Salt Lake Goes LEED

Salt Lake City, Utah, may soon be known for its green buildings. Developers funded by city money will be required to erect buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program, city council members decided unanimously on Nov. 7. The new ordinance is "a tremendous first step toward encouraging in every way possible greater efficiency in design and material used for buildings in our community," said Mayor Rocky Anderson. This summer, Anderson issued an executive order mandating that municipal buildings meet the LEED silver standard; the city hopes to move toward providing incentives to all developers, city-funded or not, to build LEED-certified buildings.

The ordinance doesn't yet affect the city's Redevelopment Agency or library projects. Nor does it apply to single-family homes, though the U.S. Green Building Council is working on residential standards, and the City Council has shown interest in adopting them before the city's undeveloped northwest quadrant starts to grow. The city is in the midst of creating a master plan for the quadrant.

Under the ordinance, developers and the city have to meet the standards if the new or renovated buildings are larger than 10,000 square feet. The city will grant waivers if the buildings are temporary, serve a limited function or when LEED standards prove to be impractical. But if developers agree to meet LEED standards and don't, they will forfeit a $10,000 "good faith" deposit and may have to repay some or all city funds.

We, at NWA, applaude Salt Lake City's progressive new policy to only fund sustainable construction.

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