HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 10/22/2013 - GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP UPDATEDATE: October 22, 2013
STAFF: Bruce Hendee, Melissa
Hovey, Erin Nuckols
Pre-taped staff presentation: available
at fcgov.com/clerk/agendas.php
WORK SESSION ITEM
FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
Green Building Roadmap Update.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this work session is to provide a progress report to Council on the Green Building
Program and to seek Council direction and feedback on future program enhancements.
In 2007, the City developed the Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services,
a plan that defined a green building vision for the City and provided specific recommendations for
improvements. The plan identified actions to be taken to direct the City’s existing successful green
building programs from a collection of independent services supported by various City departments
to a coordinated program. A major milestone from this plan was achieved with the adoption of
Building Code amendments in March 2011 (effective Jan. 1, 2012) that mandated energy efficiency,
water conservation, waste reduction, and indoor air quality requirements for residential and
commercial buildings (formerly referred to as the “Building Code Green Amendments”). Many City
programs with green building components continue to operate effectively and many more have been
developed since 2007. Progress has been minimal on tasks identified as internal capacity building
which has hampered the effectiveness of a coordinated program.
BFO item 82.3 – Green Building Future was approved for the 2013-2014 budget cycle for the
purpose of updating the 2007 roadmap and to focus on other elements of the Green Building
Program, including voluntary approaches to incentivize green building above Code requirements
and expanding the program beyond the building into other aspects of the built environment. This
presentation provides an update on work completed to date and potential next steps for the
remainder of 2013 and 2014.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
• Does the Council have feedback on the update and direction for future implementation and
enhancement of the Green Building Program?
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
The Green Building Program Vision
Green Building is a broad term that most commonly refers to a set of principles and strategies that
seek to reduce the impacts of the built environment on human health and the natural environment.
Green building practices range from constructing energy efficient buildings, to incorporating on-site
October 22, 2013 Page 2
energy generation and stormwater treatment, to designing multi-modal connections between home,
work, school, businesses, and services. Green building reduces carbon emissions and environmental
impacts, uses and distributes resources efficiently and equitably, and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
The City of Fort Collins’ Green Building Program seeks to create a built environment that
promotes health, productivity, and sustainability.
One of the key motivators for implementing a comprehensive Green Building Program is to reduce
carbon emissions generated from fossil fuels consumed for energy and transportation. The portion
of fossil fuel based energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the built
environment is significant both nationally and in Fort Collins. According to the U.S. Department
of Energy, 41% of energy consumed in 2011 was by the building sector compared to 30% by the
industrial sector and 29% by the transportation sector. Residential and commercial sectors
accounted for approximately 39% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2011 according to the EPA’s
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. In Fort Collins, it is estimated that
residential and commercial buildings account for more than half of the energy used and the
greenhouse gas emissions generated. An effective green building program can reduce these numbers
significantly.
In addition to reducing carbon emissions, a green built environment also improves indoor and
outdoor air quality, reduces waste streams, promotes affordable housing, revitalizes blighted areas,
improves worker productivity, creates markets for green products and services, supports transit
systems, and improves overall quality of life.
History
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services - August 28, 2007
In 2007 the City undertook an effort to develop a comprehensive, cohesive green building program
that would coordinate and advance existing green building programs, services, and resources. An
extensive review process was undertaken that involved interdepartmental teams, community
stakeholder input and research into peer cities. The resulting plan recommended 28 tasks under four
action areas to be completed over a 1 to 5 year period.
Code Amendments
Beginning in 2009, the Fort Collins Utilities led an interdepartmental team in developing a green
building framework. This framework was presented to Council in January 2010 and received
positive feedback. After reviewing the newly released National Green Building Standard and other
national codes, staff recommended to Council at the July 13, 2010 work session that the project
focus on developing a strategic selection of effective amendments to further “greening” the existing
building codes. This led to the creation of two technical review advisory committees and the
development of “Green Code amendments” that were adopted in March 2011 and became effective
January 1, 2012.
October 22, 2013 Page 3
2013-2014 BFO Item 82.3 – Green Building Future
This budget offer was approved by Council to update the Roadmap for Green Building and to
prioritize next steps for Fort Collins, especially in areas of above-code market-driven approaches
and to benchmark Fort Collins against national and international best practices. This presentation
is the first phase of updating the Roadmap and prioritizing next steps. The next phase will consist
of a written report that incorporates details of the update and Council feedback. Further
implementation of program enhancements and next steps will occur in 2014.
Policy Alignment
Green Building principles align with the City’s goals of sustainability, reduced carbon emissions,
energy efficiency and water conservation in general. Green building and the benefits realized from
the principles and practices are relied on to achieve the goals and objectives of several City Plans
and Policies.
2011 City Plan
City Plan is the City’s comprehensive plan that includes supporting principles and policies within
seven key outcome areas. Principles ENV 5 and ENV 6 under the Environmental Health outcome
support green building principles by establishing policies to reduce net energy use from new
construction as well as existing building and homes.
2011 Air Quality Plan
The Air Quality Plan identifies the green building program and building and Land Use Code
amendments as actions that support air quality improvement and states that green building practices
reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and greenhouse gases.
2009 Energy Policy
The Energy Policy includes a goal to support the community’s carbon emissions goal of reducing
the City’s carbon footprint 20% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050. An objective to meet
this goal is to reduce energy use through energy efficiency programs and achieve annual energy
efficiency and conservation program savings of at least 1.5% of annual energy use. The Utility
Services is currently working on an update to the Energy Policy.
2009 Water Conservation Plan
This plan includes goals and recommendations for water conservation. The programs and measures
target residential and commercial water use. Water efficiency and conservation are key principles
of green building.
2008 Fort Collins Climate Action Plan
This plan includes Green Building as a new strategy for meeting the 2020 carbon reduction goal and
estimated at benefit of 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) from updating building
October 22, 2013 Page 4
codes with energy efficiency standards. The Environmental Services Department will be leading an
effort to update this plan, pending approval of funding, in 2014.
2004 Action Plan for Sustainability
This plan identified policies, goals, and targets for advancing sustainability within City operations.
The plan prioritized nine areas of importance for sustainable practices. Four of these areas
incorporate green building principles; green buildings, healthy ecosystems, sustainable energy, and
pollution and waste reduction. This plan has been updated by the recently released 2013 Municipal
Government Sustainability Management Plan.
Summary of Progress on Roadmap for Green Building Services
The 2007 Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services (2007 Roadmap)
evaluated the City’s existing Green Building Program and developed a plan to coordinate and
advance green building programs, services, and resources. The plan recommended 28 actions under
four areas:
• Mandate minimum performance and remove barriers
• Encourage innovation
• Reward success
• Build internal City capacity
A summary table of the recommended actions, Table ES-1 can be found on page 5 of Attachment
1. The recommendations were categorized as short term - 1 year; mid-term - within 3 years; and
ongoing. A key theme throughout the roadmap was the coordination of the many City programs and
services that contain green building components into one cohesive program. The roadmap identified
45 discreet programs and services both voluntary and regulatory related to green building.
As part of the BFO item 82.3 – Green Building Future, an evaluation of progress made on the
recommendations from the roadmap was completed. A graphic display of this evaluation is included
in Attachment 2. Green indicates that the task was completed within the short or mid-term time
frame or is ongoing with adequate support and resources. Yellow indicates that some progress has
been made, but is not meeting the time frame goal or is lacking support or resources to continue
making progress. Red indicates little or no progress has been made since the roadmap was finalized.
The ratings were determined based on a review of existing programs and services and comments
from interviews with 29 staff from several departments. This table highlights areas for immediate
focus for the green building program; creating web resources, developing streamlined processes for
green building, and building internal capacity. Full implementation of a comprehensive green
building program can be better realized with the creation of a green building program team with
dedicated staff resources and managerial and executive leadership support.
Attachment 3 is an update to Appendix B of the 2007 Roadmap and shows the current programs
and services offered by the City that have a green building component. An important next step in
the green building program future is to evaluate these city programs for overlaps and conflicts.
October 22, 2013 Page 5
Summary of Peer City Review
The update of the 2007 Roadmap included a task to benchmark Fort Collins against other cities’ best
practices. This task involved updating the peer city review from Appendix E of the 2007 Roadmap
to include a more current evaluation of green building programs in comparable cities. The resulting
report, completed by Architectural Energy Corporation (AEC), is included in Attachment 4. The
report compares components of green building programs in Fort Collins and seven cities that are
considered to have strong sustainability values and innovative “green” programs. The results show
that Fort Collins continues to be one of the leaders in environmental sustainability initiatives and
green programs. The report makes the following recommendations for areas of improvement based
on ideas from other cities that may be applicable in Fort Collins:
• Creation of an interdepartmental green building team and web resources
• Green neighborhoods development programs
• Improvements to Building Energy programs
• Initiate “Feebates”
• Incentives for stormwater management
Summary of Code Review
A review of potential conflicts between the Building Code amendments effective on Jan. 1, 2012
(i.e., “Green Building Codes”) and other City Codes, including the Land Use Code, the Municipal
Code, and the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards was completed by AEC. The review
included a comparison of several chapters of Code language and interviews with 12 staff in various
departments who have worked with the implementation and interpretation of the code amendments
since their adoption. A table illustrating the major issues between Codes that affect green building
is included in Attachment 5. Highlights from this analysis include the following:
• Infill development - parking requirements, street design standards, and current alternative
compliance mechanisms in the development review process can discourage optimum infill
development and can make it difficult to implement green building practices.
• Stormwater Management - parking, engineering, and street design standards prevent full
implementation of Fort Collins Stormwater Criteria Manual.
• Code implementation – can be difficult for multi-family, additions, remodels, and
abandoned buildings. Building commissioning and performance testing requirements are
difficult to enforce and verify.
• Landscaping standards - some discourage xeriscaping, waste water, and allow non-natives
and invasives. Requirements make it difficult to find space for other sustainable practices
(recycling, composting, bioretention).
Green Building Program Scope
The City’s green building program to date has focused primarily on the building as an independent
unit with the development of Building Code amendments that address energy efficiency and
conservation and with the building and rebates and financial incentives focused on specific
equipment or building performance. The Midtown Plan, recently adopted by Council, and the
Planned Development Overlay District pilot project (PDOD) are examples where green building
principles have been applied on a broader scope. The City’s partnership in the FortZED net zero
October 22, 2013 Page 6
energy district is another example of leveraging sustainability opportunities and principles at a larger
scale. City Plan, the Climate Action Plan, and the 2007 Roadmap all recognize the importance of
an integrated green building program that not only addresses the “sticks and bricks” of the building
itself but also leverages sustainable and regenerative opportunities from the site surrounding a
building and its connection to the surrounding neighborhood and community.
The City’s Green Building Program can be more effective when the scope includes the building, the
site, and the neighborhood. Green Building Program principles and elements that can be integrated
within this scope include:
• Building
N energy efficient and low impact structure and materials
N living building (net zero, biomimicry)
N green roof, vertical garden
N regenerative and restorative systems
N construction and deconstruction waste re-use and recycling
• Site
N infill development preferred over greenfield
N stormwater infiltration structures, pervious surfaces
N urban agriculture
N space for water treatment, recycling, composting, renewable energy
• Neighborhood and Community
N eco and energy districts
N access to transit
N multi-modal – bike, walk, E-vehicles, car-share
N access to shopping, recreation, work
N public space for leisure, food production, shared renewable energy
N shared parking
Emerging Opportunities for Program Enhancements
The City of Fort Collins has undertaken significant initiatives with regards to green building
principles as highlighted during the updating of the 2007 Roadmap, Code assessment, and peer city
review. The gamut of City programs and services with green building components affirms the
City’s status as a leader among some of the most progressive cities in the nation for sustainability
values. One of the objectives of the 2007 Roadmap was to seek ways to enhance the City’s Green
Building Program and develop a process for continuous improvement. The following six
opportunities for enhancement are being considered in support of this objective. These program
enhancements promote the vision of an integrated green building program that will make a
significant contribution towards achieving the City’s greenhouse gas goals and creating a world
class environment.
1. Build internal capacity
Construct an interdepartmental team of experts, sanctioned by City leadership, to evaluate,
prioritize, and implement program enhancements (i.e., Green Building Program Team).
October 22, 2013 Page 7
Conduct internal training on green building principles for City planners, analysts, and
designers. Develop web-based resources for community and staff.
2. Incorporate program elements that incentivize building retrofits and encourage smart
growth strategies to meet GHG reduction goals.
In order to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals, Fort Collins must take advantage of energy
efficiencies that can be realized through retrofits and upgrades to existing building stock.
In addition, Fort Collins should utilize smart growth strategies that public transit and non-
fossil fuel based transportation. Effective, proven programs and strategies have been
developed by industry associations, federal agencies, and other cities which could be
leveraged to enhance the City’s green building program in these areas. LEED for
Neighborhoods, Better Buildings Challenge and Neighborhoods, EPA’s Smart Growth
toolkit, Living Building Challenge, CSU’s LENSES, EcoDistrict Target Cities, and Net Zero
Homes are examples that are relevant for Fort Collins.
3. Develop Code Guidance and Tools for Green Building
A Code application guide for builders and developers, as well as plan review staff, should
be developed to address issues and confusion and lessons learned after the first year of
implementing the Building Code amendments. Create tools to assist in code compliance and
verification and for determining program effectiveness
4. Develop Financial and Voluntary Incentives
The City of Fort Collins currently uses a variety of financial incentives related to green
building, including Tax Increment Financing, to encourage development in blighted areas,
rebates and zero interest loans for installation of efficient appliances, on-bill financing for
solar installations, and commercial building design and performance incentives through the
Integrated Design Assistance Program. Voluntary incentives are offered through the
ClimateWise program for businesses. Opportunities for additional incentive programs
include:
• Fee related incentives - reduce fees where innovative designs or practices result in
less city infrastructure or services
• Tax increment reimbursement - rebates or refunds for the first few years of higher
property tax due to higher value of "green" project
• Fee-bates - incentives and subsidies are paid to greener projects from fees on
assessed on less sustainable projects
• Alternative compliance and permitting mechanisms – support and enhance programs
such as PDOD that encourage sustainable development on sites that are challenged
to comply with codes
• Zero Energy fees or requirements – fee based system for residences over certain
square feet that are not zero energy.
• Neighborhood and Building Rating Systems – programs such as LEED
Neighborhood and EPA Indoor Air Plus have been shown to increase home values
October 22, 2013 Page 8
5. Municipal and Land Use Code Revisions
The adoption of the Building Code amendments related to green building in 2011 was a
major accomplishment in advancing the City’s green building program. Implementation of
this Code is ongoing as staff conducts additional training for the building community,
builders and contractors work to achieve compliance with the Code, and inspectors conduct
verifications and building commissionings. Additional time is needed to adapt to these
Building Code changes and to develop performance measures and tracking tools. Potential
areas where Land Use or Municipal Code could be developed or modified include:
• Revising prescriptive requirements in the Land Use Code to allow for flexible and
streamlined permitting pathways or alternative compliance methods that are
conducive to sustainable infill development and green building
• Revising Code language to simplify intent of some requirements and to clarify
conflicting or unclear definitions and intent
• Revise street design, landscaping, and parking requirements to rectify conflicts with
stormwater management and design.
6. Evaluate program overlaps and conflicts. Consolidate and coordinate efforts
The City has an extensive and impressive catalogue of programs and services that support
green building principles. However, there are redundancies and conflicting purposes in
some programs. For example, there are several programs in multiple departments that
conduct assessments for commercial enterprises. Department programs promote best
practices that may be in conflict with code requirements. A thorough evaluation of programs
and services with green building components should be conducted to determine value and
effectiveness, redundancies, and conflicts. Consolidation of some programs may result in
a more cohesive Green Building Program.
Next Steps
Following Council feedback at this work session, the City intends to convene an interdepartmental
Green Building Team to further investigate the 6 opportunities identified above. High priority will
be given to enhancing internal capacity.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2007 Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services
2. Progress Report for 2007 Roadmap
3. City Programs with a Green Building Component
4. Green Building Peer City Survey
5. Code Conflict Assessment Table
6. PowerPoint presentation
City of Fort Collins’
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced
Green Building Services
August 28, 2007
Page 1 of 79
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
i
Acknowledgements
This plan is the result of considerable time and effort expended by a variety of people
who are committed to the community and the future of coordinated green building in
Fort Collins. The project team worked diligently to gather and analyze the information
presented in this document, and to establish an assertive yet realistic roadmap for the
future. The members of the project team that guided and developed this plan included
key City staff members with support from The Brendle Group, Inc.
Project Team
• Patty Bigner, City of Fort Collins Utilities
• Dana Leavitt, City of Fort Collins Community Planning
• John Phelan, City of Fort Collins Utilities
• Brian Woodward, City of Fort Collins Natural Resources
Department
Consultant Team
• Judy Dorsey, The Brendle Group, Inc.
• Julie Sieving, The Brendle Group, Inc.
In addition to those on the project team, thanks are extended to community members
and City staff members who participated in the interview process that informed this
plan. In particular, the project team appreciates the willingness of the staff from the
City’s Natural Resources Department to help pilot the interview process, making it more
streamlined for those that followed.
Community Participants
• Lee Barker, LR Barker Builders
• Robert W. Beccard, Aqua Engineering
• George Brelig, RB+B
• Steve Byers, Energy Logic
• Carol Dollard, Colorado State University
• Arnold Drennan, Drennan Custom Contracting
• Brad Duckham, Merten Homes
• Brian Dunbar. Institute for the Built Environment
• Emily Elmore, Keller Williams Realty
• Grant Everrit, Jamestown Builders
• Sarah Fox, High Plains Environmental Center
• Bill Franzen, Poudre School District
• Dan Fuhrman, Fuhrman Landscaping
• Charlotte Harms, Component Systems
• Jason Hawk, Waste Not
• Bruce Hendee, BHA Design
• Linda Hoffmann, Nolte: Beyond Engineering
• Greg Hurst, EDAW
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Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
ii
• Greg Jones, Porter Industries
• Russel Lee, VF Ripley Associates, Inc.
• David Lingle, City of Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Board
• Sue McFaddin. Sustainable Strategies
• Michael Oberlander, Interwest Consulting Group
• Dean Parson, Terracon
• Aaron Pitt, Dohn Construction, Inc.
• Matthew Poncelow, Vaught Frye Architects
• Stu Reeve, Poudre School District
• Corey Rhodes, Beaudin Ganze
• Doug Ryan, Larimer County Environment and Health
• Jammie Sabin, Aspen Homes of Colorado
• Mark Shadowan, Comfort by Design
• Stephen Steinbicker, Architecture West
• Joel Tribelhorn, Stewart Title
• Jim Volpa, Sun Electric
• Mark Wanger, MW Consulting
• Jim Welch, Sun Electric
• Lara Williams, The Green Team
City Participants
• John Armstrong, Natural Resources
• Kathy Collier, Natural Resources
• Susie Gordon, Natural Resources
• Lucinda Smith, Natural Resources
• Anne Aspen, Current Planning
• David Averill, Transportation Planning
• Peter Barnes, Zoning
• Cameron Gloss, Current Planning
• Sheri Langenberger, Engineering
• Felix Lee, Neighborhood and Building Services
• Susan Lehman, Advanced Planning
• Randy Maizland, Development Review
• Clark Mapes, Advanced Planning
• Karen McWilliams, Advanced Planning
• Ted Shepard, Current Planning
• Shelby Sommer, Current Planning
• Laurie D’ Audney ,Utilities
• Brian Janonis, Utilities
• Bob Micek, Utilities
• Glen Schlueter, Utilities/Stormwater Development
• Gary Schroeder, Utilities Energy Services
• Doug Swartz, Utilities Energy Services
• Norm Weaver, Utilities Energy Services
• Carol Webb, Utilities
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iii
Executive Summary
All indications are positive: community stakeholders, City of Fort Collins staff, and
survey results gathered from select cities around the United States suggest that Fort
Collins has strong green building programs, even exceptional in some cases. This
existing green building foundation is the basis for enhancements and improvements to
make green building a cornerstone of construction and renovation in the community.
The City is striving to become a coordinated center for advancing green building in the
Fort Collins community by increasing general awareness, raising the bar for what is
required, helping engaged stakeholders deliver high performance green buildings, and
rewarding high performers. The City also understands the importance of integrating
green building programs with what is happening in neighboring communities for a
seamless green built environment in northern Colorado.
This Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services will direct the
City’s existing successful green building programs from a collection of independent
services supported by various City departments to a coordinated program. The
roadmap is the result of City guidance, community stakeholder input and research into
peer cities green building efforts. The roadmap defines a green building vision for the
City and provides specific recommendations for improvements, resulting in a path
towards a dynamic and coordinated green building plan.
The recommendations are specific actions that can be undertaken now and in the future
to sustain green building in Fort Collins. These specific actions are categorized
according to the following four general actions:
1. Mandate minimum performance and remove barriers
2. Encourage green building innovation
3. Reward green building success
4. Build internal City capacity to support green building
Table ES-1 summarizes the recommendations in these categories according to
timeframe (short-term, mid-term, or ongoing). Table ES-2 presents ways the City can
build internal capacity to support green building.
The roadmap also proposes creating a Green Building Team to implement the short-
and medium-term recommendations. In addition to coordinating existing programs and
services, the team’s responsibilities will include building awareness and support for
green building, both internally and externally.
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Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
iv
Table ES-1. Recommendations for Reaching Green Building Vision
Action Short-term
(within 1 year)
Mid-term
(within 3 years)
Ongoing
Mandate Minimum
Performance and
Remove Barriers
• Update commercial energy
code requirements.
• Research all City codes/standards
to identify barriers and
opportunities.
• Create green building code
compliance application tools.
• Require green building as
prerequisite for public financing.
• Review and update
residential and commercial
energy code requirements on
a regular basis.
Encourage
Innovation
• Create web-based
coordinated access to City
green building resources.
• Promote Integrated Design
Assistance Program.
• Create targeted green
building information for
typical citizens.
• Sponsor external green
building events.
• Research potential incentives for
green building related to
development review, permitting,
and inspection.
• Provide benchmarking tools for
existing buildings.
• Provide design target tools for new
buildings.
• Identify needs and provide external
training/education opportunities.
• Establish a green building
track for new projects.
Reward Success • Continue existing financial
rebate programs.
• Evaluate prescriptive and/or
performance building
rebates for residential
customers.
• Develop water
efficiency/conservation value
structure.
• Evaluate/implement
technology-specific rebates
for energy and water
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
vi
Table of Contents
CITY OF FORT COLLINS’ ...................................................................................................................................... I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ I
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................III
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................................... VI
1.0 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................................................1
2.0 DEFINITION OF GREEN BUILDING......................................................................................................3
3.0 VISION FOR GREEN BUILDING IN FORT COLLINS.........................................................................4
3.1 COMMUNITY VISION FOR GREEN BUILDING................................................................................................4
3.2 CITY’S ROLE IN SUPPORTING THE VISION ...................................................................................................4
4.0 GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................5
4.1 RECOMMENDATIONS TO MANDATE MINIMUM PERFORMANCE AND REMOVE BARRIERS ............................7
4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENCOURAGE INNOVATION ....................................................................................7
4.3 RECOMMENDATIONS TO REWARD SUCCESS ................................................................................................8
5.0 GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP COORDINATION...............................................................................9
5.1 BUILDING INTERNAL CAPACITY..................................................................................................................9
5.2 INTERNAL COORDINATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE...............................................................11
5.3 EXTERNAL COORDINATION .......................................................................................................................11
5.4 PERIODIC PROGRAM REVIEW ....................................................................................................................11
6.0 NEXT STEPS...............................................................................................................................................12
APPENDIX A- PROJECT SCOPE AND PROCESS
APPENDIX B- FORT COLLINS EXISTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
APPENDIX C- PROJECT INTERVIEW PROCESS AND OUTCOME
APPENDIX D- SUMMARY OF EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS
APPENDIX E- SURVEY OF PEER CITY’S GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS
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1
1.0 Background
The City of Fort Collins offers green building programs and services through several
departments depending on the nature of the service. While the City has a number of
good and successful service offerings, the City recognizes that in order to achieve greater
success, a coordinated approach is necessary. To answer this need, the City of Fort
Collins prepared this plan to coordinate and advance green building programs, services,
and resources. The aim is a cohesive program that will streamline the City’s green
building efforts and make them seamless to community users.
Figure 1 illustrates how the City’s green building services are related to a wide range of
sectors, building types, topic areas, services and policy approaches that influence the
built environment of Fort Collins.
Figure 1: Green Building and the Built Environment
Existing
Buildings
operations
renovation
deconstruction
New
Buildings
design and
construction
Topic
Areas
site, energy,
water, IEQ,
waste
Approach
voluntary
mandated
Services
awareness
technical
incentives
Sectors
residential
commercial
CITY
GREEN
BUILDING
SERVICES
Page 7 of 79
2
This plan is a roadmap for the future of the City’s green building programs and services.
The roadmap is the result of City guidance, community stakeholder input, and research
into peer cities green building efforts (Figure 2). The City project team was comprised
of representatives from the Utilities, Community Planning and Natural Resources
Departments. The objectives of the Green Building Roadmap project were to:
• Optimize the effectiveness of existing programs and services;
• Provide a common City vision and definition related to green building;
• Explore new programs and services;
• Address both real and perceived barriers, and
• Actively promote participation in green building programs.
Figure 2: Green Building Roadmap Project Process
A simple analogy for the desired cohesive program is a structure with a foundation,
bricks, and mortar. The foundation of the green building program is made up of the
existing programs and services, existing strengths (both within the City and the
community at large), and a consensus green building definition. The bricks are
enhancements to the City’s existing programs as well as the proposed new program
recommendations presented in this plan. Finally, the mortar is made up of enhanced
City capacity to provide the services required to support successful and green building in
this community.
Interviews of
City staff and
community
stakeholders
Surveys of other key
cities/organizations
Surveys of
existing City
services and
programs
• Consensus definition
• Vision
• Recommendations
Roadmap for Coordinated
and Enhanced Green
Building Services
Guidance from City project team
Page 8 of 79
3
The remaining sections of this reportoffer more detail regarding the definitions of green
building for the public at large and for the City and green building professionals in
particular, the City’s vision for its Green Building Roadmap, recommendations for
achieving the vision, and the program coordination necessary to be successful.
In addition, supplementary information is included as appendices to (A) further detail
the project scope and process, (B) describe existing City green building programs and
services, (C) describe the interview process and the results thereof, (D) present
interview notes, and (E) document the peer city survey results.
Finally, three key terms are often used throughout this document - matrix,
recommendations and roadmap. Please note each term’s respective description in the
context of this report:
• Matrix: this term refers to the tool created for this project to document the City’s
existing green building programs and services (Appendix B), as well as the programs
and services surveyed from other cities (Appendix E).
• Recommendations: this term refers specifically to the recommendations described in
Sections 4 and 5.
• Roadmap: the roadmap is the overall intent described in this document and includes
the definition of green building, the vision for the green building program and the
recommendations for reaching the vision.
2.0 Definition of Green Building
A consensus definition of green building was one of the objectives of this project. A
consensus definition serves as a platform for interdepartmental planning and
coordination, as well as clear and consistent communication with the public.
On the basis of stakeholder input received during project interviews combined with
direction from City staff, two distinct definitions of green building emerged. The first
definition applies as a brief and simple definition for public outreach, while the second
provides a detailed working definition useful to City staff and green building
professionals:
Outreach: Green building: better buildings for people, prosperity, and the planet.
Detailed: Green buildings are designed, constructed, and operated to provide
maximum benefit to people, prosperity and our planet. Green buildings demonstrate a
reduced carbon footprint, energy efficiency, water conservation, waste minimization,
resource-efficient materials, pollution prevention, and improved indoor air quality to
conserve natural resources and improve environmental quality – both indoors and out.
Green building practices extend these concepts to the entire built environment for the
life cycle of new and existing buildings, their surrounding sites, and transit
interconnections.
These two definitions serve to reach out to the community while offering more
substance to those involved on a daily basis in green building in Fort Collins.
Page 9 of 79
4
3.0 Vision for Green Building in Fort Collins
A vision for the future of green building in Fort Collins is a direct result of evaluating
feedback from all of the interview participants. The feedback was used to develop an
overall vision for the community as well as a vision for the City’s role in supporting and
enabling progress and success.
3.1 Community Vision for Green Building
The community vision for green building in Fort Collins is a dynamic and coordinated
green building environment that builds upon existing programs and services. Looking
ahead three years, the community vision for green building in Fort Collins may appear
like this:
• Specific neighborhoods stand out as shining examples of urban renewal− green
from the ground up− while others show how to redevelop existing buildings
around green principles.
• The built environment experiences a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions, building owners enjoy lower utility bills, and occupants have
improved health.
• The community is investing locally in distributed renewable energy installed on
green buildings.
• The majority of building permit applicants are voluntarily adopting principles of
green building.
• There are visibly more solar-powered homes and businesses, including low-
income housing and a mix of leading edge, zero-energy homes and buildings.
• There is an increased awareness and action around higher density land-use
patterns and smaller square footage for occupancy – quality over quantity.
• Consumers have a better understanding of the ecological impacts of their
building choices.
• From K-12 through higher education, there is a system for teaching the
principles of green building and there are career paths for professionals to work
in this field.
• The community attracts and retains jobs in green building. Fort Collins is seen
as a model city for green building attracting businesses and tourists.
3.2 City’s Role in Supporting the Vision
The City aspires to become a coordinated center for advancing green building in the Fort
Collins community by increasing general awareness, raising the bar for what is required,
helping engaged stakeholders achieve better and greener buildings, and rewarding high
performers.
As part of walking the talk, the City also seeks to have all of its buildings green, both new
and existing. In addition, the City hopes to integrate its green building programs with
Page 10 of 79
5
what is happening in neighboring communities for a seamless green built environment
in northern Colorado.
4.0 Green Building Roadmap Recommendations
This section presents the recommendations of the roadmap to achieve the vision set out
in Section 3. These recommendations were developed on the basis of the following:
• Feedback received during the interview process;
• Survey information gathered from other cities around the United States with
similar green building goals and/or regional characteristics, and
• Guidance from the interdepartmental City project team.
For a comprehensive approach to address all City of Fort Collins citizens – regardless of
their experience and knowledge related to green building – recommendations are
organized according to the following categories that indicate level of performance
relating to green building:
• Mandate minimum performance and remove barriers;
• Encourage innovation, and
• Reward success.
A fourth category of recommendations was identified and developed as part of this
roadmap. This category addresses the internal capacities at the City needed to execute
this roadmap. This internally-focused category, along with other internal
considerations, is addressed in Section 5.
The roadmap recommendations are further organized by anticipated timeframes
generally defined as follows:
• Short-term: recommendation achievable in less than 1 year;
• Mid-term: recommendation achievable within 3 years, and
• Ongoing: any recommendation that is anticipated to have a continuous timeline
in order to ensure success.
It is important to note that all City green building programs and services need to
accommodate a wide range of audiences. The audience for green building programs and
services ranges from public citizens to professional service providers - any of which may
fall into categories of those who are completely unaware of green building, those who
are aware and interested in green building, and those who are already fully committed
and practicing green building.
The Green Building Roadmap recommendations are summarized in Table 1, and
described in more detail n Sections 4.1 through 4.3.
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Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
6
Table 1. Recommendations for Reaching Green Building Vision
Action Short-term
(within 1 year)
Mid-term
(within 3 years)
Ongoing
Mandate Minimum
Performance and
Remove Barriers
• Update commercial energy
code requirements.
• Research all City codes/standards
to identify barriers and
opportunities.
