EPWM:CP:SM:GR\EPD\LEEDEXP.DOC
Council Meeting: May 17, 2005
TO: Mayor
and City Council
FROM: City
Staff
SUBJECT: Direct City Attorney to Prepare Ordinance to Expedite Plan Check and Permit Processing for LEED™-Registered Buildings
Introduction
This report requests that City
Council direct the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance that would expedite plan
check and permit processing for LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design)-registered building projects in Santa Monica.
Background
In
1996, Council adopted Green Building Guidelines designed to encourage
developers and property owners to invest in ‘green’ or high performance
buildings that are designed,
built, renovated, operated, or reused in a more sustainable and
resource-efficient manner. In
December 2000, Council adopted a Green Building Ordinance that requires
construction and “substantial remodels” of commercial and multi-family
buildings to achieve energy performance levels beyond the State’s Title 24
standards, and to use construction materials with recycled content. Council also adopted a Construction and
Demolition Waste Ordinance requiring projects valued over $50,000 to divert at
least 60 percent of construction and demolition waste from landfills. These ordinances and the Guidelines, when
combined with existing City requirements related to resource conservation,
pollution prevention, and transportation management, constitute the basis for
the City’s Green Building Program. The
program’s goal is to accelerate the design and construction of energy and
resource efficient buildings throughout
During the development of the Green
Building Program, the City held focus groups to solicit input from architects,
developers, businesses, and residents on how to structure an incentive program
that would accelerate the design and construction of high performance buildings
in
LEED™-NC was
introduced in 2000 and has steadily gained acceptance by the building industry
as the national standard for evaluating and rating a building’s energy and environmental
performance. In recognition of LEED™’s growing emergence as
the national green building standard, the City Council adopted a policy
effective July 1, 2001, that requires all new construction and major
renovations of City facilities to meet the Silver level of LEED™ wherever
feasible. To date, the City’s Public
Safety Facility, Main Library, Virginia Park, the Civic Center Parking
Structure and Big Blue Bus campus projects have been or are being designed to
achieve LEED™ Silver certification.
Discussion
In response to the designation of
affordable housing as a Council budget priority in 2000, the City granted
affordable housing projects and City projects “expedited status” in the plan
check and permitting process. Projects
with expedited status are tagged to be reviewed as soon as a plan check
technician is available. Expedited
status generally shortens the plan check review process to three weeks. Last
year, the City completed a thorough evaluation of its planning and permitting
functions to identify obstacles slowing the plan check and permitting process
and to implement measures designed to streamline the process. The implemented measures have resulted in
improved customer service and faster turnaround for all applicants. It is now possible for the City to provide
green building permit applicants with expedited status and respond to Council’s
commitment to sustainability without eroding general plan check, permit and
inspection services.
LEED™-NC addresses the design and
construction of multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.
Single-family homes are not included in
LEED™-NC, but a LEED™ for New Homes rating system is currently being tested and
will be evaluated by the City for future inclusion. Every project applying for expedited status
must be registered with the U.S. Green Building Council. The USGBC website allows the City to track
the project’s progress achieving LEED™ certification. The City could thereby ensure that every
project that has received expedited permitting has completed the documentation
submittal for certification. Staff
believes it is unlikely that these expedited projects will fail to receive a
LEED™ certification following project completion but will monitor the actual
experience of these projects over two years following implementation of the
Code changes to determine if non-achievement is a serious issue.
Across the nation, approximately 4%
of all new commercial space is being built to LEED™ standards. Because most new construction projects in
Expediting plan check and permitting
for LEED™-registered buildings will have no budget or fiscal impact on the
City.
Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director, Environmental and Public Works Management
Joan Akins, Administrative Services Manager
Susan Munves, Energy and
Paul Foley, Senior Planner
Tim McCormick, Building Officer
Ben Yousefi,