San Leandro Municipal Code Art. 1 General

(Legislative History: Ordinance No. 2008-007, 5/19/08 (Sections 3-19-100—3-19-110))

To promote economic and environmental health in the City, it is essential that the City itself, through the design, construction, operation and deconstruction of its own facilities and facilities it funds, provide leadership to both the private and public sectors by incorporating green building practices. The most immediate and meaningful way to do this is to require the integration of green building strategies in City buildings.

(a) The City finds that the design, construction, and maintenance of buildings within the City can have a significant impact on the City's environmental sustainability, resource usage and efficiency, waste management, and the health and productivity of residents, workers, and visitors to the City.

(b) The City finds, based on studies by Alameda County Waste Management Authority (StopWaste.Org), that construction and demolition debris comprise a substantial portion of materials disposed in Alameda County landfills.

(c) The City finds that green building, construction, operation and maintenance can have a significant positive effect on energy, water and resource efficiency, waste and pollution generation, and the health and productivity of a property's occupants over the life of the building.

(d) The City finds that green building design contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, improves air quality and enhances urban sustainability.

(e) The City finds that green building benefits are spread throughout the systems and features of the building, the larger San Francisco Bay Area ecosystem and the community. Green buildings use recycled-content materials, consume less energy and water, have better indoor air quality, and use fewer natural resources than conventional buildings. Construction waste is often recycled and remanufactured into other building products.

(f) The City finds that green building design and construction decisions made by the City in the construction and remodeling of City buildings can result in significant cost savings to the City over the life of the projects.

(g) The City finds that it is critical to both the economic and environmental health of the City that the City provides leadership to both the private and public sectors in the area of green building.

(h) The most immediate and meaningful way to do so is to include green building elements in City projects, and to encourage private projects to include green building elements.

(i) Green building design, construction, operations and maintenance techniques have been increasingly adopted in residential and commercial building construction.

(j) At the national level, the U.S. Green Building Council has taken the lead in promoting and defining commercial green building by developing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)™ Rating System.

(k) Requiring City Projects to incorporate LEED™ is necessary and appropriate to achieving the benefits of green building in the City.

"Building"

means any structure used for support or shelter of any use or occupancy. "Building" includes structures of occupied space, as defined by the California Building Code.

"City project"

means any new construction or renovation of a building owned or occupied by a City department or agency.

"Covered project"

means all new building or renovation projects that equal or exceed Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) in construction costs, adjusted annually to the Building Cost Index published in the Engineering News-Record Magazine, and are owned or occupied by a City department or agency.

"Green Building Compliance Official"

means the designated staff person(s) with the requisite green building training and accreditations that are authorized and responsible for implementing this Chapter.

"Initiated"

means officially identified and substantially funded to offset the costs associated with the project.

"LEED™ Rating System"

means the most recent version of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Green Building Rating System approved by the United States Green Building Council. City staff shall maintain the most recent version of the LEED™ Rating System at all times.

"LEED™ Accredited Professional"

means an individual who has passed the LEED™ accreditation exam administered by the United States Green Building Council.

"Renovation"

means any addition or modification to an existing building or structure.

"Structure"

means a building and excludes traditional public works projects.

"Traditional public works project"

means heavy construction projects such as pump stations, sewerrelated facilities, flood control improvements, roads, and bridges, as well as traffic lights, sidewalks, bike paths, bus stops, and associated infrastructure on City owned and maintained property.