• Create green building code
compliance application tools.
• Require green building as
prerequisite for public financing.
• Review and update
residential and commercial
energy code requirements on
a regular basis.
Encourage
Innovation
• Create web-based
coordinated access to City
green building resources.
• Promote Integrated Design
Assistance Program.
• Create targeted green
building information for
typical citizens.
• Sponsor external green
building events.
• Research potential incentives for
green building related to
development review, permitting,
and inspection.
• Provide benchmarking tools for
existing buildings.
• Provide design target tools for new
buildings.
• Identify needs and provide external
training/education opportunities.
• Establish a green building
track for new projects.
Reward Success • Continue existing financial
rebate programs.
• Evaluate prescriptive and/or
performance building
rebates for residential
customers.
• Develop water
efficiency/conservation value
structure.
• Evaluate/implement
technology-specific rebates
for energy and water
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
7
4.1 Recommendations to Mandate Minimum Performance and Remove Barriers
Short-term
Update commercial energy code requirements. The commercial energy code
references an antiquated version of ASHRAE Standard 90.1. The Neighborhood
and Building Services Department is reviewing updated code requirements with
a target of presenting plans to Council by the end of 2007. The most recent
version of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is 2004.
Mid-term
• Research all City codes and standards through the lens of green building –
including energy codes, building codes, land codes, etc. − to identify barriers and
determine opportunities. Appendix B lists twenty City programs that are
regulatory in nature. This project identified the sections of the various codes and
standards that influence some related aspect of green building. However, each
section of code needs to be reviewed in detail to identify specific opportunities or
barriers to the promotion of green building.
• Create code compliance application tools related to green building for external
customer use. Many green building practices are variations on activities that
happen in all development and construction projects. Specific green building
compliance tools will support a smooth regulatory process for green projects.
• Require green building as a prerequisite for any projects that offer public
financing. The City already has Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) goals for new City buildings. This recommendation suggests new policies
requiring green building targets for projects that receive direct or indirect public
financing from the City.
Ongoing
• Review and update all residential and commercial energy codes on a regular
basis, with an instituted commitment to aggressive review. City energy codes
could be tied to the “latest version” of standards that are regularly updated by
the sponsoring organizations (IRC, ASHRAE, etc.).
4.2 Recommendations to Encourage Innovation
Short-term
• Create web-based coordinate access to City green building resources through a
web-based portal. The City offers over 30 programs and services related to green
building (Appendix B). However, there is no coordinated access and navigation
for citizens or green building professionals to identify, understand and
participate in these services. This recommendation is the highest priority and
first task for the Green Building Roadmap.
• Increase promotion of Fort Collins Utilities’ Integrated Design Assistance
Program (IDAP). The IDAP offers technical and financial assistance to
Page 13 of 79
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
8
commercial projects that set high performance energy goals. The program has a
whole building integrated design track and a prescriptive component based
option. For the whole building track, there is funding for both design incentives
and performance incentives. However, the program has supported a small
fraction of the overall development that occurs in Fort Collins.
• Create targeted green building information for typical citizens. Awareness of the
practices and benefits of green building is low amongst most Fort Collins
citizens. The City can play an effective role in providing clear and informative
green building outreach to citizens.
• Sponsor external events with a green building focus. The City can also provide
leadership to build momentum in the community for green building with a
coordinated plan for sponsorship of events such as the Sustainable Living Fair,
Poudre School District Sustainable Schools Conference and the Environmental
Program Series and support for organizations such as the Institute for the Built
Environment and the Northern Colorado Branch of the US Green Building
Council.
Mid-term
• Review potential green building incentives identified during the survey, both
non-monetary and monetary, related to development review, permitting, and
inspection. Incentives for green building related to the City’s regulatory process
need research and evaluation, followed by high level management discussions.
• Provide benchmarking tools (energy and water) for existing buildings.
Benchmarking is a powerful tool directing and motivating building owners or
tenants to improve the efficiency of their operations. However, simple and easy
to use tools are needed to simplify the process.
• Provide design target tools (energy and water) for new buildings. For new
buildings, energy and water design targets provide clear direction to design
teams seeking to create high performance green buildings.
• Identify training/education needs and provide external training/education
opportunities. Advancing green building will require skilled practitioners at both
the professional and trade levels. The City has a history of providing training and
education opportunities which can be expanded to recognize the ties to green
building.
Ongoing
• Establish a green building track for new projects. Ultimately, the City should
strive to have a green building track through the regulatory process for new
projects that incorporates all of these recommendations.
4.3 Recommendations to Reward Success
Short-term
• Continue existing financial rebate programs (e.g., rebates available through
Electric Efficiency Program, LightenUP, IDAP, etc.). Financial incentives both
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Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
9
encourage innovation and reward success. The Utility programs funded by Platte
River Power Authority and Fort Collins Utilities should continue to reward
leading edge energy efficiency solutions.
• Evaluate prescriptive and/or performance rebates for residential buildings.
Utility incentive programs for residential customers have been focused primarily
on end-use technologies. This recommendation targets potential incentives for
residential buildings, in a similar fashion to how the IDAP and EEP function for
commercial facilities.
Mid-term
• Develop a value structure for water efficiency and conservation. Water
conservation does not yet have an agreed upon financial benefit. Development of
a consensus value structure for water will the potential of incentives for water
efficiency and conservation.
Ongoing
• Continue to evaluate and implement technology-specific rebates for energy and
water conservation (e.g., rebates for ENERGY STAR equipment). Energy
efficiency programs need to be evaluated on an on-going basis in relation to
updates and changes to federal, state and local standards.
• Provide public recognition for green building leaders/success stories. The City is
in a unique position to provide recognition to the wide range of participants in
green building. Owners and developers, architectural and engineering designers,
contractors, trades men and women, equipment suppliers and building tenants
all play important roles in successful green building. The Green Building Team
should consider existing avenues for recognition (case studies, Urban Design
Awards, Climate Wise, etc.) as well as new models.
5.0 Green Building Roadmap Coordination
5.1 Building Internal Capacity
These internally-focused recommendations are intended to address the City’s capacity
needs to execute the roadmap, as well as coordination and advancement of the City’s
own green building performance. Employing the same timeline definitions as Section 4,
Table 2 presents recommendations targeted at the City’s internal capacity to provide
green building services. As with the Section 4 recommendations, all of the following
recommendations should take into account a wide range of staff knowledge and
experience with green building.
Page 15 of 79
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
10
Table 2. Actions for Building City Green Building Capacity
Short-term
(within 1 year)
Mid-term
(within 3 years)
Ongoing
• Create a Green Building Team to
implement the roadmap
• Build consensus among City
leaders and management for a
green building vision for Fort
Collins.
• Raise awareness of LEED
requirements for new City
buildings.
• Benchmark City buildings and
improve existing building
performance.
• Convert this project’s matrix of
green building programs and
services to a useful tool for
green building professionals.
• Develop a process for continuous
improvement of City green building
services.
• Develop internal City education
program related to green building.
• Promote/coordinate State and
regional partnerships/efforts.
• Research and document the local
economic benefits of green building.
Short-term
• Create an interdepartmental Green Building Team to implement the short and
mid-term roadmap recommendations.
• Build consensus among City leaders and management for a green building vision
for Fort Collins. The vision in Section 3 is suggested as a starting point for City
leaders to create a high level consensus green building vision for the community.
• Raise awareness of Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED)
requirements for new City buildings. The City has adopted LEED Gold as a target
for new City buildings.
Mid-term
• Benchmark City buildings (energy and water) and improve existing building
performance. Efforts are underway to improve the efficiency of existing buildings
with technology and equipment upgrades, and to track the utility use and cost of
City buildings.
• Convert this project’s matrix of City green building programs and services to a
useful tool for green building professionals. The green building matrix in
Appendix B is a valuable map of available programs and services. The matrix
could become part of the coordinated access and navigational tools developed
under the encourage innovation recommendations.
Ongoing
• Develop a process for continuous improvement of City green building services.
• Develop internal City education program related to green building. As occupants
in City buildings which will become more efficient and green, all City employees
have a role to play in implementing and maintaining green practices.
• Promote/coordinate State and regional partnerships/efforts. There are many
stakeholder organizations with a role to play for successful regional green
building. The City needs to be an active and effective advocate for green building
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
11
• Research and document the local economic benefits of green building. Green
building has the potential to provide a range of local economic benefits, from job
creation to reduced utility costs.
5.2 Internal Coordination and Organizational Structure
Creating and maintaining a leading green building program will require leadership from
various City departments as well as grassroots adoption of new ideas by City staff.
The internal City organization related to green building will reflect the wide range of
activities shown in the roadmap. Green building services will continue to be provided to
citizens through a number of departments that affect the range of green building aspects
and processes (such as Community Planning, Neighborhood and Building Services,
Natural Resources and Utilities).
The dual objectives of the proposed organizational plan are:
• Expand and develop departmental offerings related to green building, and
• Make the information, programs, and services as seamless as possible from a
citizen’s perspective.
The roadmap recommends creating a Green Building Team to implement the short- and
medium-term recommendations.. The team will ideally be comprised of a maximum of
six persons from Community Planning, Neighborhood and Building Services, Natural
Resources, Utilities, and the City Manager’s Office. The team will likely meet on a
monthly basis for 6 months to 1 year, after which meetings may be shifted to a quarterly
basis. In addition to coordinating existing programs and services, the team’s
responsibilities will include building awareness and support for green building, both
internally and externally.
5.3 External Coordination
External coordination is an important element to this roadmap’s success. Optimizing
relationships and coordination with regional jurisdictions and organizations was
identified as a key recommendation. Possible jurisdictions include Larimer County and
surrounding communities. Potential partner organizations include Colorado State’s
Institute for the Built Environment, the U.S. Green Building Colorado Chapter, Platte
River Power Authority, the Northern Colorado Clean Energy Cluster and the Colorado
Governor’s Energy Office. The participants in the Green Building Team, in conjunction
with their respective departments, would be responsible for the green building related
coordination with these external or regional organizations.
5.4 Periodic Program Review
Two important aspects of any structure for continuous improvement are periodic
reviews and accountability. A number of program review elements that inherently are
periodic in nature are already in this roadmap of recommendations:
• Review and update all energy codes on a recurring basis, with an instituted
commitment to aggressive review;
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Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
12
• Continue to evaluate and implement technology-specific rebates for energy and
water conservation, and
• Convene a proposed Green Building Team to meet on a quarterly basis, at
minimum.
Accountability and metrics are important to ensure the effectiveness of programs and
services and to track overall progress. Metrics can be both qualitative and quantitative
in nature. Potential metrics collected from interviews and surveys include the following:
• Number of LEED-registered buildings
• Community carbon footprint (tracked by the Energy Management Team as part
of the Climate Task Force recommendations)
• Per capita energy use (tracked by Utilities Energy Services as part of the Electric
Energy Supply Policy reporting)
• Number of net-zero buildings
• Number of green building permits (when available)
• Number of solar-powered homes and businesses
• Affordable housing green building projects
• Number of green building related jobs
6.0 Next Steps
The Green Building Roadmap project demonstrated the considerable enthusiasm, both
from City staff and engaged community members, to move ahead toward integrated and
high-performance green building goals. There is a documented interest in green
building and sustainability, creating a tremendous opportunity to grow green building
in Fort Collins.
The project team recognizes that it will be important not to lose momentum in the face
of many issues facing City leadership and staff on a daily basis. The responsibilities of
the project staff team in the months following the completion of this project include:
• Distribute the Green Building Roadmap report to those who participated in the
interview process.
• Make the Green Building Roadmap available on the City’s website.
• Present the Green Building Roadmap to attendees of the U.S. Green Building
Council, Colorado Chapter annual conference in September.
• Present the Green Building Roadmap results and recommendations to City
management and leaders to generate understanding and commitment regarding
the roles and points of interface for working cohesively.
• Obtain feedback on recommendations and implement short-term
recommendations in the coming year.
Page 18 of 79
A-1
Appendix A- Project Scope and Process
Scope of Project
From the start, the project scope was purposefully open-ended and wide-ranging to
allow for broad consideration. Project topics and sectors were as encompassing as
possible to include all aspects where City programs and services to the external
community are applicable. Green building topics included issues of site, energy, water,
waste, indoor environmental quality, and building materials. Applicable sectors
included all sectors served by the City: residential, commercial, industrial, institutional,
non-profit, multi-family, etc.
The project considered over-arching program elements of:
• Policies
• Standards and regulations
• Outreach/education (new and existing buildings)
• Recognition (new and existing buildings)
The project also considered program phases specific to typical new construction and
existing building projects of:
• Pre-design
• Design
• Permitting
• Construction
• Inspection
• Commissioning, measurement, and evaluation
• Post-occupancy of new construction
• Major renovation/remodel
• Deconstruction
Related to project topics, one point of clarification for the project scope and the
resulting plan should be noted. The project topic of site includes issues related to the
landscape, location, orientation, and access to transportation of a green building. When
considering issues of transportation in particular, the scope of this project and plan
includes, for example, the bike racks of buildings (not the bikes), the bus stops (not the
buses), etc.
Furthermore, many project participants expressed interest in larger issues of
sustainability – issues that go well beyond the scope of green building programs and
services. These issues are part of a larger movement toward the concept of green
urbanism. Green building can be thought of as a component of this larger movement.
The following diagram demonstrates this relationship between green urbanism and
green building.
Page 19 of 79
A-2
Figure A-1: Green Urbanism and Green Building
The scope of this particular project is focused on green building, while at the same time
recognizing that green building is only one component of a larger movement toward a
sustainable city.
Project Process
Figure A-2 summarizes the key process components that resulted in the Roadmap for
Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services. In tandem with the project
interviews (detailed in Appendices C and D), the project team surveyed both programs
and services already existing in the City (detailed in Appendix B) as well as best
practices from other strategic cities and organizations throughout the United States
(detailed in Appendix E). The City’s internal project team provided guidance to the
project approach and roadmap development throughout the effort.
Green
Urbanism
Green
Building
Page 20 of 79
A-3
Figure A-2: Project Process Summary
Interviews of
City staff and
community
stakeholders
Surveys of other key
cities/organizations
Surveys of
existing City
services and
programs
• Consensus definition
• Vision
• Recommendations
Roadmap for Coordinated
and Enhanced Green
Building Services
Guidance from City project team
Page 21 of 79
B-1
Appendix B- Fort Collins Existing Green Building Programs and
Services
As part of the survey efforts of this project, information was collected and organized on
the City of Fort Collins’ existing green building programs. This appendix first presents a
summary of the over 30 existing City programs and services. Table B-1 then presents
more details on the existing City programs and services.
Following Table B-1, each program or service is “mapped” to a matrix of green building
topic areas (site, energy, water, indoor environmental quality, waste and building
materials) and program elements or project phases (City policies, standards and
regulations, recognition, pre-design, design, permitting, construction, inspection,
commissioning, post-occupancy, major renovation and deconstruction). The matrix can
therefore be used to quickly identify the applicability of a specific program to both topic
area and project phase.
Existing Programs and Services Summary
The following summary list of existing programs and services is organized according to
those that are voluntary (education/awareness, technical/financial assistance, etc.) and
those that are regulatory (policies, ordinances, codes, standards).
Voluntary
• Builder's Guide to Energy Efficient Home Construction
• Climate Wise
• Clothes Washer Rebate Program
• Colorado New Home Choices
• Commercial technical assistance
• Cooling Rebate Program
• Deconstruction/construction debris (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• Education, training, workshops (Environmental Program Series, Business
Environmental Program Series, etc.)
• Electric Efficiency Program
• Fort Collins Urban Design Awards
• Home energy ratings
• Home Performance with ENERGY STAR®
• Integrated Design Assistance Program
• Land use code – use of solar energy, downtown districts transit stops, preliminary
review and engineering test cases
• LIGHTENUP
• Ozone reduction
• Photovoltaic net metering pilot
• Radon (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• REACH (Residential Energy Assistance through Community Help)
• Recycling (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• Sprinkler System Audit Program
• Transportation Overlay District (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
Page 22 of 79
B-2
• Urban Design Awards
• Water conservation programs
• ZILCH (Zero Interest Loans for Conservation Help)
Regulatory
• Building code
• City Plan
• Deconstruction/construction debris (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• Land use code – standards on solar access, landscape, irrigation standards, parking,
lighting, buffers, pedestrian connectivity, proximity to neighborhood center, level of
service (transportation)
• Municipal Code - water rates and water wasting codes
• Mason Transportation Corridor
• Radon (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• Recycling (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• Sediment and Erosion Control Inspections for Construction
• Storm Drainage Design Criteria and Construction Standards
• Structure Plan
• Transportation Overlay District (both voluntary and regulatory aspects)
• Zoning Plan
Detailed Programs and Services Descriptions
Pages B-3 to B-8 of Table B-1 below detail the descriptions of existing City of Fort
Collins’ programs and services. Page B-9 uses a matrix to match the existing programs
(with numbers identified in B-3 to B-8) to the program elements, program phases, and
green building topics described in Appendix A. To interpret the information of Table B-
1, note the following abbreviations and their corresponding definitions:
Sector
• R = Residential: homes
• C = Commercial: all non-industrial private businesses
• Ind = Industrial: manufacturing private businesses
• Inst = Institutional: governments, K-12 schools, universities
• MF = Multifamily housing
Service
• SB = Skill building
• $= Incentives: direct monetary (rebates, funding, grants) or other incentives
• T = Technical: assessments, on-site observations/assistance, design assistance,
permitting assistance, implementation support, inspection-related assistance
• A = Awareness
• Dev = Market/economic development: market development/evolution, jobs,
infrastructure development
Regulatory code
Page 23 of 79
B-3
• LV = Local voluntary program
• LR = Local requirement: required compliance; city and/or county
• EV = External voluntary program
• ER = External requirement: required compliance; regional, statewide, national (e.g.,
Chicago Climate Exchange)
Page 24 of 79
B-4
Table B-1. Existing City Green Building Programs and Services
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Reg.
Code
1 Climate Wise
Kathy Collier
Natural Resources
970-221-6312
kcollier@fcgov.com
Business outreach program to
reduce their greenhouse gases
through waste reduction, energy
efficiency, water conservation and
transportation reduction.
C, I , Ins
SB, T,
A, Dev,
$
LV
2 Radon
Brian Woodruff
Natural Resources
970-221-6604
bwoodruff@fcgov.com
Promotes testing, system
installation, regulatory, passive
systems
R A, $ LV, LR
3 Ozone Reduction
Lucinda Smith
Natural Resources
224-6085
lsmith@fcgov.com
Summertime Program for
community member ozone
reduction
R A, $ LV
4 Regulatory Oversight
Program
Susie Gordon
Natural Resources
970-221-6265
sgordon@fcgov.com
Ensure solid waste regulation
compliance R, MF, C
A, T,
Dev LV, LR
5 Solid Waste Reduction
Support
Susie Gordon
Natural Resources
970-221-6265
sgordon@fcgov.com
General guidance, support
regarding solid waste reduction ALL A, T LV
6 Rivendell Recycling
Drop Off
John Armstrong
B-5
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Reg.
Code
8 Deconstruction/
Construction Debris
John Armstrong
Natural Resources
970-416-2230
jarmstrong@fcgov.com
Targeted related program ALL SB,T, $,
A, Dev LV, LR
9 Integrated Design
Assistance Program
Gary Schroeder
Utilities
970-221-6395
gschroeder@fcgov.com
Financial incentives and free
technical assistance for buildings
that perform higher than energy
code. Options for whole building
and prescriptive incentives.
C, Ind, Ins, MF $, Dev,
T LV
10 LIGHTENUP Program
John Phelan
Utilities
970-416-2539
jphelan@fcgov.com
Rebates for replacing inefficient
lighting with high efficiency
technology
C, Ind, Ins, MF $, T LV
11 Electric Efficiency
Program
John Phelan
Utilities
970-416-2539
jphelan@fcgov.com
Incentives for projects which save
electric energy and/or peak
demand through equipment
upgrades
C, Ind, Ins, MF $, T LV
12 Cooling Rebate
Program
John Phelan
Utilities
970-416-2539
jphelan@fcgov.com
Rebates for high efficiency
packaged air conditioning
equipment
C, Ind, Ins, MF $ LV
13 Commercial Technical
Assistance
John Phelan
Utilities
B-6
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Reg.
Code
16 Builder's Guide to
Energy Efficient Home
Construction
Doug Swartz
Utilities
970-221-6719
dswartz@fcgov.com
Print and web resource useful for
those building a new home or
adding to an existing home. It is
filled with architectural details that
help avoid common problems.
R
SB,
Dev, T,
A
LV
17 Home Energy Ratings
Doug Swartz
Utilities
970-221-6719
dswartz@fcgov.com
Subsidized home energy ratings,
providing information about how a
home uses energy and the best
places to look for energy upgrades.
R
SB,
Dev, T,
A
LV
18 REACH
Rene Evenson
Utilities
970-221-6394
revenson@fcgov.com
Income based weatherization
program based on whole-house
approach
R $ LV
19 Education, training,
workshops
John Phelan
Utilities
970-416-2539
jphelan@fcgov.com
Environmental Program Series,
Business Environmental Program
Series, contractor training, green
building workshops, xeriscape
garden tours, composting,
irrigation, landscaping, etc.
R, C, Ind, Ins,
MF
SB,
B-7
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Reg.
Code
24 Land Use Code -
Parking Standards
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
To ensure that the parking and
circulation aspects of all
developments are well designed
with regard to safety, efficiency and
convenience of vehicles, bicycles,
pedestrian and transit, both within
the development and to and from
surrounding areas.
C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
25 Land Use Code -
Lighting
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
To focus on the actual physical
effects of lighting, as well as the
effect that lighting may have on the
surrounding neighborhood.
C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
26
Land Use Code -
Buffers
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
To ensure that when the property
is developed consistent with its
zoning designation, the way in
which the proposed physical
elements of the development plan
are designed and arranged on the
site will protect the natural habitats
and features both on the site and in
the vicinity of the site.
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
27
Land Use Code -
Pedestrian Connectivity
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
B-8
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Reg.
Code
30 Land Use Code -
Engineering Test Cases
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
Provides a system to evaluate
green building technologies such
as porous pavement
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LV
31 City Plan
Clark Mapes
Advance Planning
970-221-6225
cmapes@fcgov.com
Encourages sustainable practices
with mixed use activity centers,
higher density closer to downtown,
lower density further out, reduces
car trips
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
32 Structure Plan
Clark Mapes
Advance Planning
970-221-6225
cmapes@fcgov.com
Follows direction from City Plan,
acts as bridge between City Plan
and Zoning; regulation of the
Growth Management Area - areas
outside of city boundary with
potential to become part of city
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
33 Zoning Plan
Clark Mapes
Advance Planning
970-221-6225
cmapes@fcgov.com
Regulates uses within City
following direction from City Plan
and Structure Plan, forms basis for
Land Use Code
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
34 Land Use Code - Transit
Stops in Downtown
Districts
David Averill
Transportation Planning
970-416-2643
daverill@fcgov.com
B-9
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Reg.
Code
38 Fort Collins Urban
Design Award
Becca Henry
Urban Designer
970-221-6226
bhenry@fcgov.com
The City hosts an annual design
program in which one category is
“Green Design”.
C, Ind, Inst, MF A LV
39 Storm Drainage Design
Criteria and
Construction Standards
Glen Schlueter
Utilities-Stormwater
970-224-6065
gschlueter@fcgov.com
Thirteen Master drainage basin
master plans. Standards for design
and construction of storm water
facilities, construction erosion
control, permanent erosion control,
erosion buffer limits, and water
quality treatment of storm runoff.
R,C,IND,INST,
MF A,DEV LR
40 Sediment and Erosion
Control Inspections for
Construction
D.A. Black
Utilities
970-218-3011
dblack@fcgov.com
Construction site sediment and
erosion control minimum measure
of compliance with the City's CDPS
Stormwater permit (compliance).
Provides input on compliance with
the site's State Stormwater
Construction General permit
(education)
All T LV, EV
41 Municipal Code - Water
Rates
Bill Switzer
Utilities
970-221-6713
bswitzer@fcgov.com
Tiered residential water rates &
seasonal commercial rates to
encourage water conservation.
R,C, Ind,Inst,MF $ LR
42 Sprinkler System Audit
Program
Laurie D'Audney
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
B-9
GREEN BUILDING TOPIC AREAS
GREEN BUILDING
PROGRAM ELEMENTS
Site Energy Water Indoor Env.
Quality
Waste Building
Materials
City Policies 31,32,33,37 31,32,33,37 31,32,33,37 31,32,33,37
City Standards and
Regulations
4,8,22,23,24,25,26
27,28,29,35,39,40
22,23,24,25,22
27,28,29,35
22,23,24,25,26
27,28,29,35,39
2,22,23,24,25
26,27,28,29,35 4,8 8
Outreach/Education
(new and existing buildings)
1,4,5,8,19,
36,37,39
1,14,19,
20,36,37
1,19,21,
36,37,39
1,2,14,
19,36,37
1,4,5,
6,8,19
1,3,5,
8,14,19
Recognition
(new and existing buildings) 1,5,8,38 1,9 1 1 1,5,8 1,5,8
GREEN BUILDING PROJECT
PHASE
Site Energy Water Indoor Env.
Quality
Waste Building
Materials
New Construction
Pre-Design 1,4,5,8,9,22,23,24
25,26,27,28,29,30
31,32,33,34,35,36
37,39
1,9,14,16,22
24,25,27,28
1,23 1,14 1,4,5,6,8 1,5,8,14
Design 22,23,24,25,26,27
28,29,30,35,39
9,16,22
24,25,26,28
23,39 14, 16 14, 16
Permitting 4,22,23,24
25,26,35,39
22,24,25
27,28
23,39 4
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
C-1
Appendix C- Project Interview Process and Outcome
Facilitated interviews of both internal City staff and external community stakeholders
were a key component of the overall project approach. The goals of these interviews
were to collect information and perspectives (including observations of real and
perceived barriers), to assist the development/coordination of future green building
efforts and to gain buy-in for the City’s roadmap.
Two rounds of interviews were completed. The first round purposefully used a small
group format (typically less than 12 participants) for the initial exploration of interview
topics, while the second round reconvened all participants in one large group to update
on project progress and present the initial roadmap outcomes for feedback. The small
groups consisted of six internal City staff groups and four community groups. The
internal City interviews included staff members from Advance Planning, Development
Review, Neighborhood/Building Services, Natural Resources, and Utilities. Invitations
for the community groups were determined based on input from the interviewed City
staff, internal project team input and direct requests for participation in the interviews.
Overall, the response to these community invitations was very strong (additional
interviews had to be added to accommodate the number of responses) and resulted in a
very diverse mix of stakeholders involved in green building. In the end, the community
groups included building professionals (architects and various engineering disciplines),
builders and building trades, real estate and development industry representatives, and
other important community stakeholders involved in green building (non-profits,
Poudre School District, Colorado State University, and Larimer County).
Each of the small group interviews explored questions and feedback regarding the
definition of green building, the existing strengths in both the City of Fort Collins as an
organization and a community from which to advance future efforts, the participants’
vision for the community and the municipal government’s role in that vision and
recommendations for achieving the vision (in short, medium and long term time
frames). The large group format summarized the input from all small groups, presented
the initial roadmap outcomes, and finally, solicited feedback on the presented
information. This information is summarized as follows.
Green Building Definition
Participants suggested that the City’s green building definition:
• Use a two-tiered definition. Make the first tier of the definition brief for use with
the public, including the non-choir. Expand on defining green building in the second
tier for use with internal City staff and green building professionals.
• Emphasize the positive. Recognizing that minimizing a negative does not
eliminate the negative, define green building in a positive and restorative manner.
• Explain why. Address the motivations and benefits of green building.
• Include existing buildings and infrastructure/transportation. Clearly
include existing buildings (not just new construction) and the infrastructure
required to support green buildings, including transportation. (Note that this input
related to infrastructure should again be considered according the scope defined
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Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
C-2
earlier for this project and as the fundamental facilities and systems serving Fort
Collins – rather than the organizational infrastructure of the City government).
Existing Strengths
Common strengths of the City of Fort Collins both as a community and a municipal
government serve as an important foundation for the future and are helpful in
understanding the current situation in order to better inform future direction. In
general, interviews indicated that good awareness and support for green building topics
are in place both in the community (including a favorable media) and with City staff.
Many green building champions on all levels exist, including local-level champions (City
Council, City Mayor, City Manager, etc.), regional-level champions (Clean Energy
Cluster, Denver Mayor, etc.), and state-level champions (State Governor, etc.).
In terms of particular community strengths, a general respect was noted for what the
green building market and private sector has already achieved without the City having a
specific green building plan in place. Additionally, many organizations in Fort Collins
provide world-class leadership and demonstrations in green building, including Poudre
School District, New Belgium Brewing, and Colorado State University. Furthermore, the
Fort Collins community offers significant green building resources and expertise,
including the Colorado State University’s Institute for the Built Environment, the Rocky
Mountain Sustainable Living Fair (event and organization), and a depth of green
building professionals.
Many aspects of the City as a municipal organization were highlighted as existing
strengths. The City Plan itself and its elements that promote green building were often
referenced as an existing strength. The City, like the community, has significant
resources and expertise in place. Frequently highlighted programs and services included
the City’s (residential and business) Environmental Series, Utilities energy services
(including the Integrated Design Assistance Program), and Utilities wind program.
Characteristics of City programs and services also were often referenced as strengths. In
particular, the approach of City programs and services were noted as being built on a
good working relationship with the private sector. City staff was found to be generally
open, committed, and accessible. Finally, a common highlighted strength was the
existing municipal electric and water utility infrastructure that allows the City direct
involvement in policy (e.g., Electric Energy Supply Policy) and approach (e.g.,
stormwater treatment watershed approach).
Vision
Common themes used to describe the vision of future success, both for the City
organization and the community, were as follows:
Community/Market
• Growth in green building jobs
• Regional leadership and influence
• Mainstream community support and involvement
• Market infrastructure in private sector
• National recognition
Page 33 of 79
Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Building Services
C-3
Internal City Capabilities
• Well-established pipeline of services for citizens
• Programs that are helpful to end users
• Green building as second nature to highly skilled operational staff
• Coordinated effort among departments
Recommendations
Interview recommendations for successfully achieving the community and City vision
were critical in determining the recommendations presented in Section 4 of this
roadmap document. All recommendations received during the interview process are
documented in Appendix D.
Page 34 of 79
D-1
Appendix D- Summary of External Stakeholder Interviews
Appendix D summarizes comments made by participants in the external community
stakeholder interviews. There were four community interviews held with 37 people
participating. The external stakeholder group interviews were seen as an essential
element of the project process in order to be inclusive and to ensure that the final
roadmap fits the community’s expectations.
Interview Questions and Feedback:
Regarding Current Programs and Services:
• What does “green building” mean to you? (roundtable response)
- Liked the “strawman”
- A better building, from materials to environmental impacts to energy
efficiency to water management, all the components – trying to build a better
building
- Realization that there’s a bottom line cost factor – a balance of what the
owner can afford and not scare them away from that process because we make
it too restrictive
- Focus on the benefits for people living there: greater durability, improved
IAQ, comfort, and energy efficiency and resource conservation
- High performance buildings, education is critical part – kids growing up in
great schools will come to expect that kind of thing. Interested developers,
clean energy cluster, nationally leading school district, building Fort Collins as
the go-to place like Portland or Austin should be a goal. Must also be
malleable because constantly changing. What is today will be beyond
tomorrow. Kinard is beyond Bacon…the more we can spread the good word,
the more likely they’ll understand. Existing buildings should be included too,
not just new construction.
