City Council Meeting: March 20,
2007
Agenda Item: 8-B
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Craig Perkins - Director of
Environmental and
Subject: Direct the City Attorney to Prepare an
Ordinance to Amend
Recommended
Action
This report recommends that the City Council:
1.
direct the City
Attorney to amend the Green Building Ordinance (Chapter 8.108), Landscaping
Standards Ordinance (Section 9.04.10.04) and the Construction and Demolition
Waste Ordinance (Section 7.60) to reflect changes to the State’s Title 24
standards, current standards for environmentally benign construction, and the
City’s commitment to water conservation and urban runoff reduction; and
2.
adopt the
attached resolution to grant priority status to solar electric and thermal
projects.
Executive
Summary
Since adoption of the Green Building Ordinance on December 19,
2000, the importance of high performing healthy buildings has gained widespread
public acceptance in response to escalating energy costs and global warming
concerns. Buildings consume 70% of the
electricity in the
·
Providing building permit applicants with the
option of reducing the allowable Title 24 energy budget by 10 percent or
selecting from a set of prescriptive energy efficiency measures;
·
Expanding the requirement for energy efficiency
measures to single family and duplex construction and substantial remodels;
·
Expanding the requirement for solar thermal pool
heating to single family homes;
·
Revising green building materials requirement to
include a broader choice of options;
·
Expanding the green building materials
requirement to single family and duplex construction and substantial remodels;
and
·
Requiring completion of a LEED® green building
checklist to encourage incorporation of green building measures.
Proposed
changes to the Construction and Demolition Waste Ordinance (Section 7.60)
include:
·
Encouraging a salvage audit before building
demolition;
·
Excluding inert debris (materials such as rocks,
asphalt, concrete and soil) from
materials used to comply with current diversion requirements; and
·
Adjusting demolition project deposits to tie to
the size of the project.
Proposed
changes to the Landscaping Standards Ordinance (Section 9.04.10.04) include:
●
Defining terminology and inclusion of measurable standards;
●
Prohibiting use of watering devices that apply water faster than the
soil can accept it;
●
Requiring plan check of irrigation systems and inspection during
construction;
●
Requiring demonstration of zero runoff from the irrigation system prior
to obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy; and
●
Applying water-efficient irrigation standards to single-family dwellings
as well as commercial and multi-family.
In
addition, it is recommended that all green building Code requirements be
consolidated under Chapter 8.108.
To
facilitate achievement of the City’s energy sustainability goals and
implementation of the Solar Santa Monica program, the plan check and inspection
process for approval of photovoltaic and solar thermal systems must be
expedited. Staff recommends adopting a
resolution (see Attachment D) which designates priority status to solar
photovoltaic and solar thermal projects that will benefit the community in accordance with priorities established by
Council.
Discussion
Background
Since
mid-2003, 686 housing units and several commercial and retail buildings have
been constructed to comply with the City’s current energy performance standards. The 686 residential units prevent an
estimated 1100 tons of CO2 (the primary greenhouse gas contributor) from being
emitted into the atmosphere per year compared to units built to Title 24,
Chapter 6 Energy Code standards. This is
greenhouse gas reduction equivalent to removing 240 cars from the road.
The
City’s energy performance standards required that all new construction and
substantial remodels (besides single family homes and duplexes) perform 10 to
15 percent better than 2001 Title 24 standards.
On October 1, 2005, when 2005 Title 24 standards took effect, the City’s
energy performance standards were repealed by City Council until the City’s
updated energy standards were approved by the California Energy Commission and
the City’s Building and Safety Commission.
The California Energy Commission approved the City’s proposed revised
standards on September 21, 2005. The energy standards, in
addition to other staff-recommended non-energy related modifications, are
outlined below.
Proposed
Energy Standards
Energy
models of
The
proposed prescriptive packages are detailed in Attachment A. Federal energy regulations place restrictions
on what can be required by municipalities using a prescriptive approach. The proposed standards have been designed to
comply with federal requirements. Energy
efficiency measures were selected based on ease of implementation and expected
benefit to building energy performance.
The incremental cost for each energy efficiency measure was determined,
then simple paybacks and lifecycle cost analyses were calculated based on the
estimated energy savings for each measure.
After three years, it is estimated that the total annual energy savings
achieved through implementation of the recommended energy efficiency measures
will be 1,035,000 kilowatts/hour of electricity per year, and 38,000 therms of
natural gas per year. This will result in a reduction of greenhouse emissions
equivalent to 456 tons of carbon dioxide per year, 985 pounds of nitrogen
oxides per year, and 660 pounds of sulphuric oxides per year.
Extend Energy and Water
Efficiency Requirements to Single Family and
Single-family
homes and duplexes were previously exempted from energy and water conservation
performance requirements because the original ordinance focused on larger
commercial and multi-family buildings which use more energy and yield greater
energy savings. The proposed standards
no longer exempt new construction and substantial remodels of single family and
duplex properties. Residential building
currently comprises the largest percentage of new construction in the
City. Accordingly, substantial energy
and water savings will come from single family, multifamily low-rise, and
multifamily high-rise residential projects.
Mixed-use projects will be required to comply with both residential and
commercial standards. Buildings under
the purview of the State Historical Building Code will maintain their exemption
from any provision of the Green Building Ordinance.
Extend
Solar Thermal Pool Heating Requirement to Single Family
The
green building ordinance currently requires solar thermal technology to be
installed at all swimming pools except at single family homes. Staff recommends that the ordinance be
amended so that new swimming pools in single family residences are required to
use solar thermal heating as their primary heat source, if they are heated at
all. In addition, all pools must
continue to be equipped with pool covers to retain heat and prevent evaporation
as already required in the municipal code.
