 37 years, and 2023 proved an excellent addition to those achievements. Join us as we review our 2023 accomplishments.
Goodbye, 2023 - Hello 2024!
Moving forward into a new year is the perfect opportunity to review the past 12 months, celebrate our successes, and troubleshoot our challenges. FirstCarbon Solutions (FCS) is grateful to the clients who support our mission of transforming risk into positive impact and value, and to our colleagues who work hard to drive that mission. Let’s look back on some of FCS’s highlights in 2023.
Blog Highlights
The FCS blog is a comprehensive source for the latest updates and news in the environmental services industry, including a showcase of the expertise FCS offers our valued clients. Highlights from the blog in 2023 include:
Why Should Planners be Concerned with PFAS?
The unique chemical and physical properties, toxicity, and ubiquitous nature of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is of growing concern to the environmental regulatory community. As these agencies take necessary measures to remediate risks, potential impacts to the development and commercial real estate markets are beginning to surface.
Opportunities for CEQA Streamlining
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires both public and private projects to undergo an environmental analysis. While important, these regulations can cause delays and challenges for time-crucial projects. Fortunately, CEQA streamlining opportunities are available to reduce the time and effort required to conduct CEQA-compliant analysis and fast-track the approval process.
Leveraging Cultural Resources Management to Mitigate Risk
Cultural Resources Management (CRM) teams provide expertise on projects with potential cultural or historic significance. These projects may hold unidentified resources that are not uncovered until late in the development process, potentially requiring additional attention and consideration to analyze these concerns, anticipating challenges and avoiding risk.
Latest Projects
In 2023, FCS was awarded our 123rd on-call contract in California, and we look forward to partnering with even more agencies in 2024. We continually seek out opportunities to help clients transform risk into positive impact and value, and our projects showcase our success. Here are a few examples of what we accomplished together in 2023.
City of Pleasanton EIR
The City of Pleasanton partnered with FCS to prepare a programmatic EIR for their 2023-2031 (6th) Cycle Housing Element Update. Acknowledging a need to identify additional locations for future rezoning to allow for residential use, FCS consulted with the city to determine that the programmatic EIR was the best option to effectively analyze potential impacts, mitigation measures, and alternatives to anticipated land use and zoning changes. Following the certification of the EIR, FCS prepared a consistency checklist template to help streamline and facilitate subsequent housing projects that will implement the Housing Element. FCS prepared 3 consistency checklists for the City in 2023.
Terraces of Lafayette
The California First District Count of Appeals unanimously upheld approval of the Terraces of Lafayette development, a 315-unit apartment community in Lafayette, California. FCS provided consulting services that helped advance a project that will provide relief for hundreds of families amid California’s monumental housing crisis.
Collaborative PFAS Live Webinar
FCS co-hosted a webinar with Cameron-Cole titled, “How Municipalities Can Navigate PFAS in an Evolving Environment.” This webinar demonstrated our expertise in the complicated PFAS landscape, as well as offered real-time guidance in seeking informed solutions for municipalities contemplating their PFAS risk.
Onward and Upward
Despite a feeling of uncertainty in the economic landscape, 2023 proved to be a fulfilling year for FCS and our clients. We look forward to continued and new partnerships with clients and communities in 2024 – and beyond.