- All our kids go to Zach, Kinard, FRHS – so thank you PSD
- Productivity of the workers and with the right design team green buildings
don’t have to cost more. Integrated design is key/important. People, Planet,
Profit is a key paradigm – that’s what Seven Generations is about. Need to
look at all 3 of those. Working on first LEED-EB in Fort Collins, to be
certified in next 3 months (on a 2-year old building). CSU so lucky to have
them as a resource – IBE are great leaders.
- a) health of building and health of getting to the buildings – healthier
community; b) greening of AIA HQ and meeting 2030 challenge of zero
carbon – early systems integration and coordination; c) rehab of existing
buildings
- responsible stewards of our individual role in the building, everyone taking
their working through the process and think about what you do now and how
it affects the future.
- progressive construction – defined as basically meeting our needs without
sacrificing nature or the future. We’ve conquered the need for shelter, the
Page 35 of 79
D-2
desire for comfort, so now need to conquer what’s next – what’s best for
nature and the future
- designing and constructing in an integrated and environmentally sensitive
fashion
- inside, outside, everything
- construction buildings that last, are energy efficient, and comfortable
- irrigation systems that conserve water but are still aesthetically pleasing and
use alternative water sources (non-potable)
- conserving resources (water, energy, etc.)
- projects that are sustainable for the environment and people
- creativity and resourcefulness
- designing and installing landscapes that last, conserve water, use less fertilizer
and pesticides
- building constructed from sustainable material, healthy, energy efficient and
durable
- technique and practice combined with materials to end up at that place
- sustainable, healthy, energy efficient, plus locally sourced projects
- verification, documentation, auditing, or assessment, actual performs as
designed
- zero energy as a goal
- civil infrastructure, water quality, broader issue of site development
- building that gives back more than it takes
- measurement or variable to account for waste- use less resources to build
- take an existing and do what you can with price factored in to make green
- 3 characteristics- energy efficiency, resource conservation, and indoor quality
- Affordable to the consumer
- Net energy producer building, meets certain standards that are easy to talk
about, consistent with city goals
- Universal, building where people live and work in an environment where
people can continue to live for future generations
- Teaching young people green building and respect for environment so they
understand the lifestyle to be lived from here on out
- Minimizing waste in green building, healthy local materials, education about
- Building in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable manner
- Irrigation/water use- building needs to work with elements in the landscape
to enhance green-ness of building
- Quality of life- cleaner, healthier environment, in economics, and in
renewable energies that enhance our national defense/security
- Greener materials, less waste
- Sustainable approach- more energy efficient, less waste, continual process
- Not building a building
• Review “strawman” green building definition (save word-smithing offline,
consensus definition will result from final city plan)
- Q: is green building only or a subset of more general sustainability?
Page 36 of 79
D-3
- Julie’s explanation about noun versus verb and bike rack vs. bike, etc. but
welcome feedback/comments
- Different labels get confusing – define and separate what it includes and how
fits into broader sustainability – where does high performance fit in? Which
is a subset of which?
- Jammie Sabin – his focus is on energy efficiency, but general public term is
Energy Star, high performing homes, LEED, but think “Green” is the
comprehensive all-inclusive idea, all else is a subset.
- Lifecycle
- Where is sustainability in all of this? Carbon footprint?
- Who is this title being presented to? If general public, keep it simple. If for
people working in this, can have more detailed title.
- Two-tiered definition: quick, more extended
- Sustainability is the broader umbrella. Green building is a program within
that.
- On green building, ‘building’ can be confusing because people think of
structure versus construction – again noun vs. verb
- Something that’s beyond our current capabilities but not our vision is
deconstruct-ability, cradle to cradle concept, set our eyes towards it. Replace
demolition with deconstruction.
- Change green building to green communities (green urbanism)
- Address buying local
- Energy efficiency and conservation
- Occupants
- Length- too long, make into 2 paragraphs
- Social equity
- Comfort (ex: Fossil Ridge HS is a better learning environment
- From a home selling perspective: affordable- not just for the elite
- Economic standpoint, many eco-friendly building materials are becoming
economically viable in the market (concrete siding, energy efficient furnaces,
etc.)
- Codes are getting better- less than 10% leakage in furnaces
- Energy star- ½ of heat lost is through cracks, not insulation
- Initial, up-front cost that intimidates people but long term is going way down
and in some cases there is a payback in a few years
- Interest specific- not detailed, adequate
- GB is designing, constructing, and dismantling human formed environments
- Get away from minimizing damage to more positive language about benefits
- Missing the “why”- choir here so needs to be in definition to justify to other
- Notion of precautionary principle- act on problems before all the data is in
- Wake up people- be more severe
- Why seems to be changing since the election and in the press
- Timing is right
- Energy cluster- being leaders, pride in community, one justification that
makes sense. Opportunity to lead, fulfill CEC vision as a national player
Page 37 of 79
D-4
- Narrowness of surrounding landscape- more infrastructure side,
transportation (for example, porous pavement, natural system storm
drainage) needed in definition
- Definition strives to be complete, but implies that everything must be done to
be green- allow for participation in stages or do at least parts of
- Both new and existing and how to apply
- Process way of thinking will promote it to those who see it as an event
- Seems focused on new construction rather than the built environment
- Bring existing stuff into the definition
- Existing landscape and water usage
- Every building is an existing building- including the ones to be built
- Retrofitted and renovated should be added
• Feedback about existing city green building programs summary list
(handed out and explained) How does it hit you? Longer than expected? Shorter?
- Longer than realized, recognized only ½ of what’s on here and I thought I was
pretty savvy.
- How many are redundant? How many clash? How effective are they?
- No redundancies, but yes need to look at how they interact?
- Effectiveness, some is measured…on utilities side
- What is LIGHTENUP? Re-branding of lighting part of EEP.
- Dark Sky (like Tucson, Albuquerque)
- Wind Power isn’t on here, why?
- Feel that voluntary programs are more effective than regulatory
- Would like to see City step up on energy code side (will be 2004 by end of
year. Commercial is now catching up to residential) Already adopted as
baseline in design assistance program
- Natural resource programs?? Where are they on this list? We get a lot of PR
in FC on open space and natural areas
- Same comment re: long range planning – if they don’t set a policy now, in 20
years will be too late
- Other towns give incentives on densities
- City’s own policy on City buildings being LEED certified should be highlighted
- How do I find out about these programs? One idea is a collective web-site for
external folks.
- Radon for example- information and education made it known about
- REACH- income based weatherization services
- Longer than known about
- Departments involved- 3 but also planning
- Structure plan- relationship of things to each other in city
- Land use plan voluntary- just stuff listed
- List but no idea of impact, the metrics, the cost and results
- Had to search for this info- how can we get this info out to people easier?
- Residential only right now, not much for commercial right now
- Auditing of sprinkler systems done in Loveland
- Carrots on the electric side but not the water side
Page 38 of 79
D-5
• Review of Current Green Building Topic Areas Matrix (handout of grid
drafted for internal, existing City programs- about 40, to be used to see gaps, get
arms around the information, evaluate/benchmarking, inform the plan and
communicate to the public):
- Structure is a good idea. Will help with informing people in a uniform
approach.
- Imagine as a clickable web thing.
- Who is the public- who does each program target
- Public will look at personally so need to be able to tell what they can qualify
for, etc.
- Bring together in a comprehensive vision or policy?
- Important to have a policy in place (example- wind)
- Over-riding city goal is important
• What are the existing green building strengths to build on? (current city
and other areas of strength in the region, very respectful of what market has already
done, and can serve as a foundation for the plan):
- Poudre school district
- CSU, IBE
- Expertise in the community, design professionals
- Clean Energy Cluster
- Interesting that Vestas is coming to Windsor – awareness that businesses
want to relocate here, big deal entertaining those types of employers; but
they’re not in Fort Collins
- The City’s design assistance program is a very big strength – a free resource to
stir up the conversation for the owner/design team to hear
- Champions at certain times. We have an aware and politically astute mayor
and city manager who are behind these concepts and are willing to put actions
behind words, which is huge.
- Success of PSD is linked to FCU and PRPA even WAPA. They’ve been behind
success of PSD for many years.
- Personnel within FCU will answer any and all questions (even stupid ones) to
projects
- Blending with area communities in the region – that’s healthy sustainability
- A sympathetic media – will publish green things in a heart beat.
- Governor Ritter was just here – we have an advocate at the Governor’s office,
as well Mayor Hickenlooper
- Judy Dorsey – taught us all a lot …
- Environmental Series is a great outreach program that the City has
- Like the fact that City staff come to “Green Drinks” and mingle with the lowly
peasants – staff is accessible.
- City adopts green on departmental level, but there’s no department. A
strength that all the departments are doing this on their own – hope that’s
continued and encouraged.
- FC is fairly progressive with GB
- A lot of LEED companies in area
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D-6
- Potential, lot of like-minded people, big opportunity
- Many people quite open to GB
- Enjoyment for visitors- new developments, looks nice because things have to
- Land use code and city plan- density requirements
- Gary Schraeder- integrated design plan program
- Communication- open houses, demonstrations, advertising, good ways to
communicate already there
- City is a leader- most advanced in radon, recognized, city and council involved
- Environment/scenery is so nice you can see the result of what GB is trying to
achieve
- Low utilities, so adding a tax would be affordable
- Utilities- education programs are impressive, integrated design program
- Chamber of Commerce is promoting, awards, etc.
- Expertise in Northern Colorado is great
- Community awareness
- CSU is a resource
- Rare relationship between public and private- city is open to working with
private, sharing ideas
- PSD
- City as a leader, inspiring, helping others
- Voluntary, grassroots versus dictated
- New Belgium Brewery
- Expertise on city staff
- Wind program, renewable energy program
- Stakeholder resource
- Looking outside and learning from others- not reinventing the wheel
- Very interested and active people who want to participate
- City has been helpful to Green Builders
- City ownership of utility, which funds stuff
- Buy-in by utilities who see advantage and help fund- no choice due to costs as
power plants are expensive
- Building department is fairly progressive and willing to listen
- Environmental community- paid for first wind stuff
- PSD
- Neenan Co- very proactive- recycling
- New Belgium Brewery
- CSU
- City Environmental series is a great educational tool
- Utilities- wind program
- Community awareness
- Sustainable living fairs
- Weather patterns are ideal for solar
- Private waste haulers- many compete and advance technology
- Private groups taking the lead compared to city
- City and PRPA light and power incentive programs
- Publishers on board and providers of information
Page 40 of 79
D-7
Vision:
• What is your vision for the City’s coordinated green building programs
in 3 years? (take a nap, you wake up in 3 years, what do you see, think big, you
define what success is).
- Embracing a SMS at the City-external level
- Redevelopment of North Side be an example of how to do urban renewal
green from the ground up
- City acts as a coordinated center for education and learning; push champions
in each area to a more sustainable approach using incentives; mandates to
cover the minimum bar;
- What does success look like on the EB side? Education on how to understand
systems approach; follow-up on energy management – working knowledge,
steps, also winners, recognition, honoring that in a community sense and
showing that any building out there is capable
- Way to get to a better life is through competition – easy to accept change
when you see someone doing well and want to emulate that
- Vision that the City moves away from the City’s vision and start to incorporate
what’s going on in this community – Wellington, Timnath, Larimer County –
so we don’t have hodgepodge approach where good thinking goes into this but
will others fell left out of the process? Need strong liaison – currently
resistance to cross border dialogue.
- Reduce carbon footprint; reduce per capita energy; increase physical health of
community – the free market is doing that most effectively right now – so
echo put out incentives and let market figure out how to get it done.
- Larimer County link through natural resources, long range planning,
connecting region so not separate enclaves
- Education in PSD continue to be leader for fostering the ethic through
students
- Why doesn’t CSU-IBE start their own department to develop strategies for
degrees and better incorporating community professionals
- An asset with downtown, urban fabric, river, Penny Flats – stretch vision of
lofts, density, urbanization downtown – a mini-community multi-story
building?
- A) Net suppliers of RECs credits, invest in our own economy; B) economic
development buy it locally here; C) greywater use will be allowed;
D)transportation services improve for more LEED credits; e) solar tax rebates
equivalent to Xcel here in Fort Collins; f) rethink the 5’ setbacks for more
options on proper siting; g) electric car dealership; h) coal plant is either
natural gas powered or not operating
- RTA between counties -- lots of driving with no choices right now;
- Vote for Sue for Mayor; ½ of building permits are green; City has adopted
standard across the board for their own buildings; preferential treatment for
buildings pursuing green
- Outcomes are the focus, the community, not the program
- Seen as a model city- role model, tourism, businesses come here
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D-8
- A low level of Green Building mandated, a high level is encourage and
rewarded
- FC is still a vibrant city (tax base, economically viable, and everyone has not
moved to Centerra)
- City employees- raises, keeping healthy, good staff, not demoralized
- Community has grown, thrived, attracted new business, but resources used is
the same- growth is paid for by conservation
- Publics transportation to Denver, in general
- Wind and solar
- Everyone cares and involves and makes the most of what you have, sense of
community,
- open space, gardens
- decreased consumption of resources
- understanding by community with an impetus to change
- remove the barriers to enable us to save more resources
- end users are taken into consideration (if their costs are increased too much
they won’t do)
- engineers design green stuff that is the same quality as non-green and FC uses
- sustainable and self-sufficient
- broad level of involvement- from caulking to cutting edge technology
involving many
- FC is the easiest place in America to pursue GB, also a place where it is
validated
- 250 solar powered homes and 50 business due to city rebates for solar
- Opportunities for infill utilized and using core of the city
- Measured reduction in energy use and carbon footprint
- City leading by example
- Healthier citizens who are proud of the GB program
- Is a place to come to school and learn GB, we provide the leaders in the
industry
- Is affordable to live here
- City has finished its 3rd affordable housing solar powered HUD building,
LEED certified, ZEH
- Magnet community for GB
- State just recognized grassroots effort that challenges state water laws that
restrict re-use of water, recycling, etc.
- Business environment conducive to electronic business being conducted
- FC influences other local towns to go GB
- Attracted 1000 high quality GB industry jobs
- New city program will pay for itself in 2 years and show a net gain after that
- Tie in the agricultural base to the vision/success
- Increased urban density
- Reasonable square footage for occupancy
- Standard of what a green building is
- More and better mass transit
- Community understanding of the ecological footprint of their building choices
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D-9
- City recognized as a leader in GB technology
- Recycling plan within the for builders
- Less goes to landfill using economic drivers
- City serious about recycling and accountability
- City leads by examples
- Encouraged by incentives, not mandates
- Progress is reported based on GB standards
- Green community connected to natural landscape, such as a river
- Alternative energy is really working
- LEED gold standard in city, including existing buildings
- Fully funded
• What is the city’s role in this vision?
- codifying and not making it more expensive to, for everything that costs more
thrown in something that reduces costs
- standards that conflict with planning- planning and engineering departments
must connect
- Don’t forget PFA’s- need to involve
- Raising the minimum floor (big box builders building the same way as 50
years ago)
- Enforce the codes
- Role of city is guidelines, incentives and really looking at community and who
the community is and what they will go for
- What should the city be doing with private sector, not the city doing things
that the private sector can be doing
- Innovation comes from the private sector, which raise all boats
- City should be exemplary (example irrigation)
- Strong central leadership
- Making GB a choice because it is in the interest of budget (ex.: PSD)
- City fast-track GB projects
- City embedded in many from previous questions
- City driving in same direction and possibly state
- City taking down advice- walking the walk
- Entire community knows and understand and wants to take part
- City has an incentive program for renewable energy in both residential and
community
- Incentive but also 3rd party financing, removing of regulatory obstacles
Enhancements/Opportunities:
• What are the enhancements/opportunities to create coordinated green
building programs and organizational structure? Also any specific new
program ideas?
- Need an individual whose job is to critique the effectiveness of every City
program in the overall view. For example, residential energy rating program
is cheaper than prescriptive view.
Page 43 of 79
D-10
- City to help provide benchmarks for energy use on different building types so
we have bars to shoot for/above.
- Energy is one thing – how set benchmarks for other aspects of ‘green’. Ideas
– how much is local;
- Bring national tools (like LEED) to regional/local levels
- Keep the benchmarks simple (Carbon, energy, water, etc.)
- Secondary uses of water and conducive rate structures (e.g., Portland)
- Water incentives – FCU is proactive on energy side, but not water (e.g., tap fee
rebates would bring quicker adoption…)
- Landscaping water should be a priority to target
- City pass law that all new buildings (not just their own) have to be LEED
certified
- City should lead and incentive-ize – push innovation and competition
- Profitability is higher in Loveland than FC on like subdivisions because more
regulations and rules here; an additional cost to everything here; e.g.,
approved framing lists here vendors cost more $0.75/ft more; some local
builders copy what Aspen does because of success and want to compete – so
again, competition and incentives is the best approach
- What is our community doing compared to other communities? That
comparison should include – so does it look better?
- LEED whetted appetite of consumer demand; got a huge ball rolling; always
been voluntary; keep it that way.
- Can’t make a profit in your own backyard – can City be an advocate for local
successful builders that meet measurable outcomes – like a chamber of
commerce type of statement. Help people define the shades of green and who
can help deliver that.
- Expedited process for GB
- Define GB
- Avoid retribution
- Get a break for GB on certain rights, uses, etc.
- Incentives- rebates for smart controllers, sprinklers, design review, improve
the web showing this
- Educate to create compelling want (interest) and then break down
barriers/availability to people actually doing or using (example: light bulb
program)
- Discount on wastewater bill for creating less waste
- On-site renewable energy for residences- break for having
- Education- Discovery Science Center as an outreach for that
- Gravel pave (like allies, etc)
- Cul de sacs- big environments using a lot of resources
- Encourage regional natural building materials
- Continue to encourage alternative transportation
- Increase land use requirements as well, not just building codes (HOA’s
requiring grass, wide roads, fire and engineering codes, amount of resources,
density and pavement)
- Require licensing for landscape contractors
Page 44 of 79
D-11
- Using more secondary water supply (effluent water, relaxing city stance of
having a private utility in a public right of way)
- Broad city goal with a council behind
- Change disparate structure of bureaucracy to make it work to get the
information out there and actually implement the policies and programs
- Coordinate the expertise on the city staff
- City reaches out to other entities
- Make Mason Street Corridor a showcase for green
- Fort Collins supports Salazar in his efforts to make the state green
- Separate or sub-department for green services to bring together the programs
in once place
- One stop ship for services
- Coherent program that knits together and drives Green Building
- Make solar a part of it, use federal tax incentives, make solar feasible
- Certain % from utilities mandated renewable
- Pilot program by city to invest into unproven GB technology
- Across the board use of new technologies
- Reach the masses in efficiency
- Centralized, coordinated department that is upper level and pays for itself,
has strong support
- Funnel state money into FC
- Incentives to landlords to implement energy efficiency in rentals, and in
commercial
- Overwhelmed with info- start small with easily digestible information
- Education is key, bring it to practical level in community so people can do it
and apply themselves
- Operating as a clearinghouse for info- accurate and up-to date source
- City support of non-profits to work across the board to see if the issue can be
advanced in the region (ex: Portland)
- GB homes tour
- Need to pay for it to get to the next level- see the vision, sell the vision, which
is not voluntary or cheap
- CSU building innovations and FC needs to work with them
- Things have been easy so far, have to do the hard parts
- Pay for it out of the utility budget
- City “seed” money with a plan to attract more jobs is marketable, make it a
business deal because it needs the business community
- Not mandated onto people, not regulated as it hurts affordability
- Confusion in building community- adding another layer is not helpful, find
ways to utilize them better, not mandated, qualifying
- Programs out there to look at for tax funding- REIT
- Tax on luxury homes
- Green points program or other funding programs out there- look at them
(carbon tax for example)
- Avoid another label
- All landscape designers have to be certified or licensed
Page 45 of 79
D-12
- All sprinkler systems operating at correct capacity
- Biofuels for city vehicles
- City shares its lesson learned (successes and challenged)
- Benchmark/scorecard for buildings to give consumer information with which
to make choices (a number associated with how “green” a building is)
- Commercial water conservation incentives
- Move goal posts after success
- Recalibrate and renew water conservation goals
- Incentives in land use code- bonuses for public space, green building, etc.
- Figure out how to make people not haul yard waste to the landfill (Hageman
is useful, make drop off sites available)
- Educational piece so people know not to take stuff to landfill (sign there)
- Make it so waste haulers do not want large quantities of stuff to haul as
currently
- No buildings with windows that don’t open
- Plumbing code- have it address sprinkler heads
- Embrace new technologies like waterless urinals
- Indoor environmental quality should addressed- retrofitted or new
construction and incentives to encourage
- CFC’s
- Cleaning products- educate public and code writers
- Residential orientation of houses- change to take advantage of sun
- Land use codes to encourage GB, renewable, etc.
- Simplify city codes- make easier to do GB
- City culture should be GB
- Education in schools on environment
- Communication between city departments
- Outreach to student, Hispanic, and other detached communities (either not
interested or aware, on the front lines, market to students who could be
interested)
- Benchmarking/scoring
Steps to Achieve the Vision:
• What immediate steps can be taken to achieve vision? (immediate/realistic
steps or advice/tips for plan development between now and end of year).
- Bring collaborative resources together and share immediately
- Use advocates to make a proclamation that gets signed and goes to City to
raise the bar; becomes a good talking point, leverage point.
- Green ombudsmen to help vet issues that people are having with the actual
benefits of some programs. Meet the spirit rather than the letter of the rules
- Education: events – 2-3 day program like FRHS last year, expound on that
again; maybe a LEED track or conference.
- USGBC Colorado Chapter fall event will be here in FC with 250 attendees.
Trying to team with the Sustainable Living Fair.
- PRPA and fixing 80/20 – City Council needs to address this with PRPA
Page 46 of 79
D-13
- Get solar tax credit in place
- Ability to have a clearinghouse of City programs: what they are; benefits;
contact info; etc; quick click and find
- Strategies of incentives for people at urban renewal authority are working on
with College corridor to build green
- A web-site as a green touchstone and link to City programs, same web address
of all programs as touchstone.
- Label this thing – very easy 1-2-3
- Coordination at the City too
- Make a plan
- 1 thing in each category to recommend for code change (drop a barrier or
raise a standard)
- Adjusting utility fees- reduce wastewater charge for savings
- Credits for conservation
- Investigating the expedite process
- Get their video out more
- City apply for reward and recognition programs
- LEED
- Establish an office for GB
- Advertise stuff (such as design assistance program)
- Fast-tracking GB (commercial or residential)
- Form new department
- Don’t recreate the wheel with this plan
- Do what you can now even if it is not perfect
- Work with what you have, not another new program
- Grassroots
- Baseline, measurable, move off of that
- Look at where budgets are, where to get the money, how to fund
- City assistance to other community organizations that are already involved in
this
- Provide meetings space
- Educate the city council
- Term GB is not that great- limited. Should be “The Greening of Fort Collins”
or something
- Need the soldiers- make sure the city staff has bought into it
- Bring various departments together
- Market existing stuff to 90% that don’t do this stuff already (in utilities flyer
for example)
- Learn to reach out to the non-choir who are interested but not educated
enough to do it
- Coordinate but don’t centralize. Some people are motivated by being green,
others by economic. Allow for broader opportunities to buy in.
- Carbon neutral events- such as July 4th
- The audiences- determine what they are and how to reach them
- Bold vision statement, high and ambitious goals
- Uniform message, then get it out of there
Page 47 of 79
D-14
- Branding, new city logo
- Public relations, good facts, what is in it for me
- Commercial water conservation incentives
- Educational campaign to help public understand what is out there and their
ecological footprint
- Environmental series on landscape water conservation- good but get out to
the “non-choir”, the churches, rotaries, other clubs, etc.
- Flyer write-up on water pressure issue
- Recognition of those doing good
- Zero waste and climate neutral events promoted
- 200 bicycle bike library
- Benchmarking/scoring
- Lay ground rules for performance glazing on commercial buildings
Page 48 of 79
E-1
Appendix E- Survey of Peer City’s Green Building Programs
In order to determine where Fort Collins stands in terms of green building programs
and services, this project surveyed the City’s existing green building programs and
services (Appendix B).
In addition, it was important to look outside this community to learn what other peer
cities with similar goals and regional characteristics are doing in comparison to Fort
Collins. Not only did the survey of other cities show, in a relative sense, how Fort Collins
compares in terms of green building programs, it provided ideas for enhancements to
City efforts that aligned well with feedback received in the interviews.
Section 1 of this appendix summarizes the results of the peer city survey and presents
some specific ideas gathered from the survey of other cities.
Section 2 details the information gathered for each of the eight cities surveyed for this
effort, including program descriptions. Each individual table in Section 2 presents an
extended listing of other cities existing programs and services.
1.0 Peer City Survey Summary
1.1 Results
The results of the survey demonstrates that Fort Collins has a wide range of green
building programs and services that are comparable to those of the peer cities.:
• The City of Fort Collins has 39 existing green building programs or services with
strong breadth of coverage relative to the other surveyed cities.
• Of the few gaps identified, the City was already investigating and/or
implementing new services in the gap areas.
• Surveys provided good ideas for enhancements to existing services.
• Possible enhancements align well with interview recommendations.
1.2 Specific Green Building Ideas from Peer Cities
Specific example programs and activities from the surveyed cities that align with the
four categories (mandating minimum performance and removing barriers, encouraging
innovation, rewarding success and building internal capacity) are illustrated below:
Page 49 of 79
E-2
2.0 External Survey
The objective in conducting a survey of green building programs and progress in other
cities was to offer perspective on how Fort Collins is doing with its existing efforts and to
mine for enhancement ideas that could strengthen overall green building practices and
coordination in this community. Each individual table in Sections 2.1 – 2.8 presents an
extended listing of other cities existing programs and services.
Comparison cities were selected on the basis of industry recognition as high performers
in green building, regional similarities, or similarities in relative population. Table E-1
below lists the cities considered in the survey. The number of LEED registered buildings
and LEED buildings per 100,000 people were included as a qualitative measure of the
level of green building activity in a community. Table E-1 also highlights those cities
(green) that have their own municipal electric utility.
Rewarding Success
• Support demonstration projects
• Offer reduced fees and fast tracking
• Support energy efficient mortgages
• Offer competitive grants
• Implement zoning changes for LEED
buildings
• Offer grey water conservation tax
credit
• Offer rebates – solar electric
Coordination
• Develop a green building program
web-site
• Serve as information gateway
• Serve as green building
clearinghouse
• Develop non-profit resource center
Green Building Mandates
• Require green building where public
financial incentives are involved.
• Require green building techniques for
certain size homes/retrofits.
• Enact ordinance on construction waste
recycling.
• Set required landscaping targets.
• Require Zero energy capable homes.
by 2015
Encouraging Green Building
• Provide on-site assessments
(residential and natural gas)
• Provide online tools
• Offer detailed guides
• Offer workbooks
• Support a permit services web-site
Page 50 of 79
E-3
Table E-1: Comparison Cities
Municipality Population
LEED
Registered
Buildings
LEED Registered
Buildings per
100,000 people
Austin, TX 656,562 32 4.9
Eugene, OR 137,893 8 5.8
Sacramento, CA 407,018 21 5.2
Seattle, WA 563,374 77 13.7
Boulder, CO 94,673 20 21.1
Santa Monica, CA 84,084 16 19.0
Scottsdale, AZ 202,705 9 4.4
Portland, OR 529,121 67 12.7
Fort Collins, CO 118,652 12 10.1
The following sections offer selected details about the cities chosen for comparison and
summarize existing green building programs and strengths. In addition, tables are
provided for each city that give an overview of the research conducted. To interpret
these tables, please refer to the following terms:
Sector
• R = Residential: homes
• C = Commercial: all non-industrial private businesses
• Ind = Industrial: manufacturing private businesses
• Inst = Institutional: governments, K-12 schools, universities
• MF = Multifamily housing
Service
• SB = Skill building
• $= Incentives: direct monetary (rebates, funding, grants) or other incentives
• T = Technical – assessments, on-site observations/assistance, design assistance,
permitting assistance, implementation support, inspection-related assistance
• A = Awareness
• Dev = Market/economic development: market development/evolution, jobs,
infrastructure development
Regulatory code
• LV = Local voluntary program
• LR = Local requirement – required compliance; city and/or county
• EV = External voluntary program
• ER = External requirement – required compliance; regional, statewide, national
(e.g., Chicago Climate Exchange)
Page 51 of 79
E-4
2.1 Austin, Texas
Basic statistical information about Austin is provided in the list below. More specific
program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 656,562
• College town: University of Texas at Austin
• Utility structure: Municipal
• Number of municipal customers: 360,000
• Load served: 2600 megaWatts (MW)
• Interesting green building programs: Zero energy capable homes by 2015, on-
site assessments, on-line tools, workbooks, solar-electric rebates
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
Home and Business Energy
Analysis, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/Residential/Online%20Energy
%20Audit/index.htm
Online tool for home energy
analysis, helps residential
users identify energy use and
compare to other homes
R, C A LV
Load Profiler, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/Commercial/loadProfiler.htm,
Murray Jones, (512) 505-3640.
Web-based energy
management tool that allows
awareness of load on various
time scales. Available for key
accounts.
C, Ins,
Ind A
LV
On-site Commercial Energy Audit,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/Commercial/onsiteEnergyAudi
t.htm, (512)482-5346
Free, on-site, walk-through
energy audit, includes
identification of rebate
opportunities and written
report
C, Ins,
Ind T, A
LV
Green by Design Workshop, Green
Building Program,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Building/Resources/GreenByD
esign/index.htm,
Austinites preparing to build,
E-5
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
CFL and ENERGY STAR Light
Fixture Coupons, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/Residential/Energy%20Efficie
nt%20Appliances/products.htm
$2 off CFL or $10 off light
fixture (> $20) discount
coupons offered to Austin
Energy residential customers
at partnering stores. Limit 2.
R $ LV
Search tool for energy efficient
multi-family complexes in Austin,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/Residential/Energy%20Efficie
nt%20Apartments/multi_family.cfm
An online search tool for
locating energy efficient
multifamily complexes in the
Austin Energy service area.
MF A,Dev LV
Participating Companies for
Rebates & Incentives: residential,
commercial, solar installers, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/index.htm
To qualify for rebates or
incentives, work must be
carried out by participating
company listed here.
All Dev, A LR
Solar Water Heater Program,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Solar%20Rebates/Solar%20Wat
er%20Heater/index.htm
Rebates of $450-$650, 30%
tax credit of $750-$1,000 for
all-electric customers
switching to solar hot water
R,C,In
d,Ins $
LV
Energy Star Loan Program, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Loans/
Residential/Home%20Performance
%20with%20Energy%20Star/index.
E-6
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
programs, to be covered later.
Home Performance with ENERGY
STAR Rebate Program, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Residential/Home%20Performan
ce%20with%20Energy%20Star/ind
ex.htm
For homes 10 years and
older, and with an on-site
professional energy analysis.
