Dec 12, 2007 3:30 pm US/Pacific
SF Mayor Wants Mandatory Green Construction
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ―
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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.
AP
Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed strict new building codes Wednesday that he hopes will give San Francisco the nation's greenest skyline.
The mayor introduced an ordinance that would require all new residential and commercial buildings to meet internationally recognized standards for energy and water efficiency, recycling, pollution control and other environmental measures.
City government buildings already are required to meet such requirements, but private development must follow suit to have a significant affect on San Francisco's carbon emissions and energy use, Newsom said.
"Once a large city like ours, with a very healthy private construction industry, starts these requirements it will all go all over the U.S. There is no question the building standards of these companies will be forced to change," he said.
The plan calls for all buildings over 75-feet tall and major commercial renovations of over 25,000 square feet to be in compliance with the highest benchmarks for green certification set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The new code would not apply to already approved projects, but would affect buildings subject to permit approval starting next year, or about three million feet of new development annually, according to Newsom.
Between then and 2012, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED standards required in the city would become increasingly stringent, according to Newsom.
The plan must be approved by San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. Newsom said he expects it to easily win support. Building contractors were part of the task force that drew up the proposed regulations.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Environment & The Green Beat
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