Oct 24, 2007

Los Altos adopts green building ordinance for a year

City pledges to apply stringent national standards to new construction

By Melanie Carroll / Daily News Staff Writer

Los Altos is officially going green. A pilot program requiring all new construction to meet strict environmental standards was approved by the city council Tuesday night.

A 12-month green building ordinance - much like those already in place in other Bay Area cities, including Albany and San Rafael - will require new single-family homes to meet standards established by Build It Green, a statewide nonprofit group that promotes healthy, energy and resource-efficient buildings.

"I'm very pleased," Coeta Chambers, president of the local League of Women Voters chapter, told the council. "The league is very interested in these issues on a local, state and national level."

The ordinance calls for commercial buildings that are 15 percent more energy efficient than state building regulations require.

The ordinance also requires new public building projects over 7,500 square feet to meet national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards. The standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council are the most challenging to meet, in part because certification can only occur months after a structure is complete, said James Walgren, the city's community development director.

For a new home, the architect must prepare construction drawings that include various environmentally friendly components to satisfy the new rules, Walgren said.

For instance, green fixtures and appliances, and an adequate recycling program might be part of the plans, Walgren said.

A partial checklist of potential green features includes high-efficiency irrigation systems, noninvasive landscaping and solar-powered water heating systems.

Council Member David Casas said the new rules show that Los Altos is choosing to lead by example.

"Building it green is becoming the standard," he said.



E-mail Melanie Carroll at mcarroll@dailynewsgroup.com.