Program will rebate up to 20%
or $1,400 for certain air
conditioners, duct repair,
additional attic insulation,
solar screens, caulking and
weather stripping, attic radiant
barriers
R $ LV
Air Conditioner Rebates, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Residential/Air%20Conditioner/in
dex.htm
For homes older than 10
years, rebates available for
HVAC equipment. Includes
central systems, packaged,
window, solar water heaters,
heat pump water heaters (all-
electric homes), heat recovery
water heaters (all-electric
homes)
R $ LV
Solar Rebate Program, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Solar%20Rebates/index.htm
$4.50 per watt for home and
business customers R,C $
LV
Small Business Rebates &
Incentives, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Commercial/Commercial%20Ene
rgy/smallBusiness.htm
Rebates for a variety of
measures for small
businesses and non-profits
(lighting, free thermostats,
free energy misers)
E-7
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
Thermal Energy Storage Program,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Commercial/Commercial%20Ene
rgy/thermalEnergyStorage.htm
TES rebates at $300/kW up to
100kW, $150/kW for 100-
500kW, $50/kW for 501kW
and higher
C $ LV
Load Cooperative Program, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Commercial/Commercial%20Ene
rgy/loadCooperative.htm
Cash incentive for curtailing
unnecessary load during
certain peak demand periods.
$5/kW paid monthly at
$1.25/kW plus $0.15/kWh for
energy reduced
C,Ind,I
ns $
LV
Building Tune-up Program, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Commercial/Commercial%20Ene
rgy/buildingTuneup.htm
Implementation of the
Continuous Commissioning
program through Texas A&M
C, Ind $,T LV
Multi-Family Energy Efficiency
Program
Four or more residential units
with AC qualify for rebates on
a variety of energy efficiency
measures
MF $ LV
Green Choice Green Power
Program, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Choice/index.htm
#1 Green power purchasing
program in the US, fully-
subscribed at present
All Dev LV
Sustainable Building Sourcebook,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
E-8
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
Commercial Green Building
Program, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Building/Programs/commercial
.htm, Maureen Scanlon,
Commercial Program Coordinator
(512) 482-5300
Assists owners and designers
with green building and
operational practices
C A,T,Dev,
SB
LV
Multi-Family Green Building
Program, Austin Energy, , Katie
Jensen, Multi-Family Program
Coordinator (512) 482-5300
The Multi-Family Green
Building Program helps
building professionals design
and build comfortable
condominium and apartment
homes that are energy, water,
and resource efficient.
MF A,T,Dev,
SB
LV
Rainbarrel Rebate Program, Water
Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
rbsales.htm
Discounted purchase of
rainbarrels for use in
capturing rain water for
irrigation
R $ LV
Free toilet program, Water
Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
freetoilet-suspend.htm
Currently unavailable due to supplier
problem.
Water IQ, Water Conservation,
http://www.wateriq.org/
Awareness program provided
by regional water providers All A
LV
Toilet rebate program, water
conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
sftoilet.htm
Toilet rebates R,C,M
F $
LV
E-9
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
Commercial Process Evaluations,
Water Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
systemaudits.htm
As a free service to Austin
Water Utility commercial
customers, Water
Conservation auditors are
available to evaluate all
aspects of your water
consumption to determine
how your company uses
water. Auditors will suggest
opportunities for reducing
water consumption and
discuss your eligibility for
special commercial rebates.
Up to $40k in rebates
available
C,Ind,I
ns T,$
LV
WaterWise Restaurant Program,
Water Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
restaurants.htm
About 60 restaurants
participated in water
conservation reviews and
implemented measures. Now
listed on website.
C T,Dev LV
S.M.A.R.T. Housing,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/ahfc/smar
t.htm
Stimulates reasonably priced
housing and encourages it to
be transit oriented.
R Dev LV
SMART Growth Initiative,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/smartgro
wth/
Promotes development in
Desired Development Zone
through development fee
reductions and utility
reimbursements. Zone is
based on desirable siting
relative to watersheds,
topography, transit options,
etc.
All Dev,$ LR
Commercial Design Standards,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/vision/co
mmunity.htm
E-10
2.2 Eugene, Oregon
Basic statistical information about Eugene is provided in the list below. More specific
program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 137,893
• College town: University of Oregon
• Utility structure: Municipal
• Number of municipal customers: 84,137
• Load served: 627 MW
• Interesting green building programs: Permit services website, demonstration
projects
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
Building Permit Services
Keli Osborn, Permit Review
Manager, Building and Permit
Services Division
keli.m.osborn@ci.eugene.or.us
(541) 682-5288
Provides website with green building information, including appropriate
technology, green building design, site inventory & assessment, energy
efficiency, multiplicity of function, reduce/reuse/recycle, al methods and
materials, adjustment review, variance
Growth Management Study,
February 1998; regional
transportation master plan
(TransPlan), December 2001
Planning Division
Allen Lowe
Senior Planner
99 W. 10th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5113
With adoption, TransPlan identifies dozens of potential "centers" in
Eugene and Springfield. If properly planned and developed, these centers
will mature into quality neighborhoods that enjoy higher densities, mixed
uses, more transportation options, convenient shopping and services, and
amenities. When combined with improved transit, centers will reduce
reliance on automobile travel, need for costly street improvements, slow
sprawl onto nearby agricultural and forest lands, and provide a greater
variety of housing types inside the Urban Growth Boundary.
BROWN PAGES
A handy reference for information about garbage and recycling can be
found in the new BROWN PAGES in the front of your Qwest Dex White &
Yellow Pages Directory. The BROWN PAGES Recycling and Garbage
Guide provides information on how to prepare your recycled materials,
curbside yard debris collection, composting, and so much more.
Anne Donahue
Green Schools Coordinator
(541)682-5542
The City has designated an Oregon Green School Coordinator to work
directly with public and private schools in Eugene.
Green Building Demonstration
Projects
Keli Osborn
Permit Review Manager
(541) 682-5288
2005 issued a request for proposals for a green building demonstration
E-11
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
code
Revisit details under Planning department
Revisit details under PW Engineering
Search Eugene Water &
Electric Board web-link http://www.eweb.org/
Page 59 of 79
E-12
2.3 Sacramento, California
Basic statistical information about Sacramento is provided in the list below. More
specific program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 407,018
• Utility Structure: Municipal
• Number of municipal customers: 578,041
• Load served: 3,299 MW
• Interesting green building programs: Residential and small business on-line
energy audits
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Home energy analysis,
http://www.smud.org/energy
smart/online.html
Web-based tool for home
energy analysis, externally
developed (same as Austin's)
R A LV
Online bill analysis,
http://www.smud.org/energy
smart/bill.html
Login to personalized account to
compare bill to past bills,
determine influences such as
weather or a new appliance that
may affect your bill, compare to
similar homes
R A LV
Online energy audit for small
businesses
Login to use tool to compare to
other businesses, determine
where energy is used and
identify potential measures and
savings (probably based on
same external tool as above)
C A LV
Aeroseal duct sealing
rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$300 rebate for Aeroseal duct
sealing on existing HVAC
systems
R $ LV
CFL discounts at local
retailers,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
R $ LV
Ceiling fan with CFL lights
rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$20 rebate for ceiling fans with
CFL R $
LV
E-13
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Cool roof rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$0.20/sqft for qualifying areas R $ LV
Dishwasher rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$30/$50 on qualifying units R $ LV
Heat pump rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$400/$500 on qualifying heat
pumps R $
LV
Pools and spas rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$175 rebate on qualifying pumps
and controllers R $
LV
Refrigerator rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$50 on qualifying units R $ LV
Room air conditioner rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$50 on qualifying units R $ LV
Solar hot water heater
rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$1500 with participating
contractors R $
LV
Whole house fan rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
$100 R $ LV
Financing program for
energy efficiency measures,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/faqs_pdfs/finance
_factsheet.pdf
financing offered for qualifying
central AC, windows, attic/wall
insulation, heat pumps, solar hot
water heating, and insulated
siding
R $ LV
Peak Corps,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/peak.html
Voluntary program for demand
management by cycling central
E-14
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Customer Advanced
Technologies,
http://www.smud.org/educati
on/cat/index.html
Provides funding for customers
to use leading edge
technologies in return for a two-
year monitoring agreement.
Example technologies include
LEDs, Coolerado, Ice Bear, ICF,
SIP, etc.
R,C,Ind Dev,$,T LV
Lighting Incentives,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/service/lightince
nt.html
$0.05/kWh for 10% better than
Title 24 State Energy Code or
existing baseline if already
better than Title 24. $0.05/kWh
for controls.
C $ LV
HVAC incentives,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/service/hvacince
nt.html
Equipment >20tons that
exceeds Title 24 at $0.14/kWh,
VFD or energy management
$0.14/kWh.
C $ LV
Process, control systems,
and refrigeration systems
$0.08-$0.14/kWh up to the
lesser of 30% of project cost or
$35,000/account
C,Ind,I
ns $
LV
Motor incentives,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/service/motorsin
cent.html
$0.08/kWh above 200HP,
Distributor rebate program for
motors below 200HP
C,Ind,I
ns $
LV
Financing program for
energy efficiency measures,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/loans.html
Currently, eligible equipment
includes: lighting, heating and
E-15
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Energy Education Seminars,
https://usage.smud.org/your
Account/ETCstudent/classlis
t.asp
1-2 seminars weekly on topics
from carbon and corporate
responsibility to Manual J Load
calcs, advanced lighting
All SB,A LV
Exhibits available on self-
guided tours on weekdays,
http://www.smud.org/educati
on/exhibits.html
Exhibits on light technologies,
energy efficient house, power
sources, new technologies
All A LV
Page 63 of 79
E-16
2.4 Seattle, Washington
Basic statistical information about Seattle is provided in the list below. More specific
program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 563,374
• Utility Structure: Municipal
• Number of municipal customers: 375,869
• Generation capacity: 1,920 MW
• Interesting green building programs: Green building required where public
financial incentives are involved; landscape targets required; detailed guides for
green building
Program Name
And Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
CITY Green Building
Program
(206) 615-1171
The cities consolidated green building
program and information
clearinghouse which provides
education, assistance, and incentives.
On Call experts devoted to each bldg
sector.
ALL ALL LV
Urban Green
Phone: (206) 356-7977
terra@urbangreenresour
ce.org
a public/private non profit partnership
as a one stop shop for information on
all green building issues and project
types. Information, Education,
Demonstration Center, and Project
Support
ALL ALL LV
Density Bonus Initiative
Changes in the new regulations were
made to provide greater heights
and/or greater floor area for
commercial and residential buildings.
To gain greater height or density,
projects must achieve a LEED Silver
rating or higher, as well as contribute
to affordable housing and other public
amenities. The zoning changes also
offer greater transferable
development rights for historic
structures.
R,C,M
F
LR
Smart Businesses
Program
Contact Seattle City
Light at 206.684.3800
The $mart Business Program is
designed to provide financial
incentives to your small business for
replacing existing inefficient lighting
E-17
Program Name
And Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Multi-Family Common
Area Lighting
Leo Castillo at
206.684.4281 or
leo.castillo@seattle.gov
The Multifamily Common Area
Lighting (MFCAL) Rebate Program
now provides simple rebates for
replacing inefficient lighting in
common areas with energy-efficient
models. Building owners may choose
to use their own licensed installer or
Seattle City Light's participating
contractors.
MF $ LV
Multi-Family
Weatherization
206.684.3800
offers the same great financial
incentives for upgraded windows,
lighting and insulation
MF $ LV
Lighting Design Lab
206.325.9711
The Lab provides technical
assistance, training and education to
commercial customers and lighting
designers seeking information on high
quality, energy efficient lighting
technologies.
ALL T,SB LV
Built Smart
http://www.seattle.gov/lig
ht/conserve/resident/cv5
_bs.htm
provides multifamily architects,
builders and owners all the technical
specifications and information they
need to qualify for BUILT SMART
incentives.
ALL T,SB,$ LV
Home Resource Profile
http://www.seattle.gov/c
onserve/homeprofile/
The Home Resource Profile is a
detailed, customized report that
shows you how your household uses
energy, water and solid waste. It is
available to any Seattle City Light or
Seattle Public Utilities residential
customer. Whether you live in a
house, condominium or apartment,
this free service will give you useful
information about your utility bills and
how to save money. homeowners
E-18
Program Name
And Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
SeaGreen Affordable
Housing Guide
http://www.seattle.gov/h
ousing/SeaGreen/default
.htm
SeaGreen Affordable Housing Guide
was developed to promote energy
conservation, operational savings and
sustainable building practices in
affordable multifamily housing
projects. The strategies included in
SeaGreen work to reduce operating
costs, promote healthy environments
and protect and conserve resources
in City funded affordable housing
projects. Venturing beyond current
practice, these strategies protect and
enhance Seattle’s affordable housing
stock and the community as a whole.
MF T,A,SB LV
Green Factor
Steve Moddemeyer
(206) 386-1981
developers must meet a new
landscaping requirement for Seattle’s
commercial areas. Known as the
Seattle Green Factor, the program
requires new development in
neighborhood business districts to
meet a landscaping target through
use of a menu of landscaping
strategies. It is designed to improve
the extent and quality of landscapes,
while allowing flexibility for developers
and designers to meet the
requirement. Workshops.
ALL LR
Green Roofs Plan
http://www.seattle.gov/d
pd/GreenBuilding/OurPr
ogram/Resources/Techn
icalBriefs/DPDS_009485
.asp
Seattle currently has an impervious
surface reduction credit that lists
green roofs and roof gardens as
acceptable strategies
ALL $,T LV
Green Home Remodel
Guides
http://www.seattle.gov/d
pd/GreenBuilding/Single
FamilyResidential/Resou
rces/RemodelingGuides/
default.asp
E-19
Program Name
And Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Resource Venture-non
profit partnership,
publicly funded by
utilities and city.
http://www.resourcevent
ure.org/rv/index.php
entity for Seattle businesses that
provides technical expertise, financial
assistance, and education/awareness
regarding all environmental issues
C,Ind ALL LV
King County Green Bldg
Grants
http://www.seattle.gov/d
pd/stellent/groups/pan/
@pan/@sustainablebldi
ng/documents/web_infor
mational/dpdp_018427.p
df
All Bldg Projects in County: LEED
Silver or above, 75% recycling/reuse
rate for construction waste and
demolition, reduction in bldg and
landscape water use, comply with
various stormwater and soil
conservation ordinances.
ALL $ EV
Overall City of Seattle
Green Bldg Website
http://www.seattle.gov/d
pd/GreenBuilding/
A web site for all green building
issues and resources for the Seattle
resident all sectors and all services
with links to external utility rebates,
internal publications and websites,
outside non profits, etc.
ALL ALL
Page 67 of 79
E-20
2.5 Boulder, Colorado
Basic statistical information about Boulder is provided in the list below. More specific
program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 94,673
• College town: University of Colorado
• Utility structure: Non-municipal (Xcel gas and electric)
• Interesting green building programs: On-site energy assessments
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Residential Energy Audit
Program REAP Center for
ReSource Conservation CRC
@ 303-441-3278 ext. 24
Low Cost Energy Audits to
City Residents R
T LV
Green Points Building
Program 303-441-
1880
Help homeowners find green
building products, encourage
green building and
remodeling, promote
recycling of construction
waste and reduce solid
waste, promote better indoor
air quality, occasional work
shops,
R LR
Energy Codes 303.441.1800
Adopted the 2000 IECC
standards for residential and
commercial building efficiency
R, C LR
Page 68 of 79
E-21
2.6 Santa Monica, California
Basic statistical information about Santa Monica is provided in the list below. More
specific program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 84,084
• Utility structure: Non-municipal
• Interesting green building programs: On-line tools; detailed guides
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Expedited Permitting & Plan
Checks
Provides Priority to buildings
registering for LEED certification,
shaving weeks off of approval
process
ALL $ LV
The Design Advisor
An online tool that allows those
involved with the built environment
on all phases(new construction,
renovation, etc.) to find out
suggested, recommended, and
required measures/programs
C,Ind,Ins A,I,T LV,LR
Residential Green Building
Guide
A publication designed to assist new
construction or remodeling for
residential dwellings.
http://smgreen.org/mainpages/green-
building-guide-web.pdf
R A LV
AltCar Expo
An expo on Alternative Cars and
Transportation
http://www.altcarexpo.com/
ALL A LV
Green Building Grants
Grants for LEED™ (LEED-NC™)
certified buildings will range from
$20,000 to $35,000 depending on
the level of certification. Innovative
Technology Grants will cover 50% of
project costs up to $5000 for new
construction or renovation projects
that involve cutting edge energy
efficiency or urban runoff mitigation
technologies.
http://smgreen.org/mainpages/Detail
s%20-%20LEED%20Grants.pdf
http://smgreen.org/mainpages/Detail
s%20-%20Innovative%20Grants.pdf
ALL $ LV
Page 69 of 79
E-22
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
Green Building Resource
Center
The Green Building Resource Center
is operated by Global Green, USA
with the support of the City of Santa
Monica. The Center is open to the
public Wednesday, Friday, and
Sunday from 10 AM - 3 PM and
Thursday evenings from 3 PM - 8
PM. The Center has numerous
samples of environmentally
preferable building materials,
informational resources such as
books and magazines, referral lists
of green architects and consultants,
and knowledgeable staff to answer
visitors' questions. Regular monthly
seminars will also be hosted at the
Center. (310) 452-7677
ALL SB,T,A LV
Energy Code
One major component of the
compliance process is the Santa
Monica Energy Code Compliance
Application (SMECCA). This
application enables builders to
document compliance with the Santa
Monica energy ordinances, and to
identify the required practices and
documentation for the Santa Monica
Green Building Program
Requirements. SMECCA can be
downloaded free of charge from this
web site.
http://smgreen.org/mainpages/compli
ancereport.htm
ALL LR
Santa Monica Green Building
Codes & Requirements
A website detailing all city guidelines
for building that are green practices
http://smgreen.org/requirements/proj
ectrequirements.html
ALL LR
Construction & Material Waste
Recycling Ordinance
This Ordinance established
requirements for educing solid waste
from construction related activities
http://smgreen.org/whatsnew/waste.
ordinance.html
ALL LR
Page 70 of 79
E-23
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector Service
Regulatory
Code
City Green Building Ordinance
This City Ordinance establishes
prescriptive energy-saving measures
for small residential projects, and
energy performance targets beyond
Title 24 for all commercial and larger
residential projects.
http://smgreen.org/whatsnew/green-
building-ordinance/green-building-
Ord-1-5-2002.pdf
C,MF,R LR
Green Building Design &
Construction Guidelines
The Guidelines were developed for,
and specifically apply to, the
following building types: Institutional
and Commercial Offices, Light
Industrial, Commercial Retail, Multi-
Family, Hotels/Motels
http://smgreen.org/introduction/introd
uction.html
C, Ind, Ins, MF LV,LR
Green Building Program
Website
A website detailing green building
info both with regards to the city and
general info.
http://smgreen.org
ALL A LV
Page 71 of 79
E-24
2.7 Scottsdale, Arizona
Basic statistical information about Scottsdale is provided in the list below. More specific
program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 202,705
• Utility structure: Non-municipal
Interesting green building programs: Green building program website; grey water
conservation tax credit
Program Name
and Contact Info Description Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
Green Bldg Program &
Website, 480.312.4202
http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/
greenbuilding/
rates projects in following impact
areas-site use, energy, IAQ,
Materials, SW, Water. A point
system is used to qualify projects
into the program. Once project is
accepted builder/customer
receives priority plan review, job
site signs, directory of
participating designers/builders,
Green Bldg certifications through
inspections, homeowner's
manual, etc. The Green Building
Program encourages a whole-
systems approach through
design and building techniques to
minimize environmental impact
and reduce the energy
consumption of buildings while
contributing to the health of its
occupants. Links to external
utility incentives and
conservation programs as well as
external non profit programs,
case studies, projects in the city
R,C,MF $,T,A,M,SB LV
Grey Water Conservation Tax
Credit through the state
tax credit for residences which
install Grey Water system R $
EV
Green Home Buyer's Guide
http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/
greenbuilding/Manuals/GreenH
omeBuyersGuide.pdf
guide for buying a green home R A LV
Page 72 of 79
E-25
Green Building Remodeling
Workbook
http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/
greenbuilding/Manuals/GBRe
modelingWorkbook.pdf
guide for green
remodeling/renovations R,C A
LV
Landscape revitalization
workbook
http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/
greenbuilding/Manuals/Landsc
apeWkbk.pdf
guide for xeriscaping ALL A LV
Green Bldg Lecture Series
http://www.ci.scottsdale.az.us/
greenbuilding/Lectures/default.
asp
series of free open to the public
lectures on various green
building topics
ALL A,SB LV
Page 73 of 79
E-26
2.8 Portland, Oregon
Basic statistical information about Portland is provided in the list below. More specific
program information is summarized in the table following the list.
• Population: 529,121
• Utility structure: Non-municipal
• Interesting green building programs: Green building required where public
financial incentives are involved; on-site assessments; solar electric incentives
Program Name
And Contact Info
Description
Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
G/Rated
Mike O' Brien
503.823.5494.
Alisa Kane
503.823.7082
G/Rated is Portland’s gateway to
green building innovation, offering
initial consultation and resources
specific to YOUR green building
project. Under the direction of
Commissioner-in-charge Dan
Saltzman, G/Rated is accelerating the
adoption of cost effective green
building practices as the standard of
development in Portland.
R,C T,A,SB LV
Portland Development
Commission: Green
Building Policy
The PDC Green Building Program
requires developers receiving financial
assistance from the commission -and
direct commission funded projects to
integrate green building practices into
construction projects and meet
established LEED standards.
ALL $ LR
City of Portland:Green
Building Policy Update
A commitment to city owned LEED
certified facilities, facilitated permitting
and technical assistance to qualified
public and private projects, the
construction and maintenance of
public facilities will incorporate green
best practices.
ALL T,$ LV,LR
Living Smart Homes
The Living Smart house plan program
is a pilot program intended to be an
incentive to easily build well designed
houses on narrow lots in the City of
Portland. Living Smart House Plans
have been reviewed for building code
compliance. The Living Smart house
E-27
Program Name
And Contact Info
Description
Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
Integrated Design
The first step in an Integrated Design
process is for a developer or owner to
commit to high performance and
energy efficiency and to ensure that
these commitments are recognized by
each team member, beginning with the
earliest stages of the design process.
Early definition of building performance
objectives, perhaps in a project vision
statement, should be followed with
these objectives incorporated into
programming efforts, integrated into all
project narrative documents, and into
performance requirements for
particular systems and components.
R,C T,A LV
Residential Rainwater
Harvesting Code Guide
Guide on the process and approach by
which Portland residents can design
and install a code-compliant rainwater
harvesting system
R T LV
Facility Permit Program
503-823-0652
The Facility Permit Program (FPP) is
designed to serve customers with 'on-
going' Interior Tenant Improvements
where facility maintenance, upgrade
and renovations are frequent. FPP is
available to owners of buildings,
building management companies, and
their tenants for work within the facility.
R,C $,A LV
Energy Efficient
Mortgages
Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM)
provide the borrower with increased
buying power when purchasing a
home that is energy efficient, or that
can be made efficient through the
installation of energy-saving
improvements.
R $ EV
Multi Family
Weatherization Program
503-823-0530
The City of Portland provides personal
assistance to rental property owners in
obtaining energy evaluations and
taking advantage of cash incentives
E-28
Program Name
And Contact Info
Description
Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
variety of sources. Eligible borrowers
can also add the dollar value of
projected energy savings to their
income, thus qualifying for a larger
mortgage.
home energy audit
Natural Gas – NW
Natural 503-220-2361
Your home must be heated by natural
gas. Call to schedule a free home
energy audit to receive a customized
report that lists weatherization options.
Incentives available include cash
rebates of up to 25% of the job cost
(up to $350) and/or loans as low as
6.5% APR and $200 cash payment
toward the purchase of a 90%-plus
energy-efficient gas furnace. The cash
rebate and loan are available on the
cost-effective portions of the
weatherization measures installed.
R $,T EV
Energy Audit -Oil,
Kerosene, Propane, or
Wood – State Home Oil
Weatherization Program
(SHOW) 800-452-8660
Your home must be heated by oil,
kerosene, propane, or wood. Call to
schedule a free home energy audit to
receive a customized report that lists
weatherization options. Incentives
available include cash rebate of up to
25% of the job cost (up to $400) and/or
loans as low as 6.5% APR. The cash
rebate and loan are available on the
energy-efficiency measures
recommended in the audit. SHOW is
offering cash incentives on
replacement windows, replacement oil
furnaces, and above-ground oil tanks
when installed with a new furnace.
R $,T EV
Energy Trust Of Oregon:
Home Energy Savings
Program 1-866-
ENTRUST (368-7878)
various programs listed
below and not numbered
The Home Energy Savings program
serves people who live in single-family
homes, apartment complexes and
E-29
Program Name
And Contact Info
Description
Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
Efficient New Homes
program
The Efficient New Homes program
works with new homebuilders,
contractors, product manufacturers
and retailers to promote energy-
efficient building practices and
products, and to educate consumers
about the advantages of an ENERGY
STAR qualified new home. The
program offers financial incentives to
builders and performance testing
contractors of energy-efficient new
homes. Consumers who buy a home
built through the Energy Trust of
Oregon’s Efficient New Homes
program may be eligible for
Residential Tax Credits from the
Oregon Department of Energy for the
appliances, heating and cooling
equipment and other items in their new
home.
R,C $,T EV
Efficient Home Products
program
The Efficient Home Products program
promotes energy-efficient home
products and offers financial incentives
for ENERGY STAR qualified
dishwashers, clothes washers and
compact fluorescent light bulbs
(CFLs). Financial incentives are
offered on a seasonal basis for each
product. The program works with
product manufacturers and national,
regional and local retailers of qualified
products to promote consumer
awareness, and adoption of, energy-
efficient products.
R,C $,T EV
Solar Electric program
The Solar Electric program offers
financial incentives, service and
support for homeowners installing
solar electric (photovoltaic) systems,
and when combined with federal and
state tax credits, can lower the total
cost of a system by about 50%. Once
installed, a typical photovoltaic (PV)
system can save 10% to 15% on your
electric bill. Homeowners may also be
eligible for a Residential Energy Tax
E-30
Program Name
And Contact Info
Description
Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
Solar Water Heating
program
The Solar Water Heating program
offers incentives for solar water
heating installations, which, when
combined with state tax credits, can
lower the cost of a solar water heating
system by up to 50%. Typically, a
homeowner relying on electricity to
heat water could save up to $150 in
the first year of operation by installing
a solar water heating system. Savings
are higher for larger families and will
increase over time. Customers of
Pacific Power, Portland General
Electric, and NW Natural are eligible
for this program – including new and
existing construction.
R,C $,T EV
Green Investment Fund
The Green Investment Fund (GIF) is a
competitive grant program that
supports innovative green building
projects in Portland. In the current
round of funding, a total of $425,000 is
available and the maximum grant
amount for any project is $225,000.
Industrial, residential, commercial, and
mixed-use public and private
organizations may apply.
ALL $ LV
Oregon DOE:
Sustainable Building Tax
Credit 1-800-221-8035
LEED-certified Silver, Gold and
Platinum buildings are eligible for a
Sustainable Building Tax Credit. A pre-
certification application is required and
will be reviewed by staff and approved
with a specific tax amount, based on
the LEED rating sought. Eligibility is
determined after the LEED
Certification (at Silver or higher) is
received. Credit will be calculated on
the gross square footage (gsf) of all
conditioned spaces.
C $ EV
Oregon DOE: Business
Energy Tax Credit
(BETC) 1-800-221-
8035
The Business Energy Tax Credit
E-31
Program Name
And Contact Info
Description
Sector
Service
Regulatory
Code
for a cash payment. The Department
of Energy sets the pass-through rate
annually. The Department of Energy
can help project owners find pass-
through partners, although no
guarantees are made that a partner
will be provided.
Oregon DOE: Small
Scale Energy Loan
Program (SELP) 1-800-
221-8035
Low-interest, fixed-rate, long-term
loans for any qualified project owner
who invests in energy conservation,
renewable energy and alternative
fuels. Individuals, businesses, schools,
special districts, tribes and local, state
or federal government agencies are
eligible.
ALL $ EV
Page 79 of 79
ATTACHMENT 2
Recommendation Duration Rating Status Proposed Next Steps
Update commercial energy code
requirements
short "Building Code Green Amendments"
completed 2011, effective Jan. 1, 2012.
Research all City codes / standards to
identify barriers and opportunities
mid A review of code conflicts identified by
staff completed Sept. 2013. A code
comparison matrix completed in 2010.
Comprehensive, simultaneous
comparison of LUC, MUC, LCUASS, etc. is
still needed.
Continually review codes as new
programs and initiatives are added.
Compare curent suite of programs to
codes.
Create green building code compliance
application tools
mid Some tools have been created by
Utilities.
Commit more resources needed in
Building dept. and/or Utilities to develop
tracking and compliance tools.
Require green building as prerequisite
for public financing
mid URA policies currently undergoing
revision to include "Design to earn
EnergyStar".
Prioritize use of funds (what green
practices should be funded). Commit
resources to gather data and build
support for stronger GB requirements to
be included in policies.
Review and update residential and
commercial energy code requirements
on a regular basis
ongoing Completed on a regular basis (3 year
cycle). 2012 IRC, IBC, and IECC currently
under review.
2013 update ongoing. Tentative Council
adoption by Jan. 2014
Create web-based coordinated access
to City green building resources
short No "one stop" web resource exists for
the Green Building Program. Utilities
created a great webpage that was active
during GB code development but has
since been taken down.
Commit resources and identify team
responsible for updating and dept. to be
responsible for the maintenance of site.
Add internal component (sharepoint?) for
staff to communicate, share ideas, draft
documents, or initial project plans.
Promote Integrated Design Assistance
Program
short Program has been successfully
implemented through Utilities. Currently
Recommendation Duration Rating Status Proposed Next Steps
Progress Report on Recommendations from 2007 Roadmap to Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services
Establish a green building track for
new projects
ongoing PDOD pilot project establishes an
alternate process.
Develop streamlined GB permitting
process or alternate compliance options.
Support and enhance PDOD.
Continue existing financial rebate
programs
short Several energy, water, and other rebate
programs ongoing.
Evaluate prescriptive and/or
performance building rebates for
residential customers
short Rebates and incentives available from
Utilities, primarily for commercial
buildings.
Develop additional rebates for residential
construction.
Develop water efficiency
/conservation value structure
mid Tiered water rates, rebates, and outreach
programs ongoing.
Evaluate / implement technology
specific rebates for energy and water
conservation
ongoing Rebates available for sprinklers, toilets,
lighting, refrigerators, on-bill financing for
solar, home improvements.
Continue to pursue other rebates and
incentive programs.
Provide public recognition for green
building leaders/success stories
ongoing Climatewise and Urban Design Awards
are two programs that recognize success.
Review existing programs and continue
to pursue other mechanisms and rating
systems for recognizing GB.
Create a Green Building Team to
implement the road map
short Interdepartmental team of experts
needed to implement program, review
projects, develop guidance, modify code.
This is essential for continued program
implementation.
Build consensus among City leaders
and management for a green building
vision for Fort Collins
short Many new managers since roadmap was
developed. Need to build understanding
of and support for GB program.
Educate managers on link to Climate
Action Plan, Energy Policy, etc. and key
aspects of a GB program beyond code.
Raise awareness of LEED requirements
for new City buildings
short Ops. Services is currently revising building
standards to meet Archictecture 2030.
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
CARBON FOOTPRINT
ClimateWise x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Sustainability program for businesses. They earn levels of recognition.
ClimateWise member
x x x x x x x x x x x
City participates in the ClimateWise program as a partner. The City has
earned platinum status since 2010. In 2012, the City participated in the
ClimateWise Social Superstars program to address social responsibility.
GHG Goals
x x x x x x x x x x x x
Resolution adopted by Council May 2008 to Reduce GHGs from 2005
baseline by 3% by end of 2012; 20% by 2020; 80% by 2050. New GHG
goals are currently under review.
