Council tables green building policy

The policy would require newly constructed city buildings intended for human occupation to meet the requirements of Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Silver certification, but the policy would not require those buildings to actually be certified.

Ralph Rognstad, the city’s director of planning and development, said the lack of a certification requirement was an attempt to save costs; he estimated that registration and review costs with the U.S. Green Building Council, which regulates LEED, would add up to 2 percent to the cost of new buildings. The policy also would require that green enhancements achieve cost recovery within five years.

While all members of the public who spoke at the meeting expressed their pleasure with the city’s efforts, most agreed that the policy needs to be tweaked. (Click here to see how SBJ readers feel about the proposed policy.)

Councilman Dan Chiles compared the building policy to the certification process for business professionals.

“When we mention attorneys in this town, we don’t say they’re certifiable attorneys; we say they’re certified,” Chiles said. “To be one, you have to have a third party standing by certifying that person. … A building is such a major commitment and has such a major influence on the lives of the people inside, I think it’s worth putting this (vote) off so we can get some more information.”

Council tabled the bill until its Oct. 8 meeting. Rognstad said a USGBC representative will make a presentation to council next week about the advantages of certification.

See SBJ’s Oct. 1 issue for more on the Sept. 24 City Council meeting.