SR-510-001-01 (3)
CP:SM\EPWM\ADMIN\WPDOCS\STAFFRPT\GREENBLD.DOC
Council Meeting: December 14, 1999 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Conduct a Public Hearing and Approve in
Concept the Draft Green Building Guidelines, Direct Staff to
Prepare an Environmental Review of the Guidelines and Direct the
City Attorney to Prepare Implementation Ordinances
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing and
approve in concept the draft Green Building Guidelines, direct staff to prepare
an environmental review of the Guidelines and direct the City Attorney to
prepare implementation ordinances.
BACKGROUND
On March 26, 1996, City Council directed staff to draft sustainable development
guidelines incorporating the goals of the Santa Monica Sustainable City Program
for all construction and development projects occurring in Santa Monica. The
guidelines were to encourage environmentally preferable design and
construction practices without overburdening builders or developers. Sheltair
Scientific Limited, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based building science
research and design firm, was selected to serve as the primary consultant and
team coordinator for the Sustainable Development Guidelines project.
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The scope of work for the project was divided into two phases. Phase 1 of the
project included all research, identification and solicitation of input from an
interdepartmental City staff stakeholder group, and completion of a framework
for a set of guidelines. On June 24, 1997, Council received the proposed
framework and approved a contract with Sheltair Scientific Limited to draft and
revise the Sustainable Development . Council also appointed an eleven-
member Technical Advisory Committee to assist Sheltair and City staff on the
assessment and feasibility of the specific design regulations. The Committee,
comprised of seven technical experts and four community members, met
periodically throughout Phase 2 to provide guidance and technical oversight of
the proposed guidelines.
DISCUSSION
What Is a Green Building?
A sustainable building, also referred to as a green building, is a structure that is
designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in a more sustainable and
resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain
objectives over their lifetimes. These objectives include:
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protecting the health of building occupants;
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improving employee productivity;
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using energy, water and materials more efficiently;
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incorporating recycled-content building materials;
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creating sustainable landscapes by eliminating the use of pesticides and
herbicides, using low water demand plants and recycling/composting green
waste; and
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increasing the durability, ease of maintenance, and economy of building
operations.
The result is a more environmentally sustainable building that also enhances the
health and productivity of its occupants and saves money.
Overview of the Green Building Design and Construction Guidelines
The proposed Green Building Design and Construction Guidelines provide
designers, developers, and builders with practical information on how to design
and build green buildings as well as how to comply with the City?s current and
proposed new codes and requirements related to green building construction.
The guidelines are organized into twelve chapters by subject headings familiar
to designers and builders. Three appendices provide technical information and
additional resources. The introductory chapter addresses the City?s vision and
goals for the Green Building , discusses critical green building strategies, and
explains why designers and builders should adopt an integrated, multi-
disciplinary approach to design and construction. The remaining eleven
chapters are comprised of specific Recommended and Required Practices for
each subject area.
Required Practices are comprised of four proposed new ordinances (described
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below) and existing City ordinances related to urban runoff mitigation, water
efficient irrigation systems, industrial waste, transportation management,
recycling and solid waste, and hazardous materials management. It is proposed
that all commercial and multi-family building projects must comply with the
Required Practices whether they are new construction or substantial remodels.
The Recommended Practices are voluntary and are intended to offer designers
flexible advice on how to achieve a given objective using a variety of techniques.
It is unlikely that all of the Recommended Practices would be used in any one
project. They are designed to offer a ?toolbox? of different design and
construction techniques. Each Recommended and Required Practice is
evaluated and rated by its environmental, health and resource conservation
performance, how easily it can be implemented, and its impact on capital cost
relative to current standard practice in the building industry.
Potential Benefits of the Green Building Design and Construction
Guidelines
The Green Building Guidelines will contribute significantly to the City?s ability to
meet various State and local mandates as well as provide significant long-term
economic benefits for the community.
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AB 939 requires a 50 percent reduction in municipal waste by the year 2000.
Construction and demolition debris accounts for about 25% of the City?s
waste stream. The guidelines recommend establishment of a new ordinance
that will significantly reduce construction waste in Santa Monica by
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mandating the reuse and recycling of salvageable materials.
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Green buildings can be designed to use significantly less energy than is
allowed under the California Title 24 code. The guidelines recommend
adoption of an energy performance standard for commercial and multi-family
construction that would result in cost-effective energy performance beyond
Title 24 requirements. The operational cost-savings achieved from increased
energy efficiency are significant over the life of a building. Energy efficient
buildings will contribute to achieving the City?s energy use and greenhouse
gas emission reduction targets.
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Green buildings can significantly improve the health of occupants through
improved indoor air quality. Many modern commercial buildings subject
occupants to airborne particulates, volatile organic compounds, chemicals,
mold and fungi that lead to worker illness and a decrease in productivity. In
an average office building, personnel costs of the office workers constitute
approximately 92 percent of a building?s total operating costs. The indoor-
air quality related recommended practices relating to air quality can increase
worker productivity and result in long-term cost savings.