Residential Environmental Program Series
x x x x x x
Community education programs related to sustainable concepts such as
solar, water, GHGs, and composting. Events sponsored by Utilities and
Environmental Services.
Transfort Fuel Conversion x x x x x Conversion of fleet from diesel to CNG and some biodiesel.
Climate Adaptation x x x x x x x x Developing City's response to and adaptations for climate change.
Fort Zed
x x x x x x x
Existing location, using an existing energy distribution system, and built on
strong public-private partnerships to position itself at the forefront of our
nation's new energy economy.
Innovation Fund x x x x x x x x x x Employee program for City facility improvement projects. Criteria for
selection includes TBL.
Energy Policy x x x x x
Adopted Jan. 2009, includes 2050 vision for carbon neutral electricity
supplies.
Climate Action Plan x x x x x x x x x x x x Adopted Dec. 2008. Climate Status Reports published annually.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Builder's Guide to Energy Efficient Home Construction
x x x x x
Published in 1997, this document reinforced the required and
recommended building envelop practices including proper insulation
installation.
Colorado New Home Choices x x x x x x
Functions as a non-profit, but resources are available on City website as a
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
LIGHTENUP x x
New fixture and retrofit project to de-lamp T8 and T12 linear fluorescent
fixtures.
PV Net Metering Pilot x x x x x x
Rebates and credit for generated electricity from PV. Now under "Solar
Rebates" through Utilities.
REACH (Residential Energy Assistance through
Community Help)
x x x x
Income-based weatherization program based on whole house approach.
Biz-Ed Program Series x x x x x x x x
Free educational programs for businesses put on by Utilities on "green"
issues.
Residential Environmental Program Series x x x x x x x x
Free educational programs for community put on by Utilities on "green"
issues.
Advanced Meter Fort Collins
x x x x
Utilities is upgrading mechanical electric and water meters in homes,
schools and businesses with electronic devices for two-way digital
communication.
Home Energy Report Program x x x x x
Provides energy use reports to homeowners that compares to similar
homes. Began with pilot in late 2009.
Home Efficiency Audit Program (Formerly Home Energy
Ratings)
x x x x x x x x
Utilities provides energy efficiency audits to homeowners. Residents can
receive rebates.
21st Century Utilities Initiative
x x x x x x
Developed in 2007 to meet multiple industry challenges and become a
sustainable utility. "Inspiring community leadership by reducing
environmental impact while benefiting customers, the economy, and
society."
Global Reporting Initiative - Sustainability Report
x x x x x x x x
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
Energy Benchmarking of City Buildings (EnergyStar) x x x x x x x x
EnergyStar used to track energy and water for City buildings. The
information is benchmarked using a common building energy use index.
Fort Collins Solar Power Purchase Program (FCSP3) x x x x x
Pilot program that encourages the installation of new local solar systems
on behalf of all Utilities customers.
WATER CONSERVATION
Municipal Code - Wasting Water Code x x x x
Wasting water is prohibited, complaints are investigated and ticketing is
possible.
Municipal Code - Water Rates x x x
Tiered residential water rates & seasonal commercial rates to encourage
water conservation
Water Treatment Facility
x x x x x x x x x
Silver partner in the Environmental Leadership Program. The facility
utilizes a photovoltaic generation system on site. Currently implementing
an Environmental Management System for pollution prevention.
Sediment and Erosion Control Inspections for
Construction
x
Inspections conducted to ensure compliance with the City's MS4 permit
Clothes Washer Rebate Program x x x x x x
Now includes Dishwashers rebate. Incentive program for Utilities
customers to purchase EnergyStar high-efficiency clothes and dish
LUC- Landscape and Irrigation Standards x x x
Landscape and irrigation plans reviewed for compliance with the LUC's
water conservation standards.
ZILCH (Zero Interest Loans for Conservation Help) x x x x
No interest loans for residential water conservation projects. Renamed as
"Air Quality Zero Interest Loan (AQZIL)."
Soil Amendment Ordinance (Sec. 12-132) x x x Requires builders to amend soil on new properties
Restrictive Covenants Ordinance
x x
Nullifies any private property covenant which prohibits xeriscape
landscaping, solar collectors, clothes lines, compost bins, or mandating
turf grass landscaping.
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
Water Conservation "Water Catcher" Awards x x x x
Awards-based program that recognizes community members for water
conservation efforts.
Sprinkler System Audit x x x x x
Free sprinkler system audits to help save water. Program is managed
through Utilities.
Commercial Water Conservation Equipment Rebate x x x x Rebate for any equipment that reduces water use by 20%.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Stormwater Master Plan x x x x
Updated in 2012, the plan determined drainage improvement project
throughout the City.
Storm drainage design criteria and construction
standards x x x x x
Now the "Stormwater Criteria Manual," adopted in 2011, which sets the
stormwater policies and provides drainage criteria for all new stormwater
design and construction activities.
Low Impact Development (LID) Principles
X X X
Requires LID on all new development. Allows reduced fees (incentives) for
additional LID. Requires 25% pervious surface in paved areas and 50% of
developed area must drain to LID device.
WASTE MIN. and DIVERSION
Deconstruction/Construction Debris
x x x x x x x x .
Effort to divert the maximum amount of building materials from the waste
stream and reduce the demand for new materials. Updating the
Construction Waste Recycling Resources and form requesting
documentation of the final destination and tonnage of waste and recycling
Solid Waste Regulatory Oversight x from solid waste the construction ordinances, site. trash and recycling enclosures, pay as you throw
Rivendell Recycling Drop Off x x x x
Full-service recycling drop-off facility managed by the City.
Composting
x x x x x x x x x x x x
Compost is a valuable soil amendment that helps retain water and
nutrients. Programs include: The Gardens on Spring Creek Backyard
Composting Bin Demonstration; Fort Collins Compost Worm Exchange;
and other educational resources.
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
E-waste Ban x x x x x x
Ordinance banning electronic waste from the landfill. The City promotes
more responsible e-waste recycling practices.
Cardboard Recycling Ban x x x x City ordinance banning cardboard from the landfill.
Pay-As-You-Throw Ordinance x x x
Variable-rate pricing program where residents are charged for the
collection of municipal solid waste based on the amount they throw away.
Waste Reduction and Recycling Program x x x x x x Outreach and incentives for commercial and multi-family recycling.
Road to Zero Waste x x x x x x x x x x x Revisioning of 1999 waste diversion goals.
Recycle THIS! x x x x x x x x x x
Internal City recycling campaign for source reduction, improved recycling
and diversion.
Waste to Energy x x x x x x Exploration of conversion of methane from landfill into transportation
GREEN STRUCTURES fuel.
Fort Collins Urban Design Awards x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Award program to promote awareness of urban design.
Building Code - Green Amendments x x x x x x x x
"Green Building Code Amendments" effective Jan 2012 for residential and
commercial construction.
Green Building Code Contractor Training x x x x x x
Contractor training conducted in 2012 by Utilities and Building to
implement building envelope requirements in code.
Building Design and Construction Standards x x x x x x x x x Building standards written by Operations Services for City facilities.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation Overlay District
x x x x x
Specifies requirements within the Mason Street corridor to encourage
multi-modal community. Min. parking approved by Council 9/3/2013
Land Use Codes - Transit Stops in Downtown District x x x x
To encourage multi-modal transportation within the downtown area,
reducing congestion, air pollution, etc.
Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LUCASS) -
Level of Service Standards
x x x x
Standards for transportation - street, bicycles, pedestrians.
Mason Corridor x x x x x
5 mile bus rapid transit corridor. Now includes "MAX" and Midtown Plan.
Harmony Road Enhanced Travel Corridor x x x x x Modifying major transit corridor to accommodate increased growth.
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
Bicycle Plan
x x x x x x x x
Beginning in October 2013, the current plan will be updated. Proposes
bicycle network, wayfinding strategies, bike facilities, guidelines, policies,
and programmatic recommendations.
Transportation Master Plan x x x x x x x x x x
The plan provides goals, principles, and policies that will be used to shape
the transportation system today and into the future.
Transfort Strategic Operating Plan
x x x x x x x x
Collaborative partnership to provide a coordinated effort in updating the
2002 Transfort Strategic Operating Plan and the 2004 COLT Transit Plan,
as well as providing detailed analysis of the opportunities public
transportation offers PSD high schools.
Paved Trails Master Plan x x x x x
Separate bike trail plan produced by the Parks Department in
collaboration with FC Bikes. The plan is being updated currently.
Bike Friendly Community - Platinum Status
x x x x x x x
Certification program that encourages community quality of life,
sustainability and transportation networks utilizing benchmarks. Fort
Collins has reached the 4th or five levels, Platinum.
Safe Routes to School x x x x x x
Encourages walking and biking to school. The program teaches safety and
healthy lifestyle.
Walking School Bus x x x x x x
Organizes parents to walk kids to school. The program teaches safety and
healthy lifestyles for the whole family.
Pedal it Forward Challenge x x x x x x
City staff challenge to promote bicycle transportation among City
employees.
Transfort - Student Ride x x x x x x
Kids under 16 ride Transfort for free and CSU students pay for the
program as a part of their fees each semester.
PLANNING
Land Use Code - Solar Orientation Standards x x x x Requires neighboring buildings access to solar.
Land Use Code - Landscape Standards x x x x
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
Land Use Code - Engineering Test Cases x x x
Provides a system to evaluate green building technologies such as porous
pavement.
City Plan x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Comprehensive plan for the City illustrating a vision for the next 25 years
and beyond. "Innovate, Sustain, Connect."
Zoning Plan x x
Structure Plan x x bridge between City and Zoning plans, regulation of GMA
Planned Development Overlay District (PDOD) x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Voluntary pilot program for infill or redevelopment. Development review
tool to implement sustainability.
ECONOMIC
Midtown Plan x x x x x x x x x
Economic initiatives to drive private investment along the area and
encourage connectivity to MAX stations and travel.
Woodward x x x x x x x x x
Relates to Lincoln Corridor plan. Woodward is providing natural land and
bike paths at their new, 101-acre Technology Center.
Foothills Mall
x x x x x x x x x x
Revitalization and restoration of Foothills Mall. It includes a Youth Activity
Center and underpass to the Mason Street Corridor. Project may include
"green development" for neighboring development.
Urban Renewal Authority Policies and Procedures x x x x x x x x
Economic incentives for infill and redevelopment in blight areas. Policies
being updated in 2013
Economic Health Strategic Plan
x x x x x x x x x
Plan lists strategies for supporting economic health in Fort Collins.
Continue to support and enhance Fort Collins’ bike culture and cycling
industry. Seek economic opportunities related to City policies and
programs, particularly as they relate to sustainability.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Energy By Design (Natural Areas) x x x x x
Collaborative effort to recommend strategies to minimize impacts from
potential oil and gas development on natural areas (Jan. 2013).
Poudre River Downtown Project
ATTACHMENT 3
Name of Action - Program - Initiative
In 2007 Roadmap
New Since 2007
Under (re)Development
Carbon Footprint
Energy Efficiency
Water Conservation
Waste Minimization
Waste Diversion
Pollution Prevention
Indoor Air Quality
Green Materials
Alt. Transportation
Regulatory
Voluntary
Incentive / Rebate ($)
Other Incentive
Training / Education
Research
Benchmark
Description
City Programs with a Green Building Component
Larimer County Landfill Methane Capture Project x x x x x
In 2009, a gas collection system was installed at the Larimer County
Landfill to capture and flare methane gas, reducing GHG emissions from
Ozone Reduction Programs x x x x x outreach and education on ozone, vehicle idling, lawn mower rebate, etc.
Lawn Mower Rebate Program x x x
Recycling and rebate program to replace existing gas-powered mowers
with a "clean" mower or sustainable lawn care service.
Healthy Sustainable Homes x x x x Voluntary home assessment program to mitigate indoor air pollution.
Page 8 of 8
Improving building performance since 1982
www.archenergy.com
PREPARED FOR:
City of Fort Collins
Environmental Services Department
215 N Mason Street
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
ATTN: Melissa Hovey, Sr. Environmental Planner
PREPARED BY:
Architectural Energy Corporation
2540 Frontier Avenue, Suite 100
Boulder, Colorado 80301
Contact: Allison Buckman, Manager
303.459.7471 | abuckman@archenergy.com
PREPARED ON:
October 1, 2013
Final Report
for the
Green Building Peer City Survey
Fort Collins, Colorado
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ATTACHMENT 4
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GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface .............................................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................ii
Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 3
1. Interdepartmental Green Team and City Website Access to Green Building Resources ..... 6
2. Green Neighborhood Development Programs ..................................................................... 7
3. Building Energy Programs ..................................................................................................... 8
4. Feebates ................................................................................................................................ 9
5. Stormwater Management Incentive Programs .................................................................. 10
Appendix A: Survey of Peer City’s Green Building Programs ................................................. A-1
A.1 Fort Collins, Colorado .................................................................................................................. A-1
A.2 Portland, Oregon ......................................................................................................................... A-4
A.3 Seattle, Washington .................................................................................................................... A-9
A.4 Austin, Texas ............................................................................................................................. A-13
A.5 Boulder, Colorado ..................................................................................................................... A-17
A.6 Santa Monica, California ........................................................................................................... A-20
A.7 Arlington, Virginia ..................................................................................................................... A-23
A.8 St. Petersburg, Florida ............................................................................................................... A-26
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GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | ii
Preface
Architectural Energy Corporation (AEC) — an energy engineering and sustainable design consulting firm
headquartered in Boulder, Colorado — prepared this document for the City of Fort Collins. The AEC authors of
this report are Rebecca Rice and Allison Buckman.
Acknowledgements
The assistance of contributors at the City of Fort Collins is most gratefully acknowledged.
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GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
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Executive Summary
The City of Fort Collins continues to be a leader in energy efficiency and green building programs among cities in
the United States. For this analysis, seven peer cities were surveyed and compared to Fort Collins through a
process of collecting data on municipal green building programs and incentives. Peer cities were chosen based
on industry recognition as high performers in green building. Factors for selecting the chosen cities included
industry awards, number of green building programs, geographical and population similarities to Fort Collins,
and transparency of programs, as indicated below:
• Portland, Oregon – ahead of most cities in green neighborhood development and hosted the
‘EcoDistrict Institute’ conference last year of which Portland is a member; considering progressive
feebate programs and carbon tax.
• Seattle, Washington – ranked number four on Siemens ‘Greenest Cities’ Index behind San Francisco,
Vancouver and New York City; the Living Building Challenge and Seattle 2030 programs developed here.
• Austin, Texas – municipal utility Austin Energy runs a large number of green building and energy
efficiency programs; Director of Sustainability, Lucia Athens, was an architect of Seattle 2030 project
prior to coming to Austin.
• Boulder, Colorado – faces many of the same regional challenges as Fort Collins; adopted tax on carbon;
in discussions for developing a municipal utility.
• Santa Monica, California – incentives for going beyond the already stringent Title 24 energy
requirements; Green Cities California member; compared to the greenest cities in CA, population is most
similar to Fort Collins (90,812).
• Arlington, Virginia – large number of LEED certified buildings; deliberately pushing limits of state laws to
green their county; early adopter of district energy systems for sustainability.
• St. Petersburg, Florida – similar population to Fort Collins (246,541); named first ‘Green City’ in Florida
by the Florida Green Building Coalition; mayor has issued city accords and executive orders supporting
higher building and energy performance standards.
Of the cities surveyed, all except St. Petersburg require LEED certification for public buildings. Three cities
require a LEED silver minimum and three, including Fort Collins, require LEED Gold. Fort Collins lags behind
other cities in incentivizing or requiring LEED (or other benchmarking systems) for non-municipal commercial,
residential, and industrial projects. Seattle and Arlington incentivize builders to achieve LEED certification and
Boulder is currently considering incentives, or LEED requirements, for commercial buildings.
Austin, Arlington, Portland, and Seattle currently own and operate district energy systems. Green Neighborhood
Development programs are a focus for most cities surveyed with Austin and Portland leading in this area as two
of the ten cities in the world creating eco districts in their cities.
Interviews with key City staff have pointed to problems with an outdated and cumbersome green building
website. Implementation of green building programs could be improved by updating and improving ease of use
of the website. In addition, an interdepartmental green team could further assist with implementation of green
building programs.
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The following table shows a snapshot of the different incentives and programs offered by the cities investigated.
A dot in each category indicates that at least one program exists in that category. Additional information is
provided in Appendix A to present a clear picture of the number and rigor of programs in each city. Please note
that many of the peer cities surveyed are among the greenest cities in America. Fort Collins is a leader among
cities nationwide, but lags behind the most elite cities in some areas. Highlights from the table include:
• All cities surveyed have adopted or developed a Climate Action Plan (CAP) for meeting energy emissions
goals. The CAP goals are difficult to compare, as the metrics used for each city’s plan are different.
Highlights of this comparison are outlined here:
o Fort Collins adopted Colorado’s statewide goals of reducing ghg emissions 20% below 2005
levels by 2020 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050, which lags behind Seattle’s goal of carbon
neutrality by 2050 and St. Petersburg’s goal of reducing 34% below 2009 levels by 2025.
o Portland targets building energy use reduction specifically with a goal of reducing energy use of
all building built before 2010 by 25%.
o The Carbon Disclosure Project has named Austin the U.S. City with the most aggressive Climate
Action Plan with a goal of 700 Megawatts of energy efficiency savings by 2020 and carbon
neutrality for municipal functions by 2020.
o Boulder’s goal of meeting Kyoto Protocol standards by 2012 was not met.
• Programs offered by Fort Collins Utilities continue to be among the most robust of all cities surveyed.
• Green Land Use programs are those that specifically address green building as a part of community
integration and urban development. Fort Collins is well on their way to becoming a leader in this
category with the development of pilot programs such as the Planned Development Overlay District
(PDOD) and the Green Streets Initiative. These programs are still in their infancy and other cities
surveyed are farther along.
• Green Neighborhood Development and District Energy are other areas where Fort Collins is on the right
track with existing programs (Fort Zed, Green Streets, and PDOD). These programs are similar to those
already successful in other cities and will put Fort Collins among the leaders once fully implemented.
• Two cities (Austin and Arlington) have their own green building rating system, but this is not necessarily
an indicator of successful green building programs.
The following sections will give an overview and recommendations for areas that can be improved.
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Table 1: City Comparison Table
Fort Collins, CO
Portland, OR
Seattle, WA
Austin, TX
Boulder, CO
Santa Monica, CA
Arlington, VA
St. Petersburg, FL
Interdepartmental Green Team
● ● ●
Climate Action Plan ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
LEED Required for City Buildings ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Incentives for LEED
●
●
Local Green Building Rating System
●
●
Local Green Building Codes ● ●
● ● ●
●
Energy Codes ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Incentives – Financial ● ● ● ● ●
● ●
Incentives – Non-Financial ● ● ●
● ● ●
Utility Programs ● ● ● ●
Utility Rebates ● ● ● ● ● ●
●
Green Land Use Programs ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Water Conservation Incentives ● ● ● ● ● ●
●
Water Conservation Programs ● ● ● ●
●
●
Waste Reduction & Recycling Programs ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Education/Technical Assistance ● ● ● ●
● ● ●
Green Neighborhood Dev. Programs ● ● ● ●
●
District Energy ● ● ● ●
●
Indicates areas where Fort Collins is a leader among
cities surveyed
Indicates areas where Fort Collins lags behind cities
surveyed
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1. Interdepartmental Green Team and City Website Access to Green Building
Resources
Green building programs are only successful if people are actually able to use them. Interviews with key City of
Fort Collins staff have pointed to problems with implementation of current green building programs and codes
and an outdated and cumbersome green building website. Concurrently, creating an Interdepartmental Green
Building Team in Fort Collins would lead to greater coordination and reduce redundancy of current programs.
The figure below is a screenshot of the Fort Collins green building homepage and states, ‘a Green Building
Program currently is under development and will roll out in 2010.’ Given that it is 2013 it is unclear if a program
even exists, and if it does, where to go for current information.
Figure 1-1: Fort Collin’s Green Building Website
http://www.fcgov.com/greenbuilding/
Recommendations
• Create an Interdepartmental Green Building Team similar to Seattle, Portland, and Austin. Portland’s
Green Building Advisory Team is comprised of staff from several departments all working towards
incorporation of green building policy into capital improvements and internal training across all
departments. Seattle’s interdepartmental green building team has been working to make green building
standard practice in Seattle for the last ten years. Seattle has also created an Interdepartmental District
Energy team to focus on policy reforms and expanding development of district energy systems.
• Update and improve ease of use of the website including adding a comprehensive list of all green
building programs and links where one might find details about these programs. Santa Monica and
Portland’s green building websites provide visible links to code requirements, incentives, and guidelines.
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2. Green Neighborhood Development Programs
“The development community will play an increasingly key role in slowing climate change. Shrinking household
size, marathon commutes, and cultural preferences are boosting the demand for compact, walkable
neighborhoods” (Michael Davidson, manager of the Campaign for Sensible Growth). Creating complete
neighborhoods in urban areas is a growing trend, not just in the United States, but worldwide. Neighborhood
development should avoid greenfields, use land efficiently by shrinking building footprints, use infill sites,
provide walkable and bike-friendly streets, encourage mixed-use and community spaces and connect
neighborhoods through public transit. Fort Collins is heading in the right direction with its ‘Green Streets
Initiative’ which strives to create complete streets; however, there are many more indicators of green
neighborhood development which should be addressed. Ten cities worldwide have eco district projects
underway, including Portland and Austin, two of the cities surveyed for this project. Eco districts are defined as
neighborhoods or districts that develop a comprehensive management strategy for energy, water, waste,
recycling, green infrastructure, and mobility, according to the 2012 EcoDistricts Institute.
Recommendations
• Implement programs to encourage livability and complete neighborhoods. Examples are providing
grants to neighborhood associations meeting prescriptive requirements, or providing funds for planting
community gardens, native plants, adding trees to neighborhoods, providing environmental education,
and neighborhood art.
• Incentivize green neighborhood development projects through relaxed permitting/zoning providing
funding as in Seattle’s City LEED Incentive Program, or feebates for neighborhoods not achieving LEED.
• Collaborate with City departments to develop a ‘Green Neighborhood Toolkit’ for builders, developers,
HOAs, etc.
• Create ‘neighborhood plans’ for key neighborhoods in Fort Collins to include information about land use
planning and energy analysis summaries similar to Portland’s ‘Neighborhood-Scale Development
Analysis.’
• Continue expanding the Green Building Code contractor training to include strategies for green
neighborhood development.
• Utilize ecodistrict concepts to shape plans for neighborhood development and management in key
downtown neighborhoods such as Austin’s Seaholm Development District and Portland’s five eco-
district neighborhoods.
• Consider joining the EcoDistrict Target Cities Program.
• Continue to expand district energy systems such as Fort Zed.
• Continue to conduct feasibility studies into areas which may provide opportunities for district energy.
• Continue to explore Net Zero Ready Homes and LEED for Neighborhood Development.
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ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | 8
3. Building Energy Programs
Fort Collins Utilities provides electricity, water, wastewater, stormwater, and financing services to about 66,200
residential and business customers at rates significantly below Colorado’s averages while maintaining a strong
portfolio of energy efficiency programs. The Integrated Design Assistance program housed in the Utilities
Department encourages high-performance buildings that exceed code requirements and is headed in the right
direction by redesigning the program to align with performance based requirements based on Architecture
2030.
Recommendations
• Evaluate opportunities for more incentives and energy code requirements based on total building
energy performance rather than prescriptive requirements, such as Architecture 2030 requirements.
• Consider programs to promote the most sustainable building designs through expedited permitting,
reduced permitting fees, or zoning incentives similar to Seattle’s Priority Green programs and Arlington’s
Green Density Building Initiative.
• Develop a plan for eliminating redundancy in current programming, such as duplicate facility
assessments being offered by ClimateWise and Utilities. Investigate whether ClimateWise could also
offer a ‘menu’ of one-off assessments as an alternative to full participation in the program.
• Require energy audits and disclosure from commercial, residential, and multi-family buildings if they
receive direct electric service from Fort Collins Utilities, similar to Austin’s City Code Chapter 6-7: Energy
Conservation.
• Disclose the results of the energy benchmarking of city-owned buildings making them publicly available.
• Require commercial buildings to complete and disclose an ENERGY STAR rating using EPA’s ENERGY
STAR portfolio manager, or other benchmarking system developed by the City, similar to Austin’s Energy
Conservation Audit and Disclosure and Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking and Reporting Ordinance.
• Develop contests (or add to ClimateWise challenges) similar to Portland’s Kilowatt Crackdown or
Arlington’s Green Games, whereby Fort Collins building owners track energy performance to see who
can save the most energy and reduce operating costs.
• Incentivize certifications for commercial and multifamily buildings similar to Arlington’s Green Building
Fund program and Seattle’s City LEED Incentive program.
• Continually review and update the Green Building Code amendments.
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4. Feebates
Feebates encourage responsible environmental stewardship by mandating a fee for engaging in practices which
harm the environment and have been successfully implemented by the automobile and energy industries for
years. The feebate concept is essentially a self-financing system of fees imposed on users to shift the cost of
externalities. More simply put, people engaging in unwanted behaviors receive a surcharge, and those engaging
in desired behaviors are granted a rebate. The dollars collected by the fees pay for the rebates, or in some cases
additional research to promote the desired behaviors. There are several examples of feebates imposed in
municipal green building programs in the cities surveyed.
• Boulder Brought It program imposes a disposable bag tax fee and gives credits to residents providing
their own bags.
• Arlington’s Green Building Fund charges a fee for certain projects not meeting LEED certification. The
fees go into a fund used to provide education and outreach to developers on green building issues.
• Portland’s Green Building Feebates Program charges fees for conventional construction. The fees are
waived if the project achieves LEED Silver and rebates are given to projects achieving LEED Gold or
Platinum, or Living Building Challenge.
Recommendations
• Consider feebates as an alternative to other financial incentives when developing incentive programs.
The concept of feebates could be applied to almost any of the green building topics investigated.
Studies have been done and best practice guidelines have been written to help in designing and
implementing successful feebate programs. In the City of Fort Collins, feebates could be imposed on
commercial buildings not achieving LEED certification, residents/developers adding impervious surfaces
to project sites, projects that do not reduce stormwater runoff, buildings just meeting the energy and
water use codes, etc.
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GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
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5. Stormwater Management Incentive Programs
The Green Streets Initiative pilot project in Fort Collins is a step in the right direction, but could be further
enhanced through the use of incentives and/or code requirements for reducing stormwater. Arlington’s
StormwaterWise program provides rebates to home and business owners for small-scale projects and larger
rebates for conservation landscapes, rain gardens, or removal of pavement. Seattle also provides stormwater
rebates in the form of credits against drainage fees to those that reduce stormwater flow. Portland issues 100%
refunds on stormwater management charges if stormwater is managed onsite and Santa Monica issues
stormwater parcel fees assessed through property taxes. Seattle’s Green Factor program is the most stringent
stormwater management program among the cities surveyed, as code requires some projects to achieve a
minimum score established by zoning.
Recommendations
• Create incentive programs for reducing stormwater runoff (installing rain gardens, cisterns, green roofs,
removing pavement) or treatment of stormwater onsite, similar to Arlington’s StormwaterWise.
• Assess opportunities for a feebate program collecting a fee for projects adding impervious surfaces to
the site and giving rebates to projects reducing runoff.
• Provide stormwater retrofit rebates to existing buildings/homes that treat existing areas with low
impact development measures.
• Consider adopting a Green Stormwater Infrastructure policy that incorporates low impact development
practices and facilitate implementation of this policy.
• Develop stormwater management workshops and education programs about effects of stormwater and
incorporate into current training programs such as BizEd, ClimateWise, Adult and Youth Education
Program, and Residential Environmental Program Series.
• Incorporate additional requirements for stormwater management into the land use code. Specifically,
consider revising areas of municipal and land use codes which require impervious concrete or asphalt
for all paved surfaces, requirements for draining streets to curb and gutter, raised parkway strips, code
minimums for parking and size of lots, and current street widths.
• Consider incentives for neighborhood development projects that establish natural filtration drainage
systems, such as Portland’s Community Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) which provides grants
for community gardens and replacing pavement with native plants.
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Appendix A: Survey of Peer City’s Green Building Programs
Included in this appendix is information and data on successful incentive programs and approaches used in
other communities to encourage sustainable building and planning including tax incentives, rebates, market-
based approaches. Also included is information and data on other green building programs in similar cities to be
used for benchmarking.
A.1 Fort Collins, Colorado
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements City of Fort Collins City Council
Resolution 2006-096
Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
New city-owned buildings 5,000 sf or
more must be designed and
constructed to achieve LEED Gold
certification and existing buildings
should use LEED as a guide for
sustainable operations and
maintenance.
LEED Incentives N/A
Local Green Building
Rating System
N/A
Green Building Codes 2009 International Codes Package (I
Codes) with Fort Collins Local
Amendments
Local Regulatory To integrate
green building
practices into
mainstream
construction
Accepted the 2009 I Codes package
and drafted and accepted Fort Collins
(green) Amendments to these codes.
Energy Codes Energy Benchmarking of City buildings Local Regulatory Measure and
reduce energy use
Program uses Utility Manager tracking
tool and Energy Use Index.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
(ZILCH) Zero Interest Loans for
Conservation Help
Loan Remove barriers
to water
efficiency
upgrades
No interest loans for residential water
conservation projects.
Air Quality Loans Loan Remove barriers
to air quality
upgrades
Low interest stove/fireplace
replacement.
LIGHTENUP Rebate Remove barriers
to energy
efficiency
upgrades
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Utility Programs
(Municipal Utility - Fort
Collins Utilities) (cont.)
Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Education/
Assessments
Help reduce
community's
carbon emissions
One-stop diagnosis and repairs for
comprehensive home improvements
related to comfort, energy, healthy
indoor air, and moisture.
Business Efficiency Program Rebate/Education Help reduce
community's
carbon emissions
Provides businesses with education,
facility energy and water
assessments, solar rebates,
integrated design assistance, and
retro-commissioning incentives.
Integrated Design Assistance Program Rebate/Education To encourage
high performance
buildings that
exceed building
code
requirements
Financial incentives and free technical
assistance for buildings that perform
higher than energy code. Options for
whole building and prescriptive
incentives.
Green Land Use Programs Land Use Codes Local Regulatory Land Use Codes incorporate green
land use best practices.
Water Conservation
Incentives
Water Efficiency Home Audits and
Rebates
Rebate Rebates for installing high efficiency
clothes washers, low flow toilets and
showerheads, sprinkler sensors and
nozzles, and any equipment that
reduces water use by 25%.
Sprinkler System Audit Rebate Free sprinkler system audit and
rebates.
Clothes Washer Rebate Program Rebate Rebates for the purchase of high
efficiency clothes washers
(residential and light commercial
only).
Water Conservation
Programs
Water rates Local Regulatory Municipal Code contains tiered
residential water rates and seasonal
commercial rates to encourage water
conservation.
Municipal Code - Water Wasting Local Regulatory Code language prohibits wasting of
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Education/Technical
Assistance (cont.)
Builder's Guide to Energy Efficient
Home Construction
Education Print and web resource useful for
those building a new home or adding
to an existing home.
Green building Code Contractor Training Education Recognize green
building
innovation and
success
Contractor training provided by
Utilities and Building departments to
implement building envelope
requirements in code.
Radon Program Training/
Assessments
Promotes testing, system installation,
regulatory, and passive systems.
Statewide Programs North Colorado ENERGY STAR Homes
Program
Education To transform new
home market in
Northern
Colorado to high
performance
construction
Includes builder partners and tools.
