Sustainable Development Focus
Urban Land - Dec 1 In November, voters across the U.S. endorsed numerous state and local ballot measures approving additional funding for green space, land conservation, and public transportation. According to the Center for Transportation Excellence, “November 8 was a historic day for public transportation in the U.S. as voters approved 34 of 49 public transit measures for an election-day passage rate of 69 percent.” In 23 states and communities of all sizes, voters considered nearly $200 billion in local and state support for public transportation. The largest ballot measures were in California, where San Francisco Bay area voters approved $3.5 billion for the Bay Area Rapid Transit regional transit system, while Los Angeles voters approved Measure M, a 0.5 percent sales tax increase that will generate an estimated $100 billion over 40 years, including $860 million a year for a big expansion of bus and rail transit.
Proud Green Building - Nov 22 By 2050, 70 percent of the world population will live in cities, a change that will add 40 percent to the current world building stock, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. Because buildings can be big polluters, urbanization is also a stark reminder that economies everywhere benefit from investments in energy-efficient structures and by retrofitting inefficient, existing buildings. There’s some good news to report in that area. For the first time since the 1973 oil embargo and subsequent energy crisis added “energy efficiency” to our everyday vocabulary, three trends are moving the world’s largest economy in the right direction. First, households save money by saving electricity. Second, commercial buildings of all sizes are going for retrofits. A number of recently released studies indicate that commercial buildings in the U.S. are becoming more efficient with energy use per square foot dropping 12 percent between 2003 and 2012. Last, a number of states, including Illinois, New York, and California, are working on legislation that help communities save energy.
Utility Dive - Nov 21 New numbers show California’s peak demand will stress its grid more than previously thought, and in response policymakers are pushing ahead with an unexpected solution: electric vehicles (EVs). In 2015, California’s grid needed as much as 10,091 megawatts of quick-responding resources to meet a three-hour load spike in the late afternoon and early evening. As soon as 2019, that demand spike could be almost 14,000 megawatts, according to a recently-released report from consulting firm ScottMadden. Using natural gas peaker plants to meet that load would impede the state’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. And stationary storage, even with California's landmark storage mandate fully met, would provide insufficient ramping capacity. If EV sales rise fast enough to meet Governor Jerry Brown’s goal of putting 1.5 million zero emissions vehicles into service by 2025, EV battery storage could be an answer to the challenge of peak demand, according to a paper from California’s Alternative Fuel Vehicle regulatory proceeding.
San Francisco Chronicle - Nov 25 At least a third of San Francisco’s commercial properties risk running afoul of a city law requiring water-efficient toilets and faucets by the end of the year. A 2009 conservation ordinance, which established some of the state’s most aggressive building codes even before California’s historic drought began, would leave thousands of property owners on the hook for monthly fines if they don’t swap out their old plumbing fixtures soon. City officials estimate that 30 percent of San Francisco’s 160,000 commercial toilets do not meet efficiency standards that go into effect January 1. About 86 percent of urinals and 20 percent of showerheads fall short. The ordinance also requires water-efficient faucets, but the city doesn’t have estimates on how many may be subpar.
Commercial Property Executive - Nov 23 The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED Platinum certification to SKS Partners’ 270 Brannan St. property in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points for how well they meet various measures of sustainability. SKS Partners partnered with Mitsui Fudosan America on the development. The seven-story, 200,000-square-foot, Class A office building opened in May 2016 and has been recognized for its innovative and environmentally sustainable design. The site of a former parking lot, the structure now incorporates a water reuse system that captures rainwater and condensation from the building’s cooling system. It is also one of the first properties to offer more spaces for bikes than cars, with a 52 to 12 ratio.
Austin Business Journal - Nov 24 Mueller, the master planned community that replaced the old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport in North Central Austin, Texas, has become one of the most sustainable and well-planned developments in the world. Catellus Development Corp. is the master developer of the community through an exclusive agreement it signed with the city in 2002. The U.S. Green Building Council has ranked Mueller Leed Gold for neighborhood development under a pilot program. It’s one of the largest communities under development in the world to earn the honor and the first in Texas to receive the designation in the Neighborhood Development category. The criteria for LEED certification for neighborhood development includes aspects such as walkability, access to grocery stores and shops, inclusion of recreational spaces, mitigation of air and water pollution, and the availability of public transit.
