A. Buildings are a leading contributor to carbon emissions and climate change. Existing buildings and the building development industry consume nearly half of the total energy used in the United States. The City is committed to increasing efficiency of certain resources, including energy, water and materials associated with construction projects, as demonstrated by this chapter.
B. The City supports green building in both the public and private sectors, a fact that is reflected in the City's rich legislative history from both the executive and legislative branches. On June 8, 2005, Mayor Anderson signed an Executive Order requiring all public buildings owned and controlled by the City to be built or renovated using LEED standards at the "certified" level. Then, on January 19, 2006, Mayor Anderson signed an amended Executive Order increasing the LEED standard for City owned and controlled buildings to the "silver" level.
C. On October 17, 2006, the City Council enacted and the Mayor approved Ordinance 78 of 2006 (codified at title 18, chapter 18.95 of the City Code), which requires applicable City funded construction projects to achieve, at minimum, a "silver" certification level of LEED compliance for all new buildings and major renovations of ten thousand (10,000) square feet or larger. This enactment placed the City among the most progressive cities in the nation in terms of sustainable building policies. Subsequently, on November 7, 2006, the City Council adopted Resolution 73 of 2006 encouraging both the Library and the Board of Directors of the Redevelopment Agency to adopt similar LEED standards for applicable building projects funded by the Library Fund and Redevelopment Agency.
D. On November 17, 2006, the City Council enacted and the Mayor approved an ordinance, which amended its Board of Appeals membership requirement to include one LEED accredited member (refer to section 18.12.020 of the City Code). (2019 Compilation)