Green Neighborhood
Development Programs
Transportation Overlay District Education Encourages infill
development
TOD seeks to encourage infill
development, reduce vehicular trips,
reduce development footprint for
vehicles, increased density, use of
brownfield sites, reduce air pollution.
Green Streets Initiative Local Voluntary To create
complete streets
that incorporate
many aspects of
sustainability into
their development
Pilot program to test a section of local
street for aspects of green street
design (integrate stormwater
management, calm traffic, bicycling/
walking, beautiful/ appropriate
landscape).
District Energy FortZED Local Voluntary To create a net
zero energy
district
City and other partners working to
transform downtown and CSU main
campus into a net zero energy district.
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A.2 Portland, Oregon
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements City of Portland Green Building Policy Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
New city-owned buildings must
pursue LEED Gold certification and
meet performance levels for recycling
construction waste, water savings,
energy savings, eco roof/ENERGY
STAR roof, building commissioning,
and onsite renewables. Existing
buildings and interior improvements
to city-owned/leased buildings must
pursue LEED Silver certification. Any
roof replacement must be eco
roof/ENERGY STAR-rated. City
projects must follow sustainable site
development and infrastructure best
management practices, practice
waste management strategies, and
use LEED Existing Building Operations
and Maintenance to guide operation
and maintenance practices.
*Note - this resolution currently
undergoing review.
LEED Incentives N/A
Local Green Building
Rating System
N/A
Green Amendments to the Oregon
Structural Specialty Codes (OSSC)
Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
In 2010, accepted green building code
amendments to the OSSC.
Bureau of Development Services (BDS)
Green Building Local Code Amendment
Local Regulatory BDS is working with a Technical
Advisory Group to develop building
code amendment that will incorporate
green building technology.
Energy Codes City Resolution Local Regulatory Encourage local
businesses to
spend less on
imported fuels
and redirect
funds into local
economy
Established goal to reduce oil and
natural gas use in Portland by 50% in
25 years by taking actions
recommended by the Peak Oil Task
Force.
POPULATION: 603,106
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/41481
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: The Portland Plan - Inclusive, citywide effort to guide physical, economic, social, cultural, and environmental development of
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Energy Codes (cont.) Carbon Tax Local Regulatory Portland is currently considering city
tax on carbon pollution. The tax
would be a combined utility and gas
tax equal to 3% of utility revenues and
4.5¢ on each gallon of gas. The
revenue from this tax is anticipated to
be $27 million per year and would be
used for improving city sidewalks,
reducing air pollution, and expanding
efficiency programs.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
Portland Energy Efficiency Home Pilot
Program (PEEHP)
Grant Support energy
efficient home
construction
Technical guidance and funding for
infill housing developers.
Participating builders required to build
a minimum of two new homes to
exceed the energy efficiency
standards of the 2008 Oregon
Residential Energy Code.
Green Building Feebates Feebate Reward high-
performance
buildings and
provide technical
assistance
Developers merely meeting Oregon's
state building code assessed a fee by
the City of up to $3.46/sf. Fee waived
for buildings achieving LEED Silver.
Those achieving LEED Gold, LEED
Platinum, or Living Building
Challenge, receive rebates of $1.73-
$17.30/sf depending on level of
certification. Buildings must achieve
specific LEED credits, emphasizing
energy efficiency and water use
reduction.
Portland Development Commission
Storefront Improvement Program
Grants/Technical
Assistance
Remove barriers
to installing
home energy
efficiency
measures
Cash grants and technical assistance
to business/property owners in
eligible neighborhoods. Recipients
can use the support for a variety of
improvements, from repainting and
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Utility Programs
(Non-municipal Utility)
Portland General Electric (PGE) Heat
Pump Rebate
Rebate Reduce financial
barriers to
installing energy
efficient
equipment
$200 rebate for an energy-efficient
heat pump installed to PGE’s
standards by a PGE-approved
contractor (residential customers).
Earth Advantage (PGE) Certification Accelerate
creation of
resource-efficient
buildings
Certification programs for high
performance residential and
commercial projects.
Citywide Tree Policy and Regulatory
Improvement Project
Local Regulatory Enhance urban
forest through
development/re-
development
Provides effective regulatory
framework for trees in Portland and
33% tree canopy goal.
Native and Banned Plant List Education/Technical
Assistance
Portland's list of recommended native
plantings and noxious plants which
are banned from City landscape plans.
Water Conservation
Incentives
Portland Water Bureau Rebates Rebate To promote water
use reduction
Portland Water Bureau customers can
apply for rebates and free water
savings kits for water efficient toilets,
urinals, and outdoor irrigation
equipment.
Water Conservation
Programs
Rainwater Harvesting Guide Education/Technical
Assistance
To promote water
use reduction
A code guide providing responses to
frequently asked questions about
applications of the water use code.
Waste Reduction &
Recycling Programs
Portland Bureau of Planning and
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Statewide Programs
(cont.)
Energy Trust of Oregon Tax Credit Incentivize
energy efficient
equipment
installations
Provides services and incentives to
customers (residential, commercial,
industrial) of Portland General
Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural,
and Cascade Natural Gas. Home
Performance with ENERGY STAR
assessment and cash incentives for
weatherization, water heating, and
heating/cooling.
Oregon Interfaith Power and Light Education/Technical
Assistance
Encourages faith
community to
strive for
accountability in
collective energy
decisions
Assists congregations with being
'green'.
Green Neighborhood
Development Programs
Neighborhood-Scale Development
Analysis Documents
Education/Technical
Assistance
About 1/3 of neighborhoods have
'neighborhood plans.' These
documents are generally about land
use planning issues and are referred
to the Bureau of Planning and
Sustainability. Energy analysis
summaries for key sites in Portland
(North Pearl District, Rose Quarter
District, South Waterfront District).
Green Neighborhood
Development Incentives
Metro Nature in Neighborhoods Grants Grant Create changes
in the community
that also may
improve a
neighborhood’s
image
Neighborhood associations (or other
non-profit entities) in North and
Northwest Portland are eligible for
grants if they do one of the following:
•increase employment and economic
opportunities
•rehabilitate and upgrade residential
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
District Energy Portland Metro Region Local Voluntary Beaverton Round Central Plant,
Brewery Blocks district cooling system
and district steam at PSU and OHSU.
Portland is currently working to make
funds for district energy expansion
available and establish at least one
new district heating/cooling system.
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A.3 Seattle, Washington
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements Seattle Sustainable Buildings and Sites
Policy
LEED certification
requirements for
city funded projects
To promote green
building standards
City funded projects and major
renovations over 5,000 of occupied sf
must achieve LEED Gold certification.
Additional energy efficiency, water,
waste, and bicycle parking
requirements. Projects under 5,000 sf,
or not eligible for LEED, must
complete the Capital Green checklist.
LEED Incentives City LEED Incentive Program LEED certification
assistance
To incentivize
meeting LEED
requirements
Provides upfront soft-cost assistance
to projects committing to LEED which
could be used for additional design
and consulting fees and for LEED
certification costs.
Local Green Building
Rating System
N/A
Green Building Codes N/A
Energy Codes Seattle Building Code Local Regulatory Buildings shall be designed and
constructed in accordance with the
Washington State Energy Code with
Seattle Amendments.
Seattle Energy Benchmarking &
Reporting Ordinance
Local Regulatory Understand
energy use and
lower energy
costs
Non-residential and multifamily
buildings greater than 20,000 sf must
track annual energy performance data
through EPA's Portfolio Manger and
report to the city.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
Seattle Energy Upgrade Program Rebate/Financing Help overcome
barrier preventing
building owners
from investing in
energy efficiency
Rebates up to $3400 for homeowners
and $0.25 per kWh of energy saved
for small business owners. Both are
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority Permitting/
Zoning) (cont.)
The Density Bonus Incentive Relaxed Zoning
Requirements
To reduce
barriers to green
building
Downtown zoning legislation updating
rules to provide greater heights
and/or floor areas for LEED Silver or
higher ratings who contribute to
affordable housing and other public
amenities.
Living Building Challenge Pilot Code Departures To remove
barriers to green
building design
Allows departures from the Seattle
Land Use Code through design review
for buildings attempting to meet the
Living Building Challenge or Seattle
Deep Green.
Seattle City Light Energy Smart Services Rebates/Technical
Assistance
Meet future
electric needs
cost-effectively
Includes Energy Smart Services
Program Manual which is a document
providing energy conservation
specifications, sample forms, and
instructions. Rebates include
residential rebates for efficient
lighting, windows, insulation, free
bulbs, showerheads, faucet aerators
and commercial rebates for retrofits
and energy efficient equipment
purchases.
Seattle City Light Multi-Family
Weatherization and Lighting Rebates
Rebate Rebates for windows, insulation, and
lighting for 5+ unit properties.
Seattle City Light Smart Business
Program
Rebate Financial incentives for small
businesses for replacing existing
inefficient lighting with approved
energy efficient lighting equipment.
Seattle City Light Energy Smart Services Rebate/Technical
Assistance
Incentives and technical assistance
for existing facilities that improve
their operations and for new
construction projects that exceed the
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Water Conservation
Incentives
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Education/Technical
Assistance
Learn about how to comply with the
new stormwater codes using Green
Stormwater Infrastructure.
Green Roofs Plan Local Voluntary Seattle currently has an impervious
surface reduction credit that lists
green roofs and roof gardens as
acceptable strategies.
Water Conservation
Programs
Toilet Rebates Rebate $30 rebate for installation of
WaterSense High-Efficiency Toilets or
free toilets for low-income projects.
Automatic Irrigation Systems Rebate/Education Financial incentives and
education/assistance and online tools
for Seattle area landscapes.
Restore Our Waters Education/Technical
Assistance
Commitment to take actions and
promote partnerships that protect and
improve creeks, lakes, the Duwamish
River, and Puget Sound.
Rainwater Harvesting Education Education provided on website as well
as link to order discounted rain barrel
through Seattle Conservation Corps.
At $75 each (retail is $100).
Zero Waste Strategy Program Local Regulatory To reduce solid
waste
Includes disposable shopping bag fee,
organics service to remove food
waste from landfill, reduce phone
books from waste stream, incentives
for recycling construction, demolition,
and carpet waste.
Friends of Recycling and Composting
(FORC)
Rebate $100 credit for providing a compost
food and yard waste cart.
Education/Technical
Assistance
Built Green Education To provide
homeowners with
comfortable,
durable,
environmentally
friendly homes
that are cost-
effective to own
and operate
Residential green building program/
rating system.
Built Smart Rebate/Education Provides multifamily architects,
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PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Seattle 2030 District Local Voluntary Create a high
performance
building district
in downtown
Seattle
Using the performance goals of the
Architecture 2030 Challenge for
Planning, the district seeks to develop
strategies to reduce environmental
impacts of facility construction and
operations. These strategies will
provide tools for owners, managers,
and tenants to meet the goals of the
district.
Seattle City Light Neighborhood Power
Project
Local Voluntary To strengthen
partnerships with
other city
departments and
neighborhoods
and deliver
resource
conservation
services more
efficiently
Free installation of energy saving
products like compact fluorescent
light bulbs, water-saving
showerheads, and aerators.
District Energy District Energy Interdepartmental Team Education/Technical
Assistance
Focuses on policy reforms, further
planning studies, and implementing a
new system in First Hill.
Seattle Steam District Energy System Local Voluntary Offers a centralized service providing
thermal energy to downtown buildings.
Green Neighborhood
Development Programs
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A.4 Austin, Texas
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements City Council Resolution Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
All future public buildings that include
work in all 5 LEED categories and
have construction costs over $2
million must be LEED Silver.
Renovations/interiors over $300,000
requiring work in energy and
atmosphere, materials and resources,
and indoor environmental quality
must be LEED Silver.
LEED Incentives N/A
Local Green Building
Rating System
Austin Energy Green Building Rating
System (AEGB)
Local Voluntary City-operated green building rating
system that predates LEED.
Green Building Codes SMART Housing Program Local Regulatory To build green,
affordable
housing
All housing receiving City of Austin
incentives required to achieve a green
building rating (LEED or AEGB).
Austin City Code Local Regulatory Chapter 25-8: Environment:
incorporates sustainability best
practices into city code.
Commercial Design Standards and
Mixed Use Ordinance (Subchapter E of
the Land Development Code)
Local Regulatory Complement Austin code with a
document that is easier to use and
understand.
Energy Codes Energy Conservation Audit and
Disclosure (ECAD) Ordinance
Local Regulatory All non-industrial commercial
(including municipal buildings) must
complete energy rating using either
EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio
Manager or Austin Energy Business
Energy Analysis Rating Tool.
Austin Energy Code Local Regulatory The IECC (International Energy
Conservation Code) 2009 was
adopted by City Ordinance, with local
amendments.
Building Energy Code Local Regulatory To reduce energy
used in single-
family homes
In 2011, called for the drafting of new
building codes consistent with
reducing energy use in single-family
homes by 65% and all other public
and private buildings by 75% by 2015.
Austin City Code Local Regulatory Requires energy audits and disclosure
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A.5 Boulder, Colorado
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements City of Boulder LEED Requirements Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
Requires all municipally funded new
construction and major addition
projects to achieve LEED Silver
certification. Also considering
requiring certification of commercial
projects, or developing a LEED-based
incentive program.
LEED Incentives N/A
Local Green Building
Rating System
N/A
Green Building Codes Boulder Green Points Building Program Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
Residential: New construction must
be 30%-75% more efficient than 2006
IECC levels depending on building
type and sf. Major renovations must
achieve a score of 70-100 (15%-50%
increased IECC efficiency) depending
on sf. Residential permit applicants
for new construction or renovations
must also obtain an energy audit and
meet Green Points Requirements.
Commercial: Commercial energy
efficiency requirements for new
construction increased by 30 percent.
Energy modeling required for all
buildings over 20,000 sq. ft.
Build Smart (Boulder County) Local Regulatory To reduce energy
consumption and
achieve CAP goals
Houses larger than 8,000 sf must be
zero energy.
Energy Codes 2009 International Codes Package (I
Codes)
Local Regulatory Accepted the 2009 I Codes package.
Climate Action Plan Tax Local Regulatory City residents and business are taxed
based on amount of electricity they
consume. Tax Rates: Residential:
$.0049/kWh, Commercial
$.0009/kWh, Industrial $.0003/kWh.
Smart Regs Local Regulatory Three ordinances that together
update the city's housing code, rental
licensing code, and provides baseline
energy efficiency requirements for
existing rental housing.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
Energy Smart Rebate Rebates for energy efficiency
improvements for homes ($250) and
commercial ($495,000).
Energy Loans Loan Energy Loans can be used for a wide
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-18
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
(cont.)
Ramp up Renewables Rebate To incentivize
renewable energy
installations
Residents and Businesses that have
installed photo voltaic or solar
thermal may be eligible for rebates
from the city's Renewable Energy
Fund.
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning)
N/A
Xcel Energy Free Home Energy Audits Technical Assistance Free home energy audits.
Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Program (pilot)
Rebate Credit on bill for allowing Xcel Energy
to interrupt vehicle charging
throughout the year.
Energy Efficiency Financing for
Residences
Loan Low cost energy efficiency financing
to residents.
Residential Pool Pumps Rebate Xcel Energy’s residential electric
customers with in-ground pools
receive an instant $100 rebate on the
purchase and installation of an
energy-efficient, variable speed pool
pump, which includes a free,
professional calibration worth an
additional $100.
Refrigerator Recycling Rebate $50 rebate for recycling old
refrigerators.
Green Land Use Programs Forestry and Horticulture Education/Technical
Assistance
To preserve
diverse tree cover
for future
generations
Programs for pruning, tree planting,
removal of dead/diseased trees,
integrated pest management, flower
bed programs, tree watering,
mulching, and inventories.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Program
To minimize
possible impacts
of pest
management on
human health
Comprehensive IPM policy followed
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-19
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Local Environmental Action Division
(LEAD)
Education/Technical
Assistance
Provides
leadership to
achieve Boulder’s
goals of
sustainability and
environmental
quality
Develops city policy, offers
educational programs, and partners
with citizens, businesses, and other
organizations to protect Boulder's
environment.
Boulder County Partners for a Clean
Environment (PACE)
Technical Assistance To help local
businesses
improve energy
efficiency, zero
waste
management,
and water
conservation
Performs indoor water audits for
commercial and industrial. Possible
rebates exist for high water use
reductions.
10 for Change Education/Technical
Assistance
Boulder businesses committed to
reducing their energy use and waste
by at least 10%. Currently 110
businesses participating.
Statewide Programs N/A
Green Neighborhood
Development
N/A
District Energy N/A
Education/Technical
Assistance
31 of 40
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-20
A.6 Santa Monica, California
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: http://www.smgov.net/departments/ose/categories/buildgreen.aspx
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements Santa Monica Green Building Program Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
All new city-funded buildings eligible
for LEED certification which are
10,000 sf or larger must seek LEED
certification. Of these, 20% should
attain LEED Silver, 10% Gold, and 2%
Platinum certification, with the
remainder attaining Certified. 50% of
new buildings smaller than 10,000 sf
shall obtain at least LEED Certified, or
its equivalent.
LEED Incentives N/A
Local Green Building
Rating System
Santa Monica Green Business
Certification
Local Voluntary Green certification for businesses.
Green Building Codes March 2012 adopted amendments to
the Cal Green Building Standards Code
Local Regulatory Includes energy efficiency,
construction and demolition waste
diversion goals, and solar ready
requirements.
Green Building Standards Code Local Regulatory Includes requirement that all new
buildings be designed to use 15% less
energy than required by CA Energy
Code, pipe insulation required when
replacing a water heater, 20%
plumbing water use reduction, all new
construction must be "solar-ready."
Energy Codes Santa Monica Municipal Code Local Regulatory To reduce energy
use of Santa
Monica buildings
All new construction and substantial
remodels must exceed Title 24 by
10%, use solar as primary heating for
pools, insulate hot water pipes, use
the Green Materials list for 50% of
building square footage or 100% of
building fixtures, submit landscape
and irrigation plans for approval to
the city of Santa Monica, divert 65%
of construction and demolition waste
from the landfill, and capture and
treat rainwater.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
N/A
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning)
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-21
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE INTENT DESCRIPTION
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning) (cont.)
Solar Santa Monica Incentive To incentivize
renewable energy
installations
Permit fees waived for solar energy
systems.
Utility Programs
(Non-Municipal Utility)
Energy Upgrade California Rebate Remove barriers
to installing new
energy efficient
equipment
Provides financial incentives to
lenders to reduce interest rates on
residential energy retrofit loans.
Southern California Edison Electricity Rebate To remove
barriers to energy
efficient home
upgrades
Residential: Rebates vary for
qualifying equipment such as retiring
old refrigerator/freezers, ENERGY
STAR lighting, PV, solar thermal,
whole house fan, evaporative water
coolers, water heaters, clothes
washers and more.
Southern California Gas Company Rebate Residential customers can apply.
Includes rebates for water heaters,
tankless water heaters, clothes
washers, dishwashers, low-flow
showerheads, attic or wall insulation,
furnaces, and gravity wall furnaces.
Green Land Use Programs Cash for Grass Rebate To reduce water
used for irrigation
Rebate of $1.50/sf of grass converted
to climate-appropriate plants and/or
mulch.
Stormwater Parcel Fees Local Regulatory To encourage
reduction of
stormwater runoff
The city has two stormwater parcel
fees that are paid annually by all
property owners. These fees are
assessed through property taxes and
generate approximately $3.9 million a
year.
SoCal Water$mart Regional Water
Rebates
Rebate Rebates for residential and
commercial customers who install
high efficiency clothes washers,
toilets, and/or weather-based
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-22
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM
REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE INTENT DESCRIPTION
Statewide Programs California Center for Sustainable Energy Education To reduce energy
use in CA
Working with the Governor’s Office to
coordinate a statewide education and
outreach program.
Green Neighborhood
Development Programs
N/A
District Energy N/A
34 of 40
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-23
A.7 Arlington, Virginia
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements Arlington's Policy for Integrated Facility
Sustainability
Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
Arlington will fund, design, and
construct projects to achieve LEED
Silver. Applies to all county owned
and leased buildings.
LEED Incentives Green Building Fund Feebate To incentivize
developers to
achieve LEED
certification
Developers with special exceptions to
the Zoning Ordinance that do not
achieve LEED certification required to
contribute $.045/sf to the fund. Fund
is used to provided education and
outreach to developers on green
building issues. If achieve LEED in
the future, fee is refunded.
Local Green Building
Rating System
Green Home Choice Local Voluntary To promote green
building standards
Provides point-based scoring system,
guidance manual, and County-
sponsored plan review and
inspections toward certifications.
Green Building Codes 2009 International Codes Package (I
Codes)
Local Regulatory *State law does not allow local
governments to adopt building codes.
Arlington County pushing green
building through planning and zoning
process.
Energy Codes 2009 International Energy Conservation
Code (IECC)
Local Regulatory *State law does not allow local
governments to adopt building codes,
therefore, IECC is mandatory
statewide.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
Lighting Rebate Program Rebate To incentivize
energy efficient
upgrades
Offered to commercial customers for
certain lighting installations and
retrofits.
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning)
Green Density Building Incentive Incentive To incentivize
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-24
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
StormwaterWise Landscapes Program Incentive County residents and business owners
can get funding to install small-scale
practices to reduce stormwater run-
off from their property.
StormwaterWise Rebates Rebate Up to $500 for conservation
landscapes, up to $1500 for pavement
removal and replacement with
pervious, up to $1500 for pavement
removal (soil must be amended and
planted with native plants), up to
$1500 for rain gardens.
Complete Streets Local Voluntary Focuses on multimodal projects
integrated with adjacent community
uses. Program projects include
intersection or interchange
improvements, new street links, major
corridor reconstruction, and
neighborhood street improvements.
Walk Arlington/Bike Arlington Incentive To encourage
alternative
transportation
Makes physical enhancement to bike
and sidewalk/street infrastructure.
Water Conservation
Incentives
N/A
Water Conservation
Programs
N/A
Waste Reduction &
Recycling Programs
Waste-to-Energy Local Voluntary Help move
County towards
waste reduction
Waste is converted to electricity that
supplies power to 23,000 homes.
Education/Technical
Assistance
Green It Arlington! Education/Technical
Assistance
Workshops, native seed packets,
tours of water pollution plants, energy
scavenger hunts, etc.
Arlington Green Games Education/Technical
Assistance
Year-long competition for residents
and businesses to reduce costs while
reducing emissions incorporating
trainings, best practices, and
technical assistance.
Building Arlington Education/Technical
Assistance
Zoning and Planning website with
step-by-step direction through
common projects, easily searchable
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-25
Note: All programs are run by Arlington County as Virginia law does not allow any new municipalities within a
county that has a population density greater than 1,000 persons per square mile.
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Statewide Programs
(cont.)
EarthCraft House Virginia Education/Technical
Assistance
To advance
sustainable,
affordable,
resource and
energy efficient
construction
through
education and
technical support
Website with education/technical
assistance.
Green Neighborhood
Development
Neighborhood Conservation Funding Provides funding for a variety of
capital improvement projects
including installation of sidewalks,
curbs, gutters, streetlights, park
improvements, neighborhood art, and
beautification.
District Energy 2011 Task Force Recommendations Local Voluntary Establish district energy systems in
high-density areas such as Crystal
City, Pentagon City, Rosslyn,
Courthouse, Columbia Pike, and
Ballston/Virginia Square. Beginning
in 2015 these areas should migrate to
district energy for heating, cooling,
and hot water services.
37 of 40
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-26
A.8 St. Petersburg, Florida
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
LEED Requirements Green Building Requirements, per
Mayor's Executive Order
Local Regulatory To promote green
building standards
Mandates all new city owned and
occupied buildings meet LEED
standards; reconstruction on all
existing government buildings
exceeding 10,000 sf must meet LEED
Existing Building standards; all major
government facilities exceeding
20,000 sf must adopt energy
conservation measures. All City-
sponsored events must take place in
EPA certified "Green Lodging"
facilities. Leasing agreements for
office space must comply with
ENERGY STAR. City is required to
develop a prototype solar project for
City-owned office buildings.
LEED Incentives N/A
Local Green Building
Rating System
N/A
Green Building Codes Lighting Retrofit Requirements, per
Mayor's Executive Order
Local Regulatory All City facilities must convert all
incandescent lights to CFLs and all T-
12 ballast fluorescent lights to T-8.
Mayors' Green City Action Accord Local Regulatory Encourage Florida cities to meet the
goals and requirements of the "Florida
Green City Local Government
Standard," a rating system developed
by the Florida Green Building
Coalition, Inc.
Energy Codes Energy Audits Local Regulatory All city facilities required to perform
an energy audit.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
City of St. Petersburg Energy Efficiency
Program
Grant Promote energy
efficiency
Provides grants for assistance
amounts of $1 to $3,000, and non-
interest bearing, forgiven, or
amortized loans for assistance
amounts between $3,001 and $15,000
per household, to be used toward
home energy audits and energy
conservation improvements such as:
air conditioning tune-ups, duct repair,
insulation, weather stripping, and
window filming (Limited to residents
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-27
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning)
N/A
Utility Programs
(Progress Energy)
Commercial Sector Rebates for Energy
Efficiency Technology
Rebate Amount of rebates vary by technology
type. Maximum incentives:
HVAC: $75,000
Energy recovery/insulation: $15,000
Home Energy Check Audit and Rebate
Program
Rebate For single and multifamily residential.
Amount of rebates vary by technology
type. Maximum incentives:
Duct Test: $150
Duct Repair: $100 per unit
Cool Roof: $150
Wall Insulation: $300
Replacement Windows: $250
Window Films/Screens: $100
Sunsense Commercial PV Incentive
Program
Rebate Minimum system size: 2 kW and
rebates up to $130,000 per participant.
Sunsense Residential Solar Water Heat
Incentive Program
Rebate $550 credit on electric bill for
installation of SWH system; additional
$30-$60 credits for participating in
load control and pool pump programs.
EnergyWise Incentive Demand Side Management program
allowing Progress Energy to
temporarily reduce electrical
consumption during high power
demand. Savings of up to $145
annually.
Green Land Use Programs Vision 2020 Local Regulatory City overhauled land development
policies to promote higher density,
mixed-use, more urban development
patterns, and facilitate transit
supportive development.
Streetscaping/Tree Program Local Regulatory Local ordinance protects trees and
plants new trees along city rights-of-
way and interstates.
Mulch and Soil Builder Programs Local Voluntary Instead of sending yard waste to the
landfill, it is collected at five brush
sites located throughout the city and
recycled into useful products.
Water Conservation
Incentives
Ultra Low-Flow Toilet Rebate Program Rebate Up to $100 for replacing high-flow
GREEN BUILDING PEER CITY REPORT | Fort Collins, Colorado
ARCHITECTURAL ENERGY CORPORATION P a g e | A-28
PROGRAM TYPE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS/
INCENTIVE
INTENT DESCRIPTION
Waste Reduction &
Recycling Programs
(cont.)
City-run Recycling Drop Off Sites Local Voluntary City website provides map identifying
22 city-run and 130 private recycling
facilities.
Education/Technical
Assistance
Energy Efficiency Program Education/Technical
Assistance
Encourage energy
efficiency
upgrades
Website lists steps residents can take
towards increasing energy efficiency
at home or work.
State of Florida My Florida Green
Building Website
Education/Technical
Assistance
Website provides conservation tips,
rating system information, rebates,
incentives, and other resources.
Brownfield Redevelopment Bonus Tax Incentive Encourage
redevelopment
and job creation
within designated
brownfield areas
Tax refund of up to 20% of average
annual wage of new jobs created up
to maximum of $2,500 per new job
created. Brownfield map provided on
city website.
Energy Standards for Public Buildings State Regulatory Encourage energy
efficiency
upgrades
Departments may only enter into new
leasing agreements for office space if
the building meets new ENERGY STAR
standards.
Green Neighborhood
Development Programs
N/A
District Energy N/A
Statewide Programs
40 of 40
ATTACHMENT 5
Topic Code Code Citation Purpose of Code Summary of Code and/or Code Conflict AEC Recommendations
Streetscape Plan LCUASS* Appendix C, City of Fort Collins Streetscape
Design Standards and Guidelines; Section 4
Parkway Landscaping; and Section 6 Collector
and Local Streets
To set forth a
coordinated approach
to the design and
management of streets
as visually appealing
public spaces that
contribute to Fort
Collins' distinct identity.
Parkway landscaping (arterial street parkways ):
mowed, efficiently irrigated turf-type grass
required in parkways (cool season or warm
season allowed). Acceptable alternatives are
mulched planting beds.
(collector and local street parkways) : turf-type
grasses and mulched planting beds. 50% of the
area must be covered in live plant material in 3
years.
Turf-type grass required in parkways is highly
water-intensive. 50% requirement for live plant
material may conflict with projects pursuing
xeriscaping. Consider revising this requirement
and incorporating xeriscape principles. Mulched
planting beds are a better alternative, especially
if native, non-invasive plants are required.
LCUASS Appendix C, City of Fort Collins Streetscape
Design Standards and Guidelines; 5.2 Arterial
Streetscape Design
To reflect Fort Collins'
western regional
character.
Planting compositions in medians must include
varied plants, repeated groups, mulches and
borders and cover at least 75% of median in 5
years. Trees to be planted with open intervals in
between groupings. Difficult to fit all
requirements in space. Can be a maintenance
problem. Wastes water.
Consider revising planting composition
requirements to reduce required irrigation.
Sprinkler system audits and financial incentives
for reducing irrigation water use could also be
considered.
Municipal Code Chapter 24-42 Parkway maintenance: Owner of property
adjacent to the parkway shall maintain it
according to LCUASS and incorporate xeriscape
principles wherever appropriate.
Consider incentives for incorporating xeriscape
principles in parkway landscaping.
LCUASS Appendix C, City of Fort Collins Streetscape
Design Standards and Guidelines; Exhibit A: List
of Recommended Plants
List of recommended plants provided and those
with Colorado native status as determined by
USDA Plants Database are highlighted. More
Topic Code Code Citation Purpose of Code Summary of Code and/or Code Conflict AEC Recommendations
Fort Collins Code Conflict Assessment Table
Code Application to Multi-
family Projects
2009 IECC Residential: Chapter 4
Commercial: Chapter 5
Energy Codes as they relate to Residential and
Commercial projects. There may be places where
definitions or code applications are not
consistent
Continue to clearly define all project types so
that the application of codes to different projects
is less ambiguous. This could be an area where a
'code application' guide could be beneficial to
address how the codes apply to single family,
multi-family, and commercial.
2009 IBC 3604.1 Building Commissioning Verify that selected building systems have been
designed and function in accordance with
construction documents and code minimums.
Building commissioning and performance testing
difficult to do on some buildings and difficult to
verify.
See Performance Testing recommendations
below.
Code Application to Multi-
family Projects (cont.)
2009 IRC N1102.4.2.1 Performance Testing Blower Door test shall be done at a pressure of
fifty pascals and maximum whole building air
leakage rate shall not exceed three air changes
per hour (ACH) in buildings with electric heat and
four ACH in buildings without electric heat.
Blower testing not possible on all types of
buildings.
Multi-family residential projects may not fit the
mold for blower door tests as outlined in the
code. Consider reworking the application of this
standard for multi-family. For example, rather
than looking at the building envelope tightness,
one could look at just the tightness of each
particular unit with respect to everything else.