Expand
Green Material Options
Since
adoption of the green building ordinance, access to green building materials
has increased and become cost competitive with standard building materials. The
The
City will continue to use expert third party certification systems for
establishment of environmental criteria.
For materials to meet indoor air quality performance, the City will
accept any carpet certified to comply with the indoor air quality emission
requirements of
Extend
Green Material Options to Single Family and
Single
family homes and duplexes were previously exempt from the recycled materials
requirement, but as green building materials have become readily available at
home improvement stores and other local sources it is no longer considered a
financial burden or an aesthetic imposition to require compliance. The proposed checklist has been designed to
ensure that the typical home builder will not be limited in the appearance or
quality of what they will be able to build.
LEED®
The Sustainable
City Plan includes a target for 2010 that 100 percent of all new buildings
greater than 10,000 square feet be LEED®-certified. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED®) is the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system and has become the
nationally-accepted tool for evaluating a building’s energy and environmental
performance. To encourage construction
of high performance buildings in Santa Monica and to develop greater
familiarity with LEED® and green building practices, it is proposed that all
commercial and high-rise residential building permit applicants be required to
complete a LEED® for New Construction (LEED® - NC) checklist (See Attachment C)
to demonstrate how many credits they would theoretically get if they applied for
certification. Similarly, single family
and low-rise residential builders will be required to fill out the checklist
currently published in the Santa Monica Residential Green Building Guide, a
handout distributed to all building permit applicants. The residential checklist will likely be
replaced by the LEED® for Homes (LEED®-H) checklist when the LEED®-H program is
officially launched nationwide in 2007.
Builders will not be required to implement the green building measures
on the checklists, but City staff will use the checklists as a tool to discuss
the applicant’s project and what they might be able to improve on a voluntary
basis. Other City of Santa Monica
incentives including expedited permitting and grants for LEED buildings will be
discussed with the applicant by City staff to encourage them to incorporate
more green building measures and to obtain a LEED certification.
Update
Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Ordinance to Encourage Salvage
Despite a very successful C&D Waste
recycling program, very little material from demolition projects is being
salvaged. Most material is diverted from
landfills, but not at its highest and best use.
Old doors are ground up and used for fuel, door hardware is scrapped and
recycled. Architectural elements face a
similar fate. Valuable and irreplaceable
materials are sent to recycling rather than being reused. Much like the City’s effort to preserve
historic buildings, historic and valuable materials should also be preserved
for future use. In most cases,
salvageable materials can be removed at no cost to the owner. Free salvage audits are also provided by
local non-profit organizations.
Therefore, it is recommended that the C&D Waste Ordinance be updated
to encourage a salvage audit be performed prior to demolition for any projects.
Tie
Deposits to Building Size
Adjustments
to the deposit amount for demolition projects will be tied to the size of the
project at the rate of $1/ square foot with a $1000 minimum. At present, the City applies a $30,000
maximum cap regardless of project size.
Currently, a number of demolition permit holders forfeit all or a
portion of their deposit due to lack of full compliance. All demolition projects will be required to
submit a cash deposit or a performance bond that will be refunded upon
demonstration of compliance within 30 days of the final inspection. This will result in a higher number of large
demolition projects complying with the ordinance and will include demolitions that
are smaller than the previous minimum of 1000 square feet.
Enhance Landscape and Irrigation Ordinances
One of the sustainability goals set by
Council in 2000 was to reduce the City's water consumption rate 20% by the year
2010. As 2006 ends, the rate has been
reduced by 4%.
Consolidate
There
are many requirements that are currently part of the Municipal Code that are
often considered green building measures.
Staff proposes consolidating all existing green building requirements
within Section 8.108 of the Code.
Designate
Solar Projects Priority Status
It
is recommended that a resolution be adopted (Attachment D) which grants solar photovoltaic
and solar thermal projects priority status so that plan check and inspection
services can take place in a timely manner and support the City’s solar
installation goals as implemented through the Solar Santa Monica program. In addition, solar projects on buildings
other than single family dwellings currently must be approved by the
Architectural Review Board before Building and Safety staff can review the
plans. In the next few months, staff
will present a resolution to the ARB requesting that Planning staff be
authorized to approve solar projects as long as the project complies with the
City’s solar design standards (Section 9.04.10.02.220).
Alternatives
The City cannot achieve its sustainability goals related to green building, energy independence, and greenhouse gas emission reduction goals without adopting these Code changes.
Commission Actions
The Building and Safety Commission reviewed the proposed energy
performance standards and green materials options on January 18, 2006, and
again on March 15, 2006. The
Commissioners moved to continue discussion on the proposed ordinance after the
City Council clarified certain policy issues. These issues were: expanding the
scope to include one and two family dwellings, additional requirements beyond
the revised Energy Code and enforceability of certain options. Staff is now returning to City Council for a
decision on this issue and will return to the Commission for technical review.
Budget/Financial Impact
Increasing
the deposit required for compliance with the C&D ordinance will be cost
neutral. All other proposed changes
outlined in this report will have no financial impact.
Prepared by:
Susan Munves,
Energy and
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Approved: |
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Forwarded to Council: |
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Craig Perkins Director
- Environmental and Public Works Management Department |
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P. City
Manager |
Attachment A: Proposed
Energy Standards
Attachment B: Proposed
Green Building Material Standards
Attachment C: Green
Building Checklist
Attachment D: Resolution