Proposed New Ordinances for Implementation of Required Practices
ENERGY PERFORMANCE ORDINANCE
Staff recommends that a municipal code amendment be made to require that
new construction and substantial remodels reduce non-renewable energy
consumption below 1998 Title 24 standards. To arrive at energy performance
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targets that were cost-effective and used well-proven design and construction
strategies, Sheltair Scientific prepared computer simulations of six prototypical
Santa Monica buildings complying with Title 24 standards and then incorporating
the cost-effective recommended practices. Cost-effective was defined as
having a simple payback of less than 5 years and no more than a 3 percent
increase in construction costs. Davis Langdon Adamson, a noted construction
cost planning firm with offices in Santa Monica, provided Sheltair with accurate
cost estimates. Members of the Technical Advisory Committee with expertise in
construction management also reviewed the cost estimates and found them
consistent with their own practices. The computer simulation model for each
building type found that significant energy savings were achievable using
available, off-the-shelf technologies and remaining within the defined cost-
effectiveness criteria. Staff then engaged CTG Energetics, Inc., an engineering
firm specializing in energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings, to review
Sheltair?s calculations and ensure that the recommended energy performance
targets were achievable and realistic for Santa Monica.
Staff is recommending an energy performance-based ordinance for new
construction and substantial remodels which allows complete flexibility in the
methods used to achieve the following performance targets:
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25 percent energy conservation target below 1998 Title 24 standards for
hotels and motels, offices, municipal buildings, and light industrial buildings;
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20 percent energy conservation target below 1998 Title 24 standards for
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multi-family residential and retail.
This ordinance will require amendments to the Building Code which necessitate
State Energy Commission approval. Compliance with this requirement will occur
as part of plan check review. Once Council approves of the concept, it will be
approximately 6 to 9 months before implementation could occur.
REUSE AND RECYCLING SAVAGEABLE MATERIAL ORDINANCE
Staff recommends that a new construction management ordinance be drafted to
encourage the reuse and recycling of salvageable demolition waste and to
protect the site and building occupants during excavation and construction.
Owners/developers will be required to submit a Demolition and Site Protection
Plan that will specify the expected recovery rate for each material type used in
the demolition phase. Recyclable waste materials will need to be sorted into
separate bins at the site, where space allows, and one individual on the site will
need to be designated as the Site Waste Management Coordinator.
USE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS REQUIREMENT
Staff recommends that a new ordinance be drafted that requires all new projects
to specify the use of at least four major construction materials which have a post-
consumer recycled content which meets EPA recycled content guidelines.
Examples of available building products that would meet this requirement
include: insulation materials, aluminum or steel products, acoustical or roofing
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tile, carpet, and gypsum board. This proposed requirement should be easily
met in light of the broad availability of recycled materials that meet EPA
standards.
SOLAR WATER HEATING AND HEAT TRAPS
Staff recommends that unglazed solar collectors be required to heat swimming
pool water and to preheat process water used for laundries, car washes, or other
commercial applications. This new provision have been conceptually approved
by the Building and Safety Commission and will be presented to them again prior
to final adoption by Council. It is also recommended that a new provision be
added to the Building Code to reduce the amount of energy needed to heat
water and reduce hot water pipe heat loss by requiring insulation of piping
systems and installation of heat traps.
PROPOSED MUNICIPAL CODE CHANGES TO FACILITATE
IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDED PRACTICES
In conjunction with adoption of the green construction guidelines, a few existing
ordinances must be amended to eliminate technical obstacles to implementation
of the Recommended Practices. The recommended ordinance changes are
technical in nature and do not entail any amendments to the City?s Planning and
Zoning Code that are related to the size, setbacks, height, orientation, or density
of buildings. The specific areas, which will be covered by the ordinance
changes, are: 1) eliminate current screening requirements for solar photovoltaic
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systems; 2) allow the use of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons) if no alternatives
to CFCs (ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons) are available; and 3) allow the
use of permeable paving in surface parking lots.
What Santa Monica Buildings Will Be Green?
The proposed Required Practices in the guidelines will apply to all new private
commercial and multi-family construction and substantial remodels. It is
proposed that all new City construction projects and substantial remodels of City
facilities incorporate Required Practices and all cost-effective Recommended
Practices. It is also proposed that City-subsidized affordable housing projects
implement both Required Practices and cost-effective Recommended Practices.
The Housing Commission has approved this requirement in concept but an in-
depth analysis is necessary to gauge potential impacts of increased construction
costs on access to federal and other funding. During the drafting process for the
new ordinances, staff will evaluate the need for waiver and/or exemption criteria
for special circumstances or unique categories of buildings.
Environmental Review and Program Implementation
After Council conceptually approves the draft guidelines, an environmental
(CEQA) review will be completed prior to returning to Council for first reading of
proposed ordinance changes. It is anticipated that it will take approximately six
to nine months to complete preparation of the revised and new ordinances,
produce public information materials, and conduct City staff training prior to
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initiating the Green Design and Construction Program.
A website containing the guidelines has been completed with grant funding
provided by The Gas Company. It can be viewed at greenbuildings.santa-
monica.org. The website will be linked to the City?s home page upon Council
approval of the guidelines.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
Staff is currently evaluating the personnel and other budget impacts associated
with implementation and administration of the proposed Green Building
Guidelines. Additional staff may be needed in the Planning and Community
Development and the Environmental and Public Works Management
departments for training, coordination, monitoring, updating, processing, and
outreach responsibilities related to the guidelines. Since the plan check staff
was recently augmented and a comprehensive evaluation of the permitting and
plan check process is currently underway, staff plans to return to Council with
recommendations during the Fiscal Year 2000/01 Budget process in May 2000.
RECOMMENDATION
This report recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing and
approve in concept the draft Green Building Guidelines, direct staff to prepare
an environmental review of the guidelines and direct the City Attorney to prepare
implementation ordinances.
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Prepared by: Craig Perkins, Director of the Environmental and Public Works
Management Department
Suzanne Frick, Director of Planning and Community Development
Susan Munves, Resource Efficiency Coordinator
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