This 'compartmentalization spec' would be
similar to what is required in LEED for Homes Mid-
Rise. Or consider a formula where the number of
exterior walls are factored into the leakage rate.
Code Application to Other
Project Types (additions,
remodels, abandoned
buildings)
2009 IRC/IBC Sections 202 Definitions Amends definitions of dwelling, commissioning,
townhouse, low VOC materials. There is
ambiguity about how to apply code to additions,
remodels, and abandoned buildings. Conflicting
definitions in code. Difficult to verify.
Continue to clearly define all project types
(addition, remodel) and building types (condo,
townhome) so that the application of codes to
different projects is less ambiguous. This could
be an area where a 'code application' guide could
be beneficial to address how the codes apply to
these different types of projects. Multiple
Topic Code Code Citation Purpose of Code Summary of Code and/or Code Conflict AEC Recommendations
Fort Collins Code Conflict Assessment Table
Landscape Plan LUC 3.2.1 (D) Tree planting Standards To ensure significant
canopy shading to
reduce glare and heat
island effect; contribute
to visual quality of
development.
The language says 'All developments shall
establish …trees …in all landscape areas that are
located within 50 feet of any building or
structure in order to establish at least a partial
urban tree canopy.' Tree requirements can
prevent use of space for other sustainable
practices such as room for recycling and
composting, bioretention, etc.
Consider adding bird-safe requirements:
Placement of trees or tall shrubs should be
located directly adjacent to glazing (within 3 feet)
to slow birds down on approach, or placed far
enough away to avoid reflecting canopies in the
glazing. Other cities with bird-safe requirements
in their codes include San Francisco, Toronto,
Chicago, and the states of Michigan and
Minnesota.
Landscape Plan (cont.) LUC 3.2.1 Landscaping and Tree Protection; (E.)
Landscape Standards (3) Water Conservation
(a) Xeriscape landscaping principles
Municipal Code Article VII. Resource Conservation; Division 1
Generally; Section 12-120. Definitions
Infill Development LUC 3.7 Compact Urban Growth Standards To encourage
development in infill
areas.
Infill definition is 1/6th of boundary contiguous
to existing, improved infrastructure. Degree of
contiguity is not affected by publicly owned open
space or waterway between the proposed
development and existing urban development.
3.7.2 provides waiver/exceptions to meeting
contiguity requirements in order to promote
infilling of an area with existing urban
development. Effectiveness of these standards
may be offset by prescriptive requirements in
4.0. Doesn't encourage infill development to the
fullest.
Consider alternative compliance approaches or
other flexibility for infill sites similar to the
waiver/exception provisions of 3.7.2.
LCUASS Figure 19-6 Figure 19-6 shows minimum setback distances
from street curb to nearest parking space.
Minimum off-street parking setback is 50 feet for
collector and arterial roads. Setbacks difficult to
meet in infill areas. Alternative compliance or
modified code for infill areas would help.
This could be an area where a 'code application'
guide could be beneficial. This guide could
further explain how to address parking in infill
lots.
Stormwater Management LCUASS Chapter 7 - Street Design and Technical
Criteria, Drainage Systems, Sidewalk Culvert
Topic Code Code Citation Purpose of Code Summary of Code and/or Code Conflict AEC Recommendations
Fort Collins Code Conflict Assessment Table
Urban Storm
Drainage Criteria
Manual, adopted
with Fort Collins
Amendments
Chapter 1 Stormwater Management and
Planning 4.0 Four Step Process to Minimize
Adverse Impacts of Urbanization
Requires
comprehensive
planning and
management to reverse
adverse effects on
receiving waters.
Four Step Process for receiving water protection
includes: (1) reducing runoff volumes; (2)
treating the water quality capture volume
(WQCV); (3) stabilizing drainage ways; (4)
implementing long-term source controls.
Consider financial incentives for meeting
requirements of the four step process. For
example, rebates for reducing or treating runoff,
or implementing long-term source controls.
Parking LUC LUC 3.2.2 Access, Circulation, and Parking Ensure parking and
circulation aspects of all
developments are well
designed with regard to
safety, efficiency and
conveniences for cars,
bikes, pedestrians and
transit.
Requirements specify all open off-street parking
and vehicular use areas shall be surfaced with
asphalt, concrete, or other material. Minimum
parking requirements for residential and
maximum for commercial. Allows for shared
parking in some circumstances. Complaints and
concerns often drive parking. Banks will not loan
money with insufficient parking.
Consider areas where there might be an
opportunity for shared parking/shuttle services
(church parking lots after hours or during the
week, park and ride lots, etc.).
Parking (cont.) LUC 3.2.1 (E.) 4 &5) Parking Lot Landscaping Parking lot perimeter: 1 tree per 25 lineal ft.
(public street) and 1 per 40 ft. (parking setback
area) and screening required. Parking lot interior:
6% area with <100 spaces and 10% area with >
100 spaces shall be landscaped.
(f.) Detailed specifications concerning parking lot
surfacing material and parking lot drainage
detention are available from city engineer.
Increasing number of trees around the perimeter
and percent required in the interior could go a
long way in reducing heat island effect. Figure 1
does not show much shading of the asphalt.
LUC 3.2.2 Access, Circulation and Parking Ensure parking and
circulation aspects of all
developments are well
Topic Code Code Citation Purpose of Code Summary of Code and/or Code Conflict AEC Recommendations
Fort Collins Code Conflict Assessment Table
Light Pollution Control -
Street Lighting
LCUASS Chapter 15 - Street Lighting To illuminate roadways
for traveler (vehicle and
pedestrian safety).
15.2.2 Guidelines References the IES Lighting
Handbook, 5th Edition. The current edition is the
10th Edition. These lighting standards are
outdated.
15.9.1 refers to City of Fort Collins Light and
Power Utility's pamphlet "Electric Construction
Policies, Practices and Procedures."
15.2.2 Guidelines References the IES Lighting
Handbook, 5th Edition. The current Edition is the
10th Edition. These lighting standards are
outdated. Update Guidelines to reference the 9th
or 10th edition of the IES Lighting Handbook.
Waste Reduction Fort Collins
Amendments
(IBC) Chapter 36 Section 3602 Resource
Efficiency
(IRC) Section R324 Resource Efficiency
Construction Waste Management (CWM) plan is
required for new buildings, to include recycling of
concrete, wood, metals, and cardboard. Some
issues with compliance. Difficult to verify. No
requirements currently for existing buildings or
deconstruction.
Continue to push for verification of recycled
construction and demolition waste and
incorporating stronger language into the codes.
Collecting hauler receipts is a good way to verify
this.
Waste Reduction (cont.) LUC 3.2.5 Trash and Recycling Enclosures Ensure areas for trash
and recycling are
compatible with land
use.
Recycling required 'to the extent reasonably
feasible' for all new commercial/multifamily.
References "Trash and Recycling Enclosures -
Design Considerations." Other standards and
requirements (i.e. parking and other offsets) limit
the space available for recycling and composting.
The LUC language encourages recycling 'to the
extent feasible.' The requirement in Chapter 12
does not support this, as only cardboard must be
recycled per this code. Other materials, besides
recyclable cardboard, could be added to the
required recyclables.
Municipal Code Chapter 12 Health and Environment To protect the public by
regulating the
accumulation and
disposal of solid waste.
Required recycling is for cardboard only.
Electronic equipment is prohibited from trash
containers.
Consider incentives for increased recycling, zero
waste initiatives, etc.
Topic Code Code Citation Purpose of Code Summary of Code and/or Code Conflict AEC Recommendations
Fort Collins Code Conflict Assessment Table
Municipal Code Chapter 26, Article III: Water To define the water
utility of the City, set
forth the
responsibilities of users
and the utility; promote
public health, safety,
and welfare.
Sec 26-118: Tiered residential water rates and
seasonal commercial rates to encourage water
conservation. Division 6: Water Conservation:
Wasting water is prohibited. Complaints are
investigated and ticketing is possible. Water rates
can encourage some restaurants to continue use
of disposable dishes.
Fort Collins
Amendments to
IBC
3603.1.2 Residential buildings exempt from indoor air
flush-out. Flush out can be difficult in some
buildings. Owners are anxious to occupy
building. Not enough commissioning agents with
experience.
Consider requiring flush-outs on residential
buildings, as currently required for commercial
buildings, to ensure good indoor air quality for
building residents. Building time into the
construction schedule for the flush from the
beginning of the project should help with current
timing issues.
Fort Collins
Amendments to
IRC
R325.1 Requires construction materials and site applied
finishes meet VOC emissions limits of CA
Department of Public Health, GREENGUARD, and
Green Seal Standards. Documentation required
at inspection. Can be difficult to find materials
and to verify their use.
Costs and availability of these products are
becoming more mainstream as LEED
requirements continue to transform the market.
Requirements align with indoor air quality best
practices and should remain in place.
Energy Efficiency Fort Collins
Amendments to
IECC
101.4.3.1 Energy Assessment Required prior to any
alterations. Could consider Arch. 2030 or
EnergyStar or net zero requirements.
Consider incentives/requirements for meeting
Architecture 2030 standards, ENERGY STAR, or
other City-developed energy benchmarking
requirements.
Energy Efficiency (cont.) Fort Collins
Amendments to
IRC
N1103.3, M1401.3, Heating and Cooling
System Design and M1309, Heating and
1
Green Building Roadmap Update
City Council Work Session
Oct. 22, 2013
ATTACHMENT 6
2
General Direction Sought
Does the Council have feedback on the update
and direction for future implementation and
enhancement of the Green Building Program?
3
Green Building Defined
Principles and strategies that reduce impacts from the
built environment on human health and the natural
environment
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Improve energy efficiency
• Conserve water
• Reduce use and minimize waste
• Improve air quality
• Use resource efficient materials
• Restorative and regenerative
4
Green Building Program Scope
The integration of the entire built environment
including the building, site, and neighborhood
5
Green Building Program
Background
2004 Action Plan for Sustainability
2006 Resolution to adopt LEED Gold for city buildings
2007 Roadmap to Green Building
2009 Green Building Framework
2011 Building Code Green Amendments
2013 BFO item – Green Building Future
6
2007 Roadmap Update
• 2007 Roadmap identified:
– 4 areas of action
– 28 recommended tasks
– 45 programs and services
• 2013 Update tasks included:
– Progress report and initiatives list
– Peer city review
– Code review
7
Task I
2007 Roadmap Progress Report
Task completed within timeframe or ongoing with
adequate support and resources
Some progress made but not meeting time-
frame or lacks support or resources
Little or no progress made since the roadmap
Areas for immediate focus:
web resources-streamlined processes-internal capacity
8
Task 1
2007 Roadmap Progress Report
Most significant accomplishment is adoption of
Building Code Green Amendments – Mar. 2011
Building envelope Building commissioning
Water efficient fixtures Low VOC materials
Building flush-out Windows, doors
Construction waste recycling Outdoor lighting
Certified tropical hardwoods HVAC design
9
Task 1
2007 Roadmap Progress Report
• Highlights from City Programs and Initiatives
– ClimateWise
– Planned Development Overlay District
– Midtown Plan
– Integrated Design Assistance Program (IDAP)
– Business and Home Efficiency Programs
– Low Impact Development
10
Task 2
Benchmarking to Peer Cities
Peer City Review compared 7 cities to Fort Collins:
• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington
• Austin, Texas
• Boulder, Colorado
• Santa Monica, California
• Arlington, Virginia
• St. Petersburg, Florida
11
Task 2
Benchmarking to Peer Cities
Peer City Review recommendations:
Creation of an interdepartmental green building
team and web resources
“Green neighborhoods” development programs
Improvements to Building Energy programs
Initiate “Feebates”
Incentives for stormwater management
12
Task 3
Code Conflict Assessment
Code Conflict Review Results
• Infill Development
• Stormwater Management
• Code Implementation
• Landscaping Standards
13
Green Building Program Vision
The City’s Green Building Program seeks to create a
built environment that promotes health, productivity,
and sustainability
• Health – reduced symptoms, ER visits, obesity, increased
quality of life
• Productivity – fewer sick days, more collaboration, green
jobs, services, investments
• Sustainability – carbon footprint, energy efficiency,
restorative, pollution prevention
14
Elements of a Comprehensive
Green Building Program
• Green building benefits are relied on to achieve
goals of other City plans and policies
• Code, incentives, permitting, long range planning,
partnerships, education
• Expanded scope beyond building code that
includes building, site, neighborhood
15
Elements of a Comprehensive
Green Building Program
• The “Green” Building
– Energy efficient design
– “Living building” (net zero, biomimicry)
– Construction waste re-use and recycling
– Green roofs, vertical gardens
– Low impact materials
– Regenerative systems
16
Elements of a Comprehensive
Green Building Program
• The “Green” Site
– Infill development preferred over greenfield
– Space for water treatment, recycling, composting,
renewable energy
– Stormwater infiltration structures, pervious surfaces
– Orientation
– Urban agriculture
17
Elements of a Comprehensive
Green Building Program
• The “Green” Neighborhood and Community
– public space for leisure, food production, shared
renewable energy
– multi-modal – bike, walk, E-vehicles, car-share
– access to shopping, recreation, work
– eco and energy districts
– access to transit
– Green streets
18
Opportunities for Program
Enhancements
The following enhancements should be considered
as elements of the City’s Green Building Program
1. Build internal capacity
2. Incentivize building retrofits and encourage
smart growth strategies
19
Opportunities for Program
Enhancements
3. Develop Code Guidance and Tools for
Green Building
4. Develop Financial and Voluntary Incentives
20
Opportunities for Program
Enhancements
5. Municipal and Land Use Code Revisions
6. Evaluate program overlaps and conflicts.
Consolidate and coordinate efforts
21
Next Steps
• Convene interdisciplinary Green Building
Program Team
• Finalize Roadmap Update report
• Investigate the 6 opportunities identified above.
High priority given to enhancing internal capacity
• A budget offer may be developed for 2015/2016
22
General Direction Sought
Does the Council have feedback on the update
and direction for future implementation and
enhancement of the Green Building Program?
23
Thank You to the following individuals for their
assistance with this project:
Peter Barnes PDT‐Zoning
Katy Bigner Environmental Services
Megan Bolin Economic Development
Kathy Collier Utilities
Laurie D'Audney Utilities‐Water
Kim Devoe Utilities‐Energy
Lindsay Ex PDT‐Planning
Mike Gebo PDT‐Building Services
Susie Gordon Environmental Services
Basil Hamdan Utilities‐Stormwater
Jennifer Harvey Operation Services
Aaron Iverson Transportation
Mark Jackson PDT‐Transportation
Laurie Kadrich PDT‐Planning
Seonah Kendall Economic Development
Tom Leeson Economic Development
Brad Massey Aller, Lingle, Massey
Rob Moseby PDT‐Engineering
John Phelan Utilities
Bonnie Pierce Environmental Services
Stu Reeves Operations Services
Rick Richter PDT‐Engineering
Rosemarie Russo Environmental Services
Gary Schroeder Utilities‐Energy
Lucinda Smith Environmental Services
Doug Swatrz Utilities
Brian Varella Utilities‐Flood Plain
Carol Webb Utilities‐RGA
Brian Woodruff Environmental Services
Cooling System Testing
Submittal requirements have become very large
and audits can delay review of project submittals.
Contractors do not understand what inspectors
are looking for.
Consider ways to streamline building energy
audit process, reducing paperwork, and making
standards more clear and attainable.
LUC 3.4.7 Historic and Cultural Resources Ensure proposed
development and new
construction do not
adversely affect the
integrity of the historic
property and respects
the historic character of
the site and
surrounding
Original details contributing to the historical
significance of the structure/neighborhood shall
be conserved to the extent possible. Refers to
Chapter 14 of Municipal code for definition of
historic designation. Historic defined as 50 years
but is this really historic. Difficulty complying
with window and other energy efficiency
requirements.
This could be an area where a 'code application'
guide could be beneficial. This guide could
further explain how to specifically address energy
efficiency in historic properties.
Code Abbreviation Key
*LCUASS - Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards ***LUC - Land Use Code
IECC - International Energy Conservation Code IBC - International Building Code IRC - International Residential Code
Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs)
Consider additional incentives to promote water
use reduction such as commercial facility
assessments (similar to those performed for
ClimateWise partners), toilet free-bates, high
efficiency showerhead free-bates, free water
audits for commercial customers, similar to those
currently offered for residential customers.
Page 6 of 6
Wetlands Volume 3 - Urban
Storm Drainage
Criteria Manual,
adopted with Fort
Collins
Amendments
Best Management Practices for providing a water
quality capture volume with slow release.
Constructed wetlands are allowed. Public can be
concerned with wetlands creation and retention
ponds due to potential West Nile Virus
implications
Continue developing constructed wetlands as
feasible for stormwater management. Urban
Drainage and Flood Control District provides
technical resources on stormwater best
management practices for mosquitos and West
Nile Virus
(http://www.udfcd.org/downloads/down_sw_b
mp.htm).
Potable Water Use Fort Collins
Amendments to
IRC
Section P2903.2 Maximum flow rates and
Consumption for plumbing fixtures and fixture
settings
Lav - 1.5 gpm
Showerhead - 2.0 gpm
Sink faucet - 1.8 gpm
WC - 1.28 gpf
and EPA WatersSense labeled
Potable Water Use (cont.) Fort Collins
Amendments to
IRC
Section 604.4 Maximum Fixture and Fitting
Flow Rates for Reduced Water Consumption
Lav (private)- 1.5 gpm
Lav (public metering) - 0.25 gallons per metering
cycle
Lav (public non-metering) 0.5gpm
Showerhead - 2.0 gpm
Sink faucet - 1.8 gpm
WC - 1.28 gpf
Urinal - 0.5 gpf
and EPA WatersSense labeled
Consider additional incentives to promote water
use reduction such as commercial facility
assessments (similar to those performed for
ClimateWise partners), toilet free-bates, high
efficiency showerhead free-bates, free water
audits for commercial customers, similar to those
currently offered for residential customers.
Page 5 of 6
designed with regard to
safety, efficiency, and
conveniences for cars,
bikes, pedestrians and
transit.
(c.) Pavement. All open off-street parking and
vehicular use areas shall be surfaced with
asphalt, concrete, or other material in
conformance with city specifications. Code
discourages expanded use of pervious surfaces,
but some projects are being allowed.
Asphalt and concrete do not permit water
infiltration. Continue to consider pervious
materials where possible to increase water
filtration.
LCUASS Chapter 19 Parking Standards for minimum off-street parking
setback distances (Figure 19-6) and required
parking area dimensions (Figure 19-7). Council
adopted interim parking stds. Within the TOD for
one year while parking issues are reviewed.
Parking vs. transit or other mobility is an issue in
higher density areas.
Light Pollution Control - Site
Lighting
LUC 3.2.4 Site Lighting To protect natural areas
from light intrusion,
enhance neighborhood
continuity and
connectivity, and foster
non-vehicular access.
References IES Lighting Handbook for minimum
footcandles for site lighting . References an
Alternative Compliance where alternative lighting
plans may be submitted. Code is outdated and
not focused on energy efficiency. Code should
be updated to align with energy eff. and night sky
pollution issues.
Consider revising code language to align better
with energy savings and night sky pollution
requirements by updating code to reference the
9th or 10th edition of the IES Lighting Handbook.
Fort Collins
Amendments to
IRC
Section R326 - Outdoor Environmental Quality All exterior lighting fixtures (new construction)
shall have the "Fixture Seal of Approval" from the
International Dark-Sky Association or meet
equivalent criteria. Requirements are unclear.
May interfere with security lighting.
Update Guidelines to reference the 9th or 10th
edition of the IES Lighting Handbook.
Page 4 of 6
Chases
Criteria for street layouts, classifications, and
purposes; minimum design criteria that must be
met. Vertical Curb and Gutter required per Table
7-1. Many of the requirements are in conflict
with Stormwater Criteria Manual and discourage
use of pervious surfaces and bioretention.
See also 'Street Widths' and 'Parking Lots.'
Allowing streets to drain into swales would help
infiltration. If this is deemed feasible, consider
how runoff from salted roads would be treated.
Promote water
conservation.
Reconcile these 7 principles to include same
language in both documents. Most
stringent/descriptive language should prevail. For
example LUC (3) low-water using plants doesn't
map directly to a principle in the Municipal code
and language should be aligned. LUC (6) Mulch
recommends adding mulch to planting beds to a
minimum depth of three inches, the municipal
code language does not mention minimum depth
recommendations.
Lists (7) Principles for Xeriscape in each of the
two codes, however these differ in language and
stringency between the two.
Page 3 of 6
definitions (for example, 'abandoned') should be
reconciled and made consistent across all codes.
Page 2 of 6
than half of the recommended plants are not
Colorado native. Two recommended
groundcovers (Euonymus and Fleece flower) are
considered invasive.
Consider revising this list to recommend more
non-invasive, Colorado native, or adaptive plant
species. This list could also be expanded to
include "banned" plant species, as in Portland's
Native and Banned plant list.
Streetscape Plan (cont.) Municipal Code Chapter 24, III. Streets No mention of street widths in this section of
Municipal Code. Narrower streets may be more
sustainable but city depts., PFA, developer, and
neighbors have to be involved and on board.
One past project has created opposition to this
concept.
When considering narrower streets, consider and
include all stakeholders in the
discussions/decisions.
LUC 3.6.2 Streets, Streetscapes, Alleys and
Easements
Refers to LCUASS for street widths so no conflict
in terms of required widths.
LCUASS Chapter 7: Street Design and Technical Criteria Table 7-1 lists widths for various street
classifications. Stormwater Criteria Manual
encourages less impervious surface, more
infiltration. LCUASS require road widths that
inhibit these practices
Revisit current roadway width standards as
outlined in Table 7-1 to determine if these may
be reduced in certain cases.
Fort Collins Code Conflict Assessment Table
Page 1 of 6
toilets.
Water Restrictions Rebate Gives Incentives for conservation/less
use. Watering restricted to twice
weekly.
Inverted Rate Structure and Informative
Billing
Local Regulatory As customer uses more water, rates
get higher. Utility bills graph
consumption and compare to previous
year.
Restaurant Spray Valve Replacement
Program
Incentive Food service providers can receive a
free water efficient pre-rinse spray
valve.
Water Conservation
Programs
St. Petersburg's Water Reclamation
System
Local Voluntary To promote water
use reduction
Provides more than 37 million gallons
per day to over 10,600 customers
primarily for lawn irrigation.
Waste Reduction &
Recycling Programs
Pinellas County Resource Recovery Plant Local Voluntary Waste to energy plant providing
electricity for approximately 45,000
homes (or 85% of all garbage
collected in St. Petersburg).
To promote water
use reduction
To promote water
use reduction
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in the Bartlett Park neighborhood).
Permit Rebates for LEED projects Rebate To incentivize
green building by
reducing permit
fees
Partial permit fee refund of $1000
($2500 if on vacant land over one acre
and follow LEED standards. $300 for
residential).
St. Augusne Turf Reducon Rebate Commercial and residential permit
applications eligible for partial refund
of permit fees if plan does not include
St. Augustine turf ($150 residential,
$300 commercial and multifamily).
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: First City designated a "Green City" by the Florida Green Building Coalition. Inverted rate structure for
water and turf restrictions and partial permit fee refunds in city code.
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: http://www.stpete.org/green/green_building/index.asp
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): *Florida State CAP only. Goals are to meet 20% of electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020, join a regional
cap and trade system, reduce ghg 34% by 2025.
POPULATION: 246,541
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: Green St. Petersburg
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN BUILDING TEAM: N/A
38 of 40
resources, answers to common
questions, and a glossary of terms to
aid in project completion.
Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy
(AIRE)
Education/Technical
Assistance
To help
community make
smart decisions
about energy
Workshops, website with information
about rethinking energy. Has a green
building link.
Statewide Programs Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP) Rebate Rebates for LED light bulbs. Up to
$500 for upgrading HVAC in Arlington
(residential). Website has tips for
energy efficiency, provides energy
audits for home owners and
commercial buildings. Helps
homeowners achieve Home
Performance with ENERGY STAR
ratings.
Green Land Use Programs
(cont.)
To reduce
stormwater runoff
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LEED certified
projects
Density and Height bonuses for LEED
certified projects:
LEED Certified projects eligible for
bonus of 0.05 floor area ratio (FAR)
for offices (0.10 FAR for residential).
LEED Silver can be eligible for up to
0.15 FAR (residential 0.20 FAR).
LEED Gold can be considered for 0.35
FAR (Offices) (residential 0.40 FAR).
LEED Platinum: offices 0.45 FAR
(residential 0.50 FAR).
Utility Programs N/A
Green Land Use Programs StormwaterWise and Green Home
Choice Funds
Incentive To promote
design that is
energy and
resource
efficient,
sustainable, and
provide a healthy
living environment
Funds available for certain Green
Home Choice projects incorporating
cisterns (maximum rebate of $500
based on 50% of installation costs) or
green roofs (maximum rebate of
$1500 or $3000 if applicant signs
maintenance agreement with the
county).
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: http://freshaireva.us/2012/04/green-building-2/
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: Green Density Building Incentives for LEED certified projects and incentives for developers achieving
LEED certification. Developers that don't achieve LEED are required to pay a fee into the Green Building fund for use in providing developers with green
building education and outreach.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN BUILDING TEAM: N/A
POPULATION: 221,045
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: N/A
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): Arlington's Community Energy Plan sets target reduction of ghg emissions to 3.0 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per
resident per year by 2050.
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irrigation controllers.
Sprinkler Rebates Rebate Up to $3000 for existing drip irrigation
installations for buildings/homes.
Waste Reduction &
Recycling Programs
Construction and Demolition Waste
Program
Local Regulatory To reduce the
environmental
impact of the
construction
process
Projects are required to divert 70% of
construction and demolition waste
from the landfill, per local code.
Education/Technical
Assistance
Green Building Design and Construction
Guidelines
Education/Technical
Assistance
To reduce life-
cycle
environmental
impacts
Publication highlighting required and
recommended green building
practices.
Residential Green Building Guide Education/Technical
Assistance
To reduce life-
cycle
environmental
impacts
associated with
the construction
and operation of
residential
projects
Publication designed to assist new
construction or remodeling for
residential dwellings.
Green Affordable Housing Checklist Education/Technical
Assistance
Encourages
developers to
incorporate green
practices
wherever possible
Green building practices checklist for
affordable housing.
Water Conservation
Incentives
To reduce water
use
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Priority Permitting for CA Title 24 Incentive To reduce
barriers to green
building
Developers who exceed the minimum
standards of CA's Energy Code (Title
24) are eligible. Expedited plan
review, 50% reduction in the energy
plan check fee, free consultation and
design assistance, special recognition
from the County of Santa Barbara, use
of Innovative Building Program logo
for marketing.
Priority Permitting for LEED Incentive To reduce
barriers to green
building
All new buildings and major
renovations registered for LEED
certification are eligible.
POPULATION: 91,812
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: Sustainable City Plan
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): 15X15 Plan includes 15 measures to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions 15% below 1990 levels by 2015.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN BUILDING TEAM: N/A
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: The City calculates its citywide Ecological Footprint and is working towards a downward trend.
To reduce energy
use of Santa
Monica buildings
and homes
32 of 40
by the City to mitigate long-term
prevention or suppression of pest
problems (including weeds) on city
lands.
Water Conservation
Incentives
City of Boulder Water Conservation
Program
Rebates/Education/
Technical Assistance
Toilet free-bates, discounted drip kit
and timers, free xeriscape seminars
and discounts, forest to faucet bus
tour.
CRC Slow the Flow Rebate Water Audits for residential
customers. Commercial irrigation
audits are eligible for rebate when
done by certified irrigation auditor.
Rebates for SMART controllers Rebate Eligible controllers must be Smart
Water Application Technology (SWAT)
approved and must be on the SWAT
approval list.
Waste Reductions &
Recycling Programs
Green Points Program Local Regulatory Requires recycling of construction
waste.
2013 Zero Waste Master Plan Local Regulatory City collects trash tax to fund
programs to encourage/incentivize
businesses to reduce waste.
Boulder Brought It Local Regulatory 10¢ disposable bag fee tax and
money back from participating
grocers, coffee shops for bringing
bags and mugs.
To reduce water
use
To reduce solid
waste
To help the City
meet CAP goals
Utility Programs
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range of energy efficiency and
renewable energy upgrades including
insulation, air sealing, heating,
cooling, water heating, windows, and
solar PV.
To incentivize
energy efficiency
home upgrades
POPULATION: 101,808
To reduce energy
consumption and
achieve city's
CAP goals
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: N/A
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): Boulder's Climate Action Plan's goal to meet Kyoto Protocol target by 2012 was not met.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN BUILDING TEAM: N/A
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: Voters passed nation's first Climate Action Plan Tax. City works with various agencies to provide free
energy, water, and waste audits to residents.
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: https://bouldercolorado.gov/environment
29 of 40
for multifamily projects if they
received direct electric service from
Austin Electric utility.
Incentives - Financial
(Loans, Grants, Rebates)
See Utility Programs
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning)
N/A
Utility Programs
(Municipal Utility - Austin
Energy)
Commercial/Multifamily PV Incentive
Program
Rebate To incentivize use
of renewables
Payment over a 10-year period for
each kilowatt-hour of electricity
produced by solar photovoltaic (PV)
systems.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN TEAM: City Climate Action Team
POPULATION: 842,592
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: Austin Energy Green Building Annual Report
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): Austin Climate Protection Plan has a goal of 700 megawatts of energy efficiency savings by 2020, meeting 30% of all
energy needs through renewables by 2020, a CO2 cap and reductions for existing utility emissions.
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: Texas Department of Transportation has design standards for welcoming homeless bats and the city
tracks Congress Avenue Bridge bats' annual insect consumption in their diverted waste totals. Green Alleys program encourages graffiti as artwork in
some sections of town.
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: https://my.austinenergy.com/wps/portal/aegb/
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builders, and owners the technical
specifications and information they
need to qualify for Built Smart
incentives.
Home Resource Profile Education Homeowners receive a detailed,
customized report showing how
household uses energy, water, and
solid waste through online survey.
SeaGreen Affordable Housing Guide and
Green Unit Turn
Education Protect and
enhance Seattle’s
affordable
housing stock
and the
community as a
whole
Promotes energy conservation,
operational savings, and sustainable
building practices in affordable
multifamily housing. Strategies
include: work to reduce operating
costs, promote healthy environments,
and protect and conserve resources in
city funded affordable housing
projects.
Statewide Programs N/A
To incentivize
water use
reduction
Waste Reduction &
Recycling
To promote water
use reduction
To reduce
stormwater flow
23 of 40
Seattle Energy Code.
Seattle City Light Built Smart Rebate/Technical
Assistance
Rebates for projects that exceed state
building code's highest energy
efficiency levels.
Resource Venture Education/Technical
Assistance
Seattle Public Utilities provides free
education and resources for waste
prevention, recycling, spill
management, water conservation,
green building, designing to LEED
standards, etc.
Green Seattle Partnership Education/Technical
Assistance
To preserve trees
and parklands
Partnership between the City and the
Cascade Land Conservancy and
volunteers actively working together
to restore and maintain Seattle’s
forested parklands.
Seattle’s Urban Forest Management Plan Education/Technical
Assistance
To preserve trees
and parklands
A long term vision for increasing tree
canopy cover.
Seattle Green Factor Local Regulatory To preserve trees
and parklands
Score-based code requiring projects to
meet the Seattle Green Factor. Must
reach a minimum score established by
zoning and choose from a “menu” of
landscape credits for various features
including green roofs, rain gardens,
vegetated walls, and trees and
shrubs. Bonus credits available for
planting along the sidewalk, using
native plants, or creating a food
garden.
