City Council Meeting - FINAL

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10.A.

Meeting Date:	10/18/2022
Co-Submitter:	Nicole Antonopoulos
From:	Ramon Alatorre, Climate and Energy Coordinator

Information

TITLE

Sustainable Building Resolution Update

STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:

This is an informational update on proposed revisions to the Sustainable Building Resolution (Res. 2014-09). Pending Council discussion, this item will return to Council for consideration for adoption on November 1^st, 2022.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The Sustainable Building Resolution (SBR) was first adopted in 2008 and updated in 2014. Since 2008, the SBR has outlined the organizational standards that the City of Flagstaff will follow when commissioning the construction of a new occupied building or undertaking major renovations of an existing occupied building.

The 2022 revision of the SBR proposes three key updates (enumerated below). These updates will bring the Sustainable Buildings Resolution into greater alignment with the City Council and community priorities of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, increasing community resilience, and increasing the number of available and affordable housing units. These priorities are reflected in the recent adoption of the Climate Emergency Declaration (Res 2020-09) the Housing Crisis Declaration (Res. No 2020-66) the Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan (Res 2021-34) the 10 Year Housing Plan (Res. No 2022-03) and the Sustainable Building Incentive (PZ-21-00282).

The development of the 2022 SBR revisions was undertaken by an inter-division team of City staff, including the Housing Section, the Real Estate Manager, the Community Development Division Director, the Facilities Section, and the Sustainability Office.

The proposed revisions to the Sustainable Building Resolution incorporate the following key concepts:

Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from buildings: By updating the building performance standards that the City will adhere to for these projects, the City will ensure that it achieves its goals related to reduced building energy use, clean electricity, and appropriate building electrification.
Supporting community resilience: By incorporating an expectation that these building projects will include amenities to support vulnerable residents during disruptive weather events or other extreme incidents, the revisions will increase community resilience.
Supporting the increase in the number of available and affordable housing units: The revisions outline a process for the event that a City-owned building or property is being vacated that directs the Housing Section to evaluate the property and determine the feasibility of repurposing or developing in a manner that supports increasing the number of available and affordable housing units.

Staff will provide a detailed presentation of the recommended revisions to the Resolution.

INFORMATION:

Connection to Council Goal and/or Regional Plan:

Regional Plan:

Goal E&C.1. - Proactively improve and maintain the region’s air quality.
Goal E&C.2 - Achieve carbon neutrality for the Flagstaff community by 2030.
Policy E&C.2.1 - Encourage the reduction of energy and material consumption.
Policy E&C.2.2. Promote investments that create a connected and efficient community, decrease emissions from
transportation and building energy, and strengthen climate resiliency.
Policy E&C.2.3. Review and revise existing regulations, standards, and plans (codes, ordinances, etc.) to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions.
Policy E&C 2.4. Promote developments that help the community achieve carbon neutrality through strategies that reduce the project’s emissions from transportation, energy, and consumption.

Goal E&C.3 - Prepare Flagstaff’s community systems and resources to be more resilient to climate change impacts, and address climate change in a manner that prioritizes those most impacted and ensures the costs and benefits of climate adaptation and mitigation are equitably distributed.
- Policy E&C.3.2. Review and revise existing regulations, standards, and plans (codes, ordinances, etc.) to reduce the community’s vulnerability to climate change impacts and reduce the disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities.
- Policy E&C.3.5. Improve the ability of vulnerable community members to adapt and thrive amidst the pressures of climate change.

Relevant target areas and opportunities for action in the CNP include:

Community Resilience - Strategy 1: Ensure all mitigation actions improve Flagstaff’s ability to adapt to the future.
Community Resilience - Strategy 2: Strengthen existing community systems to create resilience to both short-term shocks and long-term change.
Electric Mobility - Strategy 3: Support residents, businesses and institutions in the transition to electric vehicles.
Clean Electricity - Strategy 2: Increase renewable energy installations and usage in new buildings.
Fuel Switching - Strategy 1: Reduce or remove natural gas usage in municipal buildings.
Reduced Building Energy Use - Strategy 1: Achieve net zero energy City of Flagstaff facilities.

Has there been previous council decision on this:

Yes. The Sustainable Building Resolution was first adopted in 2008 and revised in 2014.

These revisions align the Sustainable Building Resolution with the goals and urgency of:

The Climate Emergency Declaration (Res 2020-09)
The Housing Crisis Declaration (Res. No 2020-66)
The Flagstaff Carbon Neutrality Plan (Res. 2021-34)
The 10 Year Housing Plan (Res. No 2022-02)
The Sustainable Building Incentive (PZ-21-00282)

Attachments
Presentation
Redline of Resolution 2014-09