Green Building Committee Backs County Proposals

Three ordinances under consideration by Los Angeles County would change the face of local residential and commercial development, ushering in a new era of green building practices that would significantly reduce environmental waste, stimulate investment in renewable energy and help secure an ample supply of water for Southern California in years to come. If the plan can win approval in its current form, it will put the entire county on par with forward-thinking cities like Santa Monica and West Hollywood, which have already enacted exemplary green building legislation of their own.

While green building has proven both cost-effective and vital to combating global warming, the proposed plan is still open to revision based on public comment, some of which has been directed at rolling back standards. These ordinances need your support in the form of letters, postcards, emails, telephone calls and attendance at community meetings.

Prepared at the request of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, the Green Building Program outlines a progressive plan in which construction standards would escalate gradually over the course of four years. Standards would be measured under established third-party guidelines and verification systems, such as the U.S. Green Building Council's highly regarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. By the fourth year of the program, many new buildings would be required to have a LEED certification of Silver or higher, significantly reducing their environmental footprint. For single-family dwellings, standards would be set by Build-it-Green's Green Point Rated system, and would be voluntary for the first year.

A report outlining the three ordinances was presented to the county's Regional Planning Commission on January 10, with a public hearing following on January 23. The subject line on a cover memo simply referred to 'Green Building Program; Project Nos. R2007-02988, R2007-02985 and R2007-02984.' This innocuous reference belies the degree of change these ordinances might provide if approved in current form. They contain not only new construction requirements, but also an important drought-tolerant landscaping provision and Low Impact Development (LID) standards. A cost/benefit analysis contained within the report reveals that while the upfront costs of building green are typically 3-4% higher than traditional construction, the longer term savings are substantial: LEED constructed buildings save around 35% on energy bills and 40% on water costs.

Highlights of the proposed ordinances are as follows:

L.A. County green building standards as presented would kick in at specific threshold levels: for (1) new high-rise buildings greater than 75 feet tall; (2) hotels, nonresidential or mixed-use buildings of at least 25,000 square feet, as well as remodeling jobs encompassing 25,000 square feet 'that include mechanical, electrical and plumbing work'; (3) hotels, nonresidential or mixed use buildings between 10,000 and 25,000 square feet (including additions); and (4) new residential buildings including single-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, multi-family dwellings, parcel maps and tract maps.

Drought-tolerant landscaping provision of the draft ordinances 'establishes minimum standards for the design and installation of landscaping using drought-tolerant and native plants that require minimum water and ensure that the County will continue to realize the benefits of landscaping that is appropriate to the particular project and the region's climate.' One section of this forward-reaching provision would establish percentages for drought-tolerant plants as well as to limit the amount of green turf allowed.

Low Impact Development Standards (LID) would set minimum percentages using LID principles providing 'on-site stormwater and runoff management for development on private property.' Such standards would have far-reaching effects in beginning to relate our built environment more closely to the natural environment, as they would apply to 'all new parking lots, nonresidential projects, mixed use projects, multi-family residential projects of 5 or more units, and residential subdivisions of 5 of more units.' Redevelopments involving 50 percent or more of impervious surfaces would be required to comply fully with this standard. Impervious surfaces such as driveways and asphalt parking lots significantly increase runoff, diminishing essential groundwater recharge.

LID principles promote 'site sustainability and smart growth in a manner that respects and preserves the characteristics of the County's watersheds, drainage paths, water supplies and natural resources.' The proposed ordinances would begin a much-needed transformation of hydrological practices associated with the built environment.

A green building transformation must occur. We recognize that the first few years of such a transformation will not be without challenges, but the benefits will quickly outpace the costs. However, appropriate funding and determined intent are necessary to accomplish this change. And, finally, given that builders and developers are shouldering much of the burden to make this necessary change, we call for a commensurate effort to be made in providing green building education and practical support.

The public portion of the January 23 hearing was extended to May 7, 2008 to allow further public outreach to town councils and homeowners within those communities. The extension also allows outreach to maintenance and/or building engineers involved in green building, more time for public review of the draft ordinances, preparation of a Green Guideline Technical Manual, expansion of the Regional Planning Green Program website, and, of extreme importance, 'revision of draft ordinances, based on the feedback from additional outreach and the public hearing.' Your involvement now is essential to maintaining the integrity of the draft ordinances of the Green Building Program.

To see the draft ordinances and related documents, visit the Department of Regional Planning website at planning.lacounty.gov/spgreenbuildingprogram.htm. Write to your County Commissioners and to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Help to ensure that this well-crafted set of ordinances is approved so that we can begin to transform our built environment and its relationship to the natural landscape - as well as to create built environments helping us to scale back global warming. We cannot afford to stall or backtrack in taking these important first steps.