Stormwater Rebates Rebate To reduce
stormwater flow
Provides credits against drainage fees
to those that reduce stormwater flow.
Green Land Use Programs
Utility Programs
(Municipal Utility -
Seattle City Light)
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offered access to low-interest
financing for energy upgrade projects.
Community Power Works Loan Program Loan Offers loans and rebates for eligible
energy efficiency improvements to
homes and businesses.
Built Green Incentives Grant Incentivize green
building
Funding for residential remodel
projects to assist with innovative
green projects.
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority Permitting/
Zoning)
Priority Green Expedited/Priority Green
Facilitated
Expedited/Relaxed/
Permitting
Incentivize green
building
Priority Green Expedited: shortens
review times for residential and
commercial projects that meet green
building standards.
Priority Green Facilitated: priority
review and processing for master use
permits meeting green building
standards.
Innovation Advisory Committee
Living Building & Seattle Deep Green
Pilot: departures from land use codes.
POPULATION: 634,535
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): Seattle Climate Action Plan goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, reduce building energy emissions by 39% by
2030, reduce ghg emissions 58% by 2030 and includes strategies identifying how to reduce greenhouse gases in the transportation, building energy,
and waste sectors.
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: Toward a Sustainable Seattle is a 20 year vision and roadmap guiding city decisions and incorporating environmental
stewardship, community, economic opportunity, and social equity.
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: Provides incentives to projects committing to LEED; created a District Energy Interdepartmental Team in
the Office of Sustainability.
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/greenbuilding/
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN TEAM: City Green Building is the city's consolidated green building program working to make green building standard
practice.
21 of 40
housing
•preserve wildlife, marine and
recreational areas
•improve public safety
•enhance neighborhood appearance
•improve viability of commercial
areas
•provide programs and training
benefitting youth and elderly
•create long-term improvements for
neighborhood livability.
Nature in Neighborhoods Capital Grants Grant Involve
community,
foster diverse
partnerships,
innovate leading
to jobs, economic
development,
livable
neighborhoods,
and clean air
Projects must either purchase land or
make improvements to public property
that result in a capital asset with a
life of at least 20 years and a total
value of at least $50,000.
Community Watershed Stewardship
Program (CWSP)
Grant Improve the
health of
Portland's
watershed
$10,000 for community gardens,
replacing pavement with native
plants, environmental education and
art programs, adding trees to
neighborhood, schools, church, etc.
Mini-grants available to community
groups and some private landowners
throughout the year.
19 of 40
Sustainability (BPS) Construction and
Demolition Debris
Local Regulatory All building projects must meet
requirements to maximize reuse and
recycling of debris generated by
construction and demolition activities
and complete and return Construction
and Demolition Debris Management
Form within one week of permit
application for all building projects
valued at $50,000 or more.
Education/Technical
Assistance
Green Building 411 Education/Technical
Assistance
Free technical assistance and
information about green building
resources, local programs, and
incentives.
Kilowatt Crackdown Competition Education/Technical
Assistance
Technical support and data review to
track performance with ENERGY STAR.
Provides building owners and tenants
assistance in benchmarking energy
use, analyzing opportunities for
savings, and identifying action items
to improve building performance.
City of Portland Office of Sustainable
Development Tenant Improvement
Guide
Education/Technical
Assistance
Help create more
sustainable
workplaces
City publication that provides ideas
and strategies for building owners to
help save energy, improve comfort,
minimize waste, and reduce carbon
footprint.
Statewide Programs Oregon DOE Business Tax Credit Tax Credit Incentivize
businesses to
install renewable
energy systems
Tax credits up to 50% of project cost.
State of Oregon Tax Credits Tax Credit Tax credits apply to: Residential
(HVAC, water heaters, wood/pellet
stoves, solar/wind systems, fuel cells).
Business (commercial, agricultural
and industrial sectors, renewable
energy grants, transportation)
Homebuilders (who construct an
Oregon High Performance Home
eligible for up to $12,000)
Green Land Use Programs
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signage to purchase of new windows
and awnings. Up to $20,000 per
building for exterior improvements.
Clean Energy Works Oregon Program Loan Remove barriers
to installing
home energy
efficiency
measures
Program piloted in Portland and in
2010 got $20M funding from DOE to
expand across Oregon. Provides
financial assistance for home energy
efficiency upgrades.
City of Portland Environmental Services
% for Green
Financing Manage
stormwater,
enhance livability
Funding provided for construction of
green street facilities in the City of
Portland that manage stormwater,
enhance livability, and provide other
environmental benefits.
City of Portland Environmental Services
Treebate
Rebate Incentivize tree
planting at
Portland
residences
Seasonal program available annually
from the early fall through April 30th,
coinciding with the best time of the
year to plant.
City of Portland Environmental Services
Clean River Rewards
Discount Help protect
rivers, streams,
groundwater from
damaging effects
of stormwater
runoff
If stormwater is managed on property,
up to a 100% discount on on-site
stormwater management charges.
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/zoning)
Bureau of Development Services (BDS)
Electronic Solar Permitting Standards
Expedited Permitting Incentivize solar
energy
installations
Electronic permitting process for
residential solar energy installations
and cap on permit fees.
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Portland over the next 30 years.
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): Climate Action Plan 2030 seeks to reduce total energy use of buildings built before 2010 by 25%. Achieve net zero ghg
emissions in all new buildings and homes. 10% total energy used in Multnomah County from onsite renewables and/or clean district energy.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN BUILDING TEAM: Green Building Advisory Team (GBAT) - Each bureau responsible for incorporation of green building policy
into capital improvements, purchasing practices, and training staff. Staff from each bureau will be available when requested to advise city project teams on
policy implementation. Includes Bureaus of Water, Management and Finance, Environmental Services, Transportation, Planning and Sustainability, Housing,
and the Portland Development Commission.
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: Green Building Feebates program which charges a fee for buildings that merely meet state energy codes and
rebates for LEED and other performance requirements to incentivize going beyond the codes. Many programs incentivizing green neighborhood
development such as grants for Nature in Neighborhoods and Community Watershed.
Green Building Codes
16 of 40
15 of 40
water. Complaints are investigated
and ticketing is possible.
Waste Reduction &
Recycling Programs
Pay as You Throw Local Voluntary To encourage
solid waste
reduction
Cost to residential customers for trash
hauling.
Zero Waste Fort Collins Local Regulatory To encourage
solid waste
reduction
Program is in early stages of
assessing whether 90% diversion goal
is achievable in Fort Collins.
Refrigerator/Freezer Recycling Rebates To encourage
recycling
$35 rebate per piece of equipment
recycled.
Education/Technical
Assistance
Adult and Youth Education Programs Education Engages children and adults with
energy and water education in
schools and the community.
Residential Environmental Program
Series
Education Provides free green building
workshops, contractor training,
xeriscaping garden tours, composting,
irrigation, and landscaping training to
local residents.
BizEd program series Education Recognize green
building
innovation and
success
Sustainability program for businesses
that recognizes success in green
building. Currently 300 members.
ClimateWise Education/Technical
Assistance
Recognize green
building
innovation and
success
Business outreach program that
encourages waste reduction, energy
efficiency, water conservation, and
transportation reduction.
To educate city
residents about
the benefits of
green building
and how to
incorporate green
building
strategies
To encourage
water
conservation
To encourage
water
conservation
14 of 40
Rebates for replacing inefficient
lighting with high efficiency
technology.
PDOD pilot project Incentive Flexible zoning
tool to encourage
infill development
Flexible application of development
standards for complex projects.
Urban Design Awards Education Recognize green
building
innovation and
success
The City hosts an annual design
program in which one category is
"Green Design."
Utility Programs
(Municipal Utility - Fort
Collins Utilities)
Home Efficiency Program Rebate/Education Help reduce
community's
water and energy
use
Low-cost energy and water audits,
advisor services, approved contractor
lists and rebates.
Incentives - Non-Financial
(Recognition, Rewards,
Priority permitting/
zoning)
POPULATION: 148,612
INTERESTING GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS: Green streets initiative pilot program; City Plan that encourages mixed use activity centers, higher
density close to downtown, and alternative transportation reducing car trips.
CITY WEBSITE ACCESS TO GREEN BUILDING RESOURCES: http://www.fcgov.com/greenbuilding/
GREEN BUILDING ROADMAP: City of Fort Collins Roadmap for Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN (CAP): Reduce 20% by 2020 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050
INTERDEPARTMENTAL GREEN BUILDING TEAM: Green Building Program Team *not an interdepartmental team
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x x x x x x x x x x x
Extensive project will improve in-river and bankside recreation, habitat
connectivity through restoration and rehabilitation, bank protection,
stormwater/floodplain management, water quality, public safety and
access, and transportation in and adjacent to the Poudre River.
AIR QUALITY
Radon - Code x x x x
Sellers must provide info to buyers, radon resistant construction required
on all new homes since 2006.
Radon Awareness x x x x x Radon awareness and action including test kits and education.
Air Quality Loan Program x x x x
Low cost, no interest loans for radon mitigation, mold removal, and
woodstove replacement.
Page 7 of 8
Requires preparation of landscape and tree protection plans for shading to
reduce glare and heat build up.
Land Use Code - Parking Standards x x Parking lot minimum and maximum parking requirements
Land Use Code - Lighting x x x x Requirements for site lighting.
Land Use Code - Buffers x x x Requirements for buffering between incompatible uses and activities.
Land Use Code - Pedestrian Connectivity x x x x
Landscape plans must include information about enhancing the pedestrian
environment.
Land Use Code - Proximity to Neighborhood Center
x x x x x x
Neighborhood centers shall be in close proximity to residential
developments in order to meet the needs of everyday living in
neighborhoods.
Land Use Code - Preliminary Design Review x x
An in-depth opportunity for developers to work collaboratively with City
departments to solve problems relating to complex developments.
Page 6 of 8
Lincoln Corridor
x x x x
Modifying Lincoln to accommodate increased industrial traffic and some
adjacent neighborhood projects. Now includes Woodward.
Northern Front Range Transit Vision Study x x x
Explores feasibility of a combined transit authority for Fort Collins,
Loveland, Berthoud.
Green Streets Demonstration Project x x x x x x x
Demonstration project to test prioritizing bike/ped traffic, stormwater,
Low Impact Development, and renovation of existing streets.
Page 5 of 8
Residential and Commercial Yard Waste Collection
x x x x x x x x x x x
The City helps promote several privately operated drop-off locations for
yard waste and leaves. Ongoing research concerning alternative waste
diversion efforts.
Commercial Food Waste Collection
x x x x x x x x x x x
The City helps promote several privately operated food waste collection
service providers. Ongoing research concerning alternative waste
diversion efforts.
Integrated Recycling Facility x x x x x x x x x New City facility to accept materials for diversion from landfill.
City Food Composting Project
x x x x x x x x x x
Earth Tubs for demonstration project for the City's organic waste and two
ClimateWise restaurant partners. The City piloted two curb-side waste
collection projects.
Page 4 of 8
WaterSHED/Dr. Water WISE x x x x Provides scientific, hands-on water conservation activities to local schools.
Evapotranspiration Measurements x x Parks measures evapotranspiration to conserve water.
Xeriscaping Outreach, Education, & Demonstration
Gardens
x x x
Education and demonstration programs on landscaping techniques to
conserve water.
Water Conservation Plan x x x
Goal for the conservation program of reducing water use to 140 gallons
per capita per day by 2020.
Water Supply and Demand Management Policy x x x
Provides a foundational framework for water supply and demand
management decisions concerning the City's water supply system.
Commercial & Residential Restroom Rebates x x x x x Rebate for toilet and urinal replacement to WaterSense.
Commercial & Residential Sprinkler Equipment Rebate x x x x x Rebate for sensors, nozzles, etc. for landscaping.
Page 3 of 8
Utilities produces an annual Sustainability Report for the Global Reporting
Initiative. Fort Collins Utilities is the first municipal utility in the US to be
granted registration with this organization.
Green Energy Program x x x x x x
Provides Utilities customers the option to purchase clean, renewable
energy. This program is Green-e Energy certified.
Renewable Energy Purchases
x x x x x x x
Utilities purchases renewable energy (2% solar and other bundles). State
requires 10% generation with renewables by 2020 with interim goals 1%-
2010, 3%-2015, and 6%-2019.
Onsite Renewable Energy Buy Back (Power Purchase
Agreement)
x x x x x x x
Residential and small commercial customers can receive full retail buy-
back for PV systems connected to the grid.
Energy Education Labs x x x x x
Students participate in hands-on energy labs that reinforce the science
standards of the grade level.
Key Accounts x x x x
Staff from Utilities provides conservation and sustainability info to large
industrial and commercial customers.
Page 2 of 8
fact sheet about "high-performing homes."
Commercial Technical Assistance x x x x
Exists within Utilities under Builders and Developers information for
Businesses. Somewhat rolled into IDAP.
Cooling Rebate Program x x x x x x Rebates through Utilities.
Electric Efficiency Program x x x x x x Rebates through Utilities.
Home Energy Ratings x x x x x x x x Now "Home Efficiency Audits" through Utilities.
Home Performance with EnergySTAR x x x x x x x
Now managed through "Northern Colorado EnergyStar Homes," and
found through the Utilities website.
Integrated Design Assistance Program (IDAP) x x x x x x x
Supports project owners, developers, design professionals and builders to
create high-performance buildings.
City Programs with a Green Building Component
Page 1 of 8
Ops. Services could provide education
and outreach.
Benchmark City buildings and improve
existing building performance.
mid Benchmarking is done by Ops. Services. Commit additional resources to enhance
tools and tracking.
Convert this project's matrix of green
building programs and services to a
useful tool for green building
professionals
mid Not completed. Information and
resources scattered among several
departments. No "one stop" for tools,
rebates, standards, codes, guidance.
Commit resources to develop tools and
guidance in concert with website and
other outreach programs. Identify team
responsible for this task.
Develop a process for continuous
improvement of City green building
services
ongoing Not developed yet. Develop internal processes and build
capacity to implement and improve
program.
Develop internal City education
program related to green building
ongoing Res. Env. Program series and contractor
training have been developed.
ClimateWise conducts education events
attended by contractors.
Develop integrated, interdepartmental
training program or education series.
Promote / coordinate State and
regional partnerships / efforts
ongoing Utilities and CDNS work with PRPA, NoCO
builders associations, etc.
Develop and strengthen relationships
with neighboring communities.
Research and document the local
economic benefits of green building.
ongoing This was done for the green bldg. code
amendments and some review is done
during code updates.
Commit resources and designate staff
responsible for this task.
Build Internal City Capacity
Reward Success
Page 2 of 2
undergoing a re-design to incorporate
Architecture 2030 principles.
Could include additional incentives or
rating system.
Create targeted green building
information for typical citizens
short Residential Environmental Program (REP)
series has been implemented and is
successful but is not targeted for green
building.
Commit resources to replace the REP
program and develop education materials
around GB.
Sponsor external green building events short Events have been sponsored by some
departments but efforts have not been
focused or coordinated.
Designate an interdepartmental team to
develop a more collaborative, strategic
approach to supporting GB events that
specifically highlight GB.
Research potential incentives for
green building related to development
review, permitting, and inspection
mid Some research has been conducted by
staff in multiple departments.
Commit resources and identify an
interdepartmental team to explore other
planning mechanisms and incentives.
Provide benchmarking tools for
existing buildings
mid Ops. Services uses Energy Star tool and
commercial energy index.
Develop tools (or promote use of existing
tools) for non-city buildings
Provide design target tools for new
buildings
mid Ops. Services is currently revising building
standards to meet Architecture 2030
stds.
Develop tools (or promote use of existing
tools) for non-city buildings.
Identify needs and provide external
training/education opportunities
mid Utilities and Building dept. identified and
developed contractor training for HVAC
and other GB codes.
Develop educational program for staff
and community on green building
principles.
Mandate Minimum Performance and Remove Barriers
Encourage Innovation
Progress Report on Recommendations from 2007 Roadmap to Coordinated and Enhanced Green Building Services
Page 1 of 2
Program offers projects that
incorporate energy conservation,
efficient equipment and renewable
energy systems a 35% five-year tax
credit. Projects $20,000 and less may
be taken in one year. Office buildings,
stores, apartment buildings and other
businesses may be eligible. A Pass-
through Option is also available for
project owners who choose to transfer
their tax credit eligibility to a business
partner with a tax liability in exchange
C $ EV
Page 78 of 79
Credit of $3.00/Watt (up to $1,500
maximum) through the Oregon
Department of Energy.
R,C $,T EV
Page 77 of 79
manufactured homes. The program
offers financial incentives for energy-
saving home improvements for
residential customers of Portland
General Electric, Pacific Power and
NW Natural. Also available are
referrals to contractors who can offer
special financing, and assistance with
Oregon state tax credit applications.
Programs appear below.
R,C $,T EV
Page 76 of 79
and tax credits available for making
energy-efficient improvements
R T,$,A LV
Earth Advantage: Home
Performance Power
Program 888-327-8433
Participating lenders offer the "Home
Performance Power" mortgages for
homes built under the Earth
Advantage program, which promotes
the construction of resource-efficient
housing. Home Performance Power
mortgages have low or no down
payment requirements and require
borrowers to contribute only 3% for
closing costs, which may come from a
R $ EV
Page 75 of 79
plans will be issued along with the
residential building permit once all fees
and charges are paid. All BDS-related
fees comprising the review and
inspection of these houses will be
reduced by 50%. Living Smart house
plans will be submitted through the fast
track process regardless of whether
the buyer is a resident or a build
R T,$ LV
Page 74 of 79
City Publications on remodeling:
general overview, bath and laundry,
painting, landscape, roofing, hiring
professionals, salvage &reuse
ALL SB,T,A LV
Irrigation System
Upgrade Rebates
Jenna Smith at
jenna.smith@seattle.gov
or (206) 684-5955.
rebates for water saving
upgrades/installations of irrigation
systems
ALL $ LV
Low Cost Rain Barrels purchase discounted rain barrels for
rain water harvestings ALL $ LV
Way To Go!
http://www.cityofseattle.n
et/waytogo/
Program that encourages alternative
transportation ALL $,A,SB LV
Page 66 of 79
take online survey.
R T,A,SB LV
Neighborhood Power
Project
http://www.seattle.gov/lig
ht/conserve/neighborhoo
d/power/
a strategy to effectively deliver multi-
agency conservation and resource
management services to targeted
neighborhoods in the City of Seattle.
C ALL LV,LR
Energy Smart Services
through Seattle City
Light(public electric
utility) 206.684.3254
http://www.seattle.gov/lig
ht/Conserve/Business/cv
4_ess.asp
A clearing house of information,
contacts, conservation services,
rebates, incentives, etc for medium to
large businesses offers financial
incentives and technical assistance
for both existing facilities and new
construction projects
C,Ind T,$ LV
Page 65 of 79
with approved energy efficient lighting
equipment. Rebates range from $25
to $65 per fixture for replacement of
existing lamps or fixtures with new
efficient ones.
C $ LV
Page 64 of 79
air-conditioning systems
(provided they meet SMUD's
minimum efficiency standards),
refrigeration systems, and
process equipment.
C,Ind,I
ns,MF $
LV
Energy Services:
Contractors,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/service/contracto
rs.html
SMUD provides a list of
contractors that have
participated in their programs in
the previous 12 months
All Dev,A LV
Savings by Design,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/bydesign.html
Design assistance, resources,
owner incentives, design team
incentives, by whole building or
systems approach. Up to $150k
in incentives available.
C,Ind,I
ns Dev,$,T
LV
Onsite energy audit,
http://www.smud.org/comme
rcial/saving/onsite_audit.html
SMUD will do an onsite study
and provide a written report with
recommendations.
C,Ind,I
ns Dev,T
LV
Greenergy,
http://www.smud.org/green/i
ndex.html
Green power program offering,
SMUD owns 39MW wind farm All Dev
LV
Solar power for your home,
http://www.smud.org/green/s
olar/index.html
$2.50/watt incentive for PV R $ LV
SMUD Community Solar,
http://www.smud.org/green/s
olar/community.html
$0.01/kWh premium supports
PV arrays for non-profits in the
SMUD service area
All Dev LV
Page 62 of 79
air conditioners, participants
receive a monthly discount as
well as 3 levels of additional
incentive based on the amount
of cycling they agree to
R $ LV
Free shade trees,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/trees/index.html
For E,W,S aspects that heat up,
customers may be eligible to
receive free shade trees
R $ LV
SMUD Advantage Homes,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/advantage/index.
html
A labeling program for new
homes with energy advantages
of standard construction
R Dev LV
Zero Energy Homes,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/zeroenergyhomes
.html
Partnership of SMUD and local
homebuilders to offer highly
progressive homes
R Dev LV
Page 61 of 79
Central Air Conditioning
rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
Financing or cash rebate for
qualifying central air conditioning
units
R
$
LV
Clothes washer rebate,
http://www.smud.org/residen
tial/saving/rebate.html
Qualifying units eligible for
$100/$175 rebates R $
LV
Page 60 of 79
project. The objective was to find a partner who would design, develop and
construct a project to showcase opportunities for green building methods
and materials. Among the benefits the City would offer were low- and no-
cost consultation on processes, procedures and requirements; expedited
building permit review; and promotion and public education.
Page 58 of 79
Standards under development
as of 2004 to compliment
Austin Code with a document
that is easier to use and
understand.
C A LR
Free Waste Assessment,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/wrap
_assessment.htm
Free waste assessments C T LV
Green Builder Standards,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/tnd/
Standards required for
building professionals to meet
in residential construction
R SB,Dev LR
Zero Energy Home Task Force,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/news/200
6/ae_zero_energy_homes.htm
Austin studying requirement
for all homes to be zero-
energy capable by 2015
R Dev
Page 57 of 79
Clothes washer rebate program,
water conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
sfwasher.htm
Clothes washer rebates R,C,M
F $
LV
Rainwater Harvesting Rebates,
Water Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
rwrebates.htm,
For rainwater harvesting
systems larger than 300
gallons
R,C,M
F $
LV
Irrigation System Evaluations and
Rebates, Water Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
irrigation.htm
If you are a City of Austin
water customer (or a
customer of an eligible MUD),
have an underground
sprinkler system and use
more than 25,000 gallons per
month in the summer, then
you qualify for an irrigation
audit. A City water auditor will
check your system and
determine an efficient
watering schedule.
R T LV
WaterWise Landscape Rebates,
Water Conservation,
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/watercon/
landscape.htm
Qualifying customers can
receive rebates for landscape
plans that have no more than
50% turf.
R $,T LV
Page 56 of 79
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Building/Sourcebook/index.ht
m
Information provided on 50+
green building topics via the
web.
All A,SB LV
Green Building Case Studies,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Building/Resources/Case%20
Studies/index.htm
Case studies provided for
green building in R, MF, C,
and Ins.
All A,SB LV
Manage It Green Consulting
Services, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Building/Programs/mig.htm
Consulting services for other utilities and gov. agencies around
Austin's experience with resource management programs.
Residential Green Building
Program, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Green
%20Building/Programs/residential.
htm, (512) 482-5300
Rates new or remodeled
homes using guidelines on a
scale of 1 to 5 stars, includes
EE, testing, water efficiency,
materials effciency, health
and safety, and community.
R A,T,Dev LV
Page 55 of 79
C $ LV
Energy Miser Products Mean
Savings, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Energy
%20Miser/index.htm, (512) 482-
5455
Free equipment and
installation of VendingMiser,
CoolerMiser, and SnackMiser
C $ LV
Power Partner - Free Thermostat
Program, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Power
%20Partner/index.htm, (877) 549-
2774
Free programmable
thermostat with installation,
equipment and warranty in
return for permission to cycle
AC during peak periods
C $ LV
Page 54 of 79
htm
ENERGY STAR partner in
providing low-interest loans
for retrofits involving certain
ENERGY STAR products
R,MF $ LV,EV
Duct sealing, Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Duct%2
0Diagnostic%20and%20Sealing/in
dex.htm, (512) 974-7827
$50 per air conditioner,
blower diagnostic of home
system
R,MF $,T LV
Solar Loan Program, Austin
Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Loans/
Residential/Solar/index.htm, (512)-
482-5390
Low-cost loans to purchase
and install solar electric power
systems, up to $20,000, up to
ten year term at market rates
R $ LV
Commercial Energy Management
Services Rebates and Incentives,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Programs/Rebate
s/Commercial/Commercial%20Ene
rgy/index.htm,
conservation@austinenergy.com
Rebates and incentives
covering a variety of
equipment including AC,
chillers, custom, ERV,
lighting, motors, PV, solar
thermal, VFD, windows.
Rebates and incentives
offered by a number of
C,Ind $ LV
Page 53 of 79
buy or remodel a home can
learn how to improve energy
and water efficiency, increase
comfort and reduce
maintenance. The Green
Building Program's 1-day
Green by Design Workshop is
held four times per year.
R A LV
Commercial Purchasing Advisor,
Austin Energy,
http://www.austinenergy.com/Ener
gy%20Efficiency/Tools%20and%20
Tips/Commercial/Energy%20Advis
or/CEA_home_frame.html
A detailed guide on quick
fixes and long term energy
saving opportunities for
various commercial and
institutional sectors
C, Ins A LV
Page 52 of 79
Construction 8,22,23,24,25,26
27,28,29,35,39,40
22,24,25
27,28
23,39 14,16 6,8 8
Inspection 4,22,23,24,25,26
27,28,29,35,39
22,23,24,25,26 23,39 14,16 4
Commissioning,
Measurement and Evaluation
9 23 14,16
Existing Buildings
Post-Occupancy of New
Construction
1,4,5,15 1,7,10,11,12
13,15,17,18,20
1,18,21 1,2,7,15,17,18 1,4,5,6 1,3,5,15
Major Renovation/Remodel 15 10,11,12,13,
15,16,17
15,16 15,16
Deconstruction 5,8 5,8 5,8
Page 31 of 79
Utilities
970-221-6877
ldaudney@fcgov.com
Assessment of sprinkler systems to
identify problems, recommend
appropriate watering schedule and
educate users.
R,MF T,A LV
43 Municipal Code -
Wasting Water code
Laurie D'Audney
Utilities
970-221-6877
ldaudney@fcgov.com
Wasting water is prohibited;
complaints are investigated and
ticketing is possible.
R,C,IND,INS,M
F $,T LR
44 Land Use Code -
Landscape & Irrigation
Standards
Laurie D'Audney
Utilities
970-221-6877
ldaudney@fcgov.com
New development landscape and
irrigation plans are reviewed for
compliance with the Land Use
Code's water conservation
standards.
C,Ind,Inst,MF Dev,T,$ LR
45 Clothes Washer Rebate
Program
Tiana Jennings
Utilities
970-221-6253
tjennings@fcgov.com
Rebates for the purchase of high
efficiency clothes washers.
Includes residential & light
commercial washers, not industrial
models.
R,C,MF $ LV
Page 30 of 79
To encourage multi-modal
transportation within the downtown
area, reducing congestion, air
pollution, etc.
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, A LV
35 LUCASS - Level of
Service Standards
David Averill
Transportation Planning
970-416-2643
daverill@fcgov.com
Standards for transportation -
streets, bicycles, pedestrians R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, T LR
36 Mason Transportation
Corridor
Kathleen Bracke
Transportation Planning
970-224-6140
kbracke@fcgov.com
Use of Bus Rapid Transit to reduce
number of vehicle trips within the
City, reduce congestion in the
downtown area, reduces air
pollution
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev,$,A LR
37 Transportation Overlay
District
Anne Aspen
Current Planning
970-221-6206
aaspen@fcgov.com
Use of overlay district to encourage
infill development, reduce vehicular
trips, reduce development footprint
for vehicles, increased density, use
of brownfield sites, reduce air
pollution
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev,$,T
,A LV, LR
Page 29 of 79
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
To ensure that all development
plans shall adequately provide
vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle
facilities. Both the residential and
commercial buildings should be
designed to promote an urban
environment that is built to human
scale in order to accommodate
pedestrians as the first priority
while also accommodating
automobiles.
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
28 Land Use Code -
Proximity to
Neighborhood Center
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
Neighborhood centers shall be in
close proximity to residential
developments in order to meet the
needs of everyday living in
neighborhoods. Close proximity to
such centers provides the
opportunity for walking to services
and conveniences.
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
29 Land Use Code -
Preliminary Design
Review
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
Preliminary Design Review is an
in-depth opportunity for developers
to work collaboratively with City
departments to solve problems
relating to complex developments.
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LV
Page 28 of 79
Dev, A LV
20 PV Net Metering Pilot
Norm Weaver
Utilities
970-416-2312
nweaver@fcgov.com
Applications, interconnection, data
acquisition for solar PV net
metering pilot
R, C, Ind, Ins,
MF T LV
21 Water conservation
programs
Laurie D'Audney
Utilities
970-221-6877
ldaudney@fcgov.com
Programs, incentives and tips for
using less water—indoors and
outdoors
R, C, Ins, MF T, A, $ LV
22 Land Use Code - Solar
Orientation Standards
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
To encourage the use of both
active and passive solar energy
systems for heating air and water
in homes and businesses
R,C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LV, LR
23 Land Use Code -
Landscape Standards
Shelby Sommer
Development Review
Center
970-416-2138
ssommer@fcgov.com
Require preparation of landscape
plan and tree protection plans that
ensure significant canopy shading
to reduce glare and heat build-up,
reduce erosion and stormwater
runoff, and mitigate air pollution.
C,Ind,Ins,MF Dev, $,
T LR
Page 27 of 79
970-416-2539
jphelan@fcgov.com
Free energy assessments and
technical assistance for
commercial and industrial electric
customers
C, Ind, Ins, MF T LV
14 Colorado New Home
Choices
Doug Swartz
Utilities
970-221-6719
dswartz@fcgov.com
Print and web format introduction
to “high-performing homes,”
including information about new
home choices related to energy
efficiency, comfort, healthy indoor
air and durability.
R Dev, T,
A LV
15 Home Performance with
ENERGY STAR®
Doug Swartz
Utilities
970-221-6719
dswartz@fcgov.com
One-stop diagnosis and repairs for
comprehensive home
improvements related to comfort,
energy, healthy indoor air and
moisture.
R
SB,
Dev, T,
A
LV
Page 26 of 79
Natural Resources
970-416-2230
jarmstrong@fcgov.com
Community recyclables drop off
site ALL A, $ LV
7 ZILCH
Rene Evenson
Utilities
970-221-6394
revenson@fcgov.com
Lucinda Smith (air
quality)
Natural Resources
970-224-6085
lsmith@fcgov.com
Zero interest loans to finance
home-improvement projects that
save energy, reduce water use or
improve air quality
With regards to air quality, low
interest wood stove/fireplace
replacement program
R $ LV
Page 25 of 79
in Northern Colorado.
Page 16 of 79
conservation.
• Provide public recognition for
green building
leaders/success stories.
Page 12 of 79
conservation.
• Provide public recognition for
green building
leaders/success stories.
Build Internal City
Capacity
• Create a Green Building
Team to implement the
roadmap.
• Build consensus among City
leaders and management for
a green building vision for
Fort Collins.
• Raise awareness of LEED
requirements for new City
buildings.
• Benchmark City buildings and
improve existing building
performance.
• Convert this project’s matrix of
green building programs and
services to a useful tool for green
building professionals.
• Develop a process for
continuous improvement of
City green building services.
• Develop internal City
education program related to
green building.
• Promote/coordinate State and
regional partnerships/efforts.
• Research and document the
local economic benefits of
green building.
Page 5 of 79