§ 21.45.400. Green building standards for public and private development.

A.

A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment. The City of Long Beach recognizes the benefit of green buildings and establishes a green building program.

B.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System;trade; created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is hereby established as the rating system the City shall use in administering the green building program. Alternative green building systems may be substituted, at the discretion of the Director of Development Services, if the system can be demonstrated to achieve a comparable standard of achievement as LEED.

C.

No building permit shall be issued for the types of projects specified in this Section unless the project meets the level of LEED performance specified in this Section. The Director of Development Services shall have the authority to issue a clearance for all projects subject to the provisions of this Section for LEED compliance. Issuance of clearance shall be based on procedures established by the Director of Development Services.

1.

The following types of projects shall meet the intent of LEED at the certified level:

a.

A new residential or mixed use building of fifty (50) dwelling units and fifty thousand (50,000) gross square feet or more.

b.

A new mixed use, or nonresidential building of fifty thousand (50,000) square feet or more of gross floor area;

c.

The alteration of an existing residential or mixed use building that results in the addition of fifty (50) dwelling units and fifty thousand (50,000) gross square feet or more;

d.

The alteration of an existing mixed use, or nonresidential building that results in the expansion of fifty thousand (50,000) gross square feet or more; and

e.

A new construction or substantial rehabilitation project for which the City provides any portion of funding.

2.

The following type(s) of projects shall obtain LEED silver certification:

a.

A new building on City land consisting of seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet or more of gross floor area.

b.

The alteration of an existing building on City land that results in the addition of seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet or more of new gross floor area;

D.

A project may be registered with the USGBC to obtain the required LEED certification, or a project may be certified by a third party as meeting the intent of LEED at the level required by this Section.

E.

Projects consisting of multiple buildings on one (1) or several lots shall be evaluated based on total gross floor area or number of dwelling units for the entire building footprint to determine applicability of this Section.

F.

The Director of Development Services shall have the authority to determine if the provisions of this Section apply to a given project in cases of uncertainty.

G.

Each project shall apply for compliance in whichever LEED rating system the Director of Development Services deems most suitable to the project type. The project shall use the version of the rating system in effect at the time the project is submitted for a building permit unless the project developer has elected to register with the USGBC in which case the project may use the rating system version which was in effect at the time the project registered.

H.

If a commitment to LEED gold or higher certification is made, the project may be eligible for flexibility in regard to certain development standards including, but not limited to, usable open space and off-street parking requirements, as determined by the Director of Development Services.

I.

The following development standards shall apply to all projects requiring site plan review:

1.

Canopy trees shall provide shade coverage, after five (5) years of growth, of forty percent (40%) of the total area dedicated to parking stalls and associated vehicular circulation, or paving materials with a solar reflectance index of at least twenty-nine (29) shall be used on a minimum of fifty percent (50%) of paving surfaces dedicated to parking stalls and associated vehicular circulation;

2.

Bicycle parking shall be provided at a minimum of one (1) space for every five (5) residential units, one (1) space for each five thousand (5,000) square feet of commercial building area, one (1) space for each seven thousand five hundred (7,500) square feet of retail building area and one (1) space for each ten thousand (10,000) square feet of industrial building area. Fractions shall be rounded up to whole numbers;

3.

Roofs shall be designed to be solar-ready by allowing for an additional eight (8) pounds per square foot of dead load and providing a conduit from the electrical panel to the roof; and

4.

A designated area for the collection of recyclables shall be provided adjacent to the area for the collection of waste.

(ORD-09-0013, § 5, 2009)