CITY COUNCIL: Resolution Indicating City Will Not Adopt Title 24, Part 11 (CALGreen) of California Building Code

Meeting Date: 2 November 2009
Prepared by: Sean Conroy, Plng & Bldg Services Manager

City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of a Resolution indicating that the City will not adopt Title 24, part 11 (CALGreen) of the California Building Code, as the City’s Green Building Ordinance is considered more restrictive.

Description: This Resolution indicates that the City’s Green Building Ordinance will take the place of CALGreen for construction projects in the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Overall Cost:
City Funds: N/A
Grant Funds: N/A

Staff Recommendation: Adopt the Resolution.

Important Considerations: CALGreen is the first mandatory state green building code in the nation and will take effect on 1 January 2011. CALGreen is designed to promote energy efficiency and sustainable construction practices. Many of the requirements of CALGreen, such as construction material recycling and the use of water saving technologies, are already required in the City. CALGreen allows jurisdictions to substitute their own green building standards for CALGreen if the standards are considered more restrictive. The City’s Green Building Ordinance was adopted on 4 August 2009 and is considered more restrictive as it applies to a much larger range of construction projects.

The City’s Green Building Ordinance was patterned after the City of Monterey’s Green Building Ordinance. The City of Monterey will also be replacing CALGreen with its ordinance. In this way, green building requirements will be fairly uniform between the two jurisdictions making it easier for building professionals to do business.

Decision Record: N/A

Reviewed by:

__________________________ _____________________
Rich Guillen, City Administrator Date

CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION 2010-

A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA INDICATING THAT CITY WILL NOT ADOPT TITLE 24, PART 11 OF CALIFORNIA BUILDING CODE (CALGREEN) AS THE CITY’S GREEN BUILDING ORDINANCE (CMC 15.54) IS CONSIDERED MORE RESTRICTIVE

WHEREAS, The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea is a unique community that prides itself on its village character and environmental resources; and

WHEREAS, on 14 September 2010 the City Council adopted the 2010 California Building Codes, with the exception of Title 21, part 11 known as CALGreen; and

WHEREAS, CALGreen is designed to promote efficient and sustainable building
practices, but allows jurisdictions to replace Cal Green with their own standards if their own standards are considered more restrictive; and

WHEREAS, CALGreen only applies to new residential and commercial construction. Due to the fact that Carmel is essentially a built out community, CALGreen would only apply to approximately 10 to 20 projects in the City per year; and

WHEREAS, the City of Carmel adopted a Green Building Ordinance on 4 August 2009 that became effective on 1 August 2010; and

WHEREAS, the City’s ordinance applies to residential and commercial remodels as well as new construction. Carmel’s ordinance applies to several hundred projects per year, a significantly larger impact than CALGreen; and

WHEREAS, the City has determined that the Green Building Ordinance is more restrictive and will have a more significant environmental benefit than CALGreen; and

WHEREAS, these findings are consistent with other jurisdictions, such as the City of Monterey, that have similar green building ordinances.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA does hereby:

1. Indicate that it will not adopt Title 24, Part 11 of the California Building Code (Cal Green); and

2. Determine that the City’s Green Building Ordinance is more restrictive than CALGreen.

PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA this 2nd day of November 2010 by the following roll call vote:

AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:

SIGNED,

________________________
SUE McCLOUD, MAYOR

ATTEST:

_______________________
Heidi Burch, City Clerk