Sustainable Development Focus
Wall Street Journal - Apr 28 Cities in the U.S. are leading the way on climate and energy policies—especially policies targeting commercial and residential buildings, which can account for up to 75 percent of total energy use in cities. Fifteen cities now have benchmarking and disclosure laws, which require building owners to report their buildings’ annual energy use to the local government. Some cities have also adopted “stretch” building energy codes, which require that new buildings achieve higher energy efficiency than set in the base code. Others are looking to creative financing programs, such as Property Assessed Clean Energy programs that allow building owners to pay back low-interest energy efficiency loans through property taxes. And many cities have established renewable energy requirements. The benchmarking and disclosure laws may be having the greatest impact. They require commercial, and in some cities, multi-family residential property owners to report annual energy use and use the Energy Star software program to benchmark that energy use relative to other buildings.
Los Angeles Times - Apr 27 As regulators mull softening the state’s drought restrictions amid outcry from some Northern California water districts, water wasters in Los Angeles will soon face stiffer fines and water audits under a plan approved last week by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Under the city’s amended water conservation plan, the Department of Water and Power will be able to fine residents between $1,000 and $40,000 a month for what it deems “unreasonable use” of water when the city is in an elevated phase of its emergency drought plan. Currently, the department can fine only customers who violate a specific provision of the city’s water ordinance, such as watering at the wrong time of day or using a hose to wash down a driveway. The fines are relatively small, ranging from $100 to $300 while the city is in any phase of its conservation plan. Under the new proposal, fines for those types of violations will increase to as much as $1,200.
KPCC - May 1 Eight years ago, when California regulators decided that by 2020 every newly built home should produce as much power as it used, the idea was novel enough to be nearly unimaginable. Today, a Golden State dotted with futuristic homes is in sight, the notion of thousands of new residences running tiny rooftop solar-power plants no longer far-fetched. No law decrees a “zero net energy” landscape, although the state building code may require solar panels for new residential construction, not existing homes, by 2020. The Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission are still deciding the best way to implement the “zero” energy vision. A new law took effect this year to dramatically increase in Californians’ use of renewable sources, such as sun and wind, and in the energy-efficiency of its millions of office and residential buildings, to slash power consumption in half within the next 14 years. The law is not clear on exactly how this should be done. Regulators who are working out the details say the building code will be the key mechanism, at least in the short term.
Miami Herald - Apr 29 Miami Beach wants builders to help pay the costs of dealing with climate change and reducing the city’s carbon footprint. A new law requires builders of structures bigger than 7,000 square feet either to meet certain green building standards or pay a fee equal to 5 percent of construction costs. If the city had been collecting that fee for the last six years, it would have about $60 million to spend on green projects like water quality monitoring, cleanup of contamination, and charging stations for electric vehicles. It’s not a new idea, but it goes further than any other jurisdiction in South Florida.
San Francisco Business Times - Apr 21 Meditation areas, nature-inspired decor, personal air controls, energy-efficient sensor lighting, and adjustable-height desks are just a few of the amenities inside Salesforce’s newest office space at 350 Mission Street in San Francisco. Salesforce East at 350 Mission is a 450,000-square-foot, 30-story LEED Platinum building developed by Kilroy Realty Corp. that was unveiled in March 2016. Employee wellness and sustainability are a key focus. The building, designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill and built by Webcor, is the first LEED Platinum high-rise office development in the city. It is one of five Salesforce buildings across the city, with the highly anticipated Salesforce Tower expected to open by 2018.
Proud Green Building - Apr 27 Verano, a new sustainable mixed-use development with 40 affordable apartments, is one of the latest developments to help revitalize downtown Perris. Verano, developed by AMCAL, also features an on-site Head Start preschool operated by the Riverside County Office of Education and retail space. Completed in fall 2015, Verano received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and exceeds California’s Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings by 17.5 percent.
