City buildings now required to be 'green'

The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that will require new buildings that use city money to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient, a goal that has long been a pet project of Mayor Rocky Anderson.

The ordinance will require city-funded buildings of at least 10,000 square feet to become certified by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. Buildings earn points toward LEED certification for elements that improve conservation, sustainability, water and energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

"This ordinance shows another example of our leadership in smart, cost-effective, cost-saving environmental initiatives," Councilman Eric Jergensen said.

While the requirements will apply to any building that receives money from the city's funds, the ordinance will hold any buildings owned by the city to a higher standard of LEED certification.

Anderson has already issued an executive order requiring LEED standards, but executive orders expire when a mayor's term ends. The ordinance approved by the council will remain on the books unless it is repealed.

"It's really important to institutionalize this," Anderson said.

Buildings paid for entirely by private developers, such as those planned for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' proposed City Creek Center, are not covered by Tuesday's ordinance.

Church spokesman Dale Bills, in an e-mail Tuesday, said, "We will certainly follow LEED principles in design, construction and operation of the project. However, no decision has been made on applying for LEED certification."

Anderson said he would like to see the city offer an incentive for privately funded buildings to meet LEED standards. Incentives could include an expedited permit approval process or reduced fees.

In other business Tuesday, the council:

• Discussed a possible funding source for the long-delayed Sorenson Unity Center. Bids have set the cost of constructing the west-side center, on California Avenue between 800 and 900 West, at about $700,000 over the city's original estimates.

The council now plans to consider using a $1.99 million donation from an unnamed bank to make use of so-called New Market Tax Credits, a federal program created by Congress in 2000 that gives tax credits for private donations to projects in low-income areas. The council will likely vote on the funding structure at its meeting next week.

• Approved doing away with parking-meter fees in the city from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. Parking at metered spots will be free for two hours any day of the week, as it has been since the 2003 holiday season. The fee waiver is meant to encourage downtown shopping.

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