The Saint Paul Sustainable Building Policy - A Model of Flexibility and Accountability

The Saint Paul
Sustainable Building Policy
   A Model of Flexibility
           and
      Accountability

Introductions

Richard Strong:
       Senior Research Fellow,
       Center for Sustainable Building Research,
       University of Minnesota

Kurt Schultz:
       Program Manager and Sustainability Facilitator
       City of Saint Paul, Minnesota

Why We’re Here

We think we have a pretty
good product
and
we’d like to share it with you

Why would a city adopt
    Sustainable Building Policy?

Saint Paul:
  Population: 285,000
  Across the Mississippi River from Minneapolis
  Bordered by suburbs with greenfields on which
    to develop and fewer compliance requirements
    placed on development
  So why place ourselves at what would appear to
    be a competitive disadvantage by imposing
    additional requirements on new development?

Why would a city adopt a
      Sustainable Building Policy?

Commitment by Mayor & City Council
Benefits Residents and Businesses
 Lowering operating costs (energy, water, waste
   hauling)
 Increasing asset value
 Growing the property tax base and revenue
 Reducing health concerns related to “sick” buildings
 Enhancing employee well being and productivity

Why would a city adopt a
Sustainable Building Policy? (cont.)

 To unload environmental impacts from the city's
  monetary burden
 To create an environment that attracts green
  businesses and dissuade dirty businesses from
  coming in
 To make the city more attractive to residents and
  business alike
 Minimal Political Risk

Why Develop a Model Policy?

The State of Minnesota wanted a model
 policy

Consistency between cities desired

Resources to Develop
            the Model Policy

 $36,000 -
   Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
   Purpose: Develop a Model Sustainable Building Policy

 $50,000
   Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic
    Development (DEED) Federal Department of Labor
    funds
   Purpose: Develop training and tools and provide training

The Process

Two Years (this can be shortened if there is
 already buy-in among the community)

Independent Consultants provided:
 Independent facilitation of process
 Expertise
 Paid for with grant from MPCA

The Process (cont.)
           Who to Invite

Extend Invitations Widely
 A broad cross section of stakeholders is key
 Each person brings a piece to the puzzle
   and a unique perspective
 The final product will be improved
 Creates a base of support for the policy /
   eliminates opposition to adoption

The Process (cont.)
               Who We Invited
 Advisory Group –
   47 people representing cross section of development field
   Provided direction and feedback

 Core Work Group –
   13 people – subset of Advisory Group
   Developed policy concepts and details based on direction from
    Advisory Group

 Consultants –
   3 people
   Facilitated process and brought expertise

A Model Policy –
      What we were striving for?

Aggressive and Achievable
Clear & Fair – People trust that all are being
 treated equally
Accountable - A means to confirm compliance
Flexible - Provides owners/developers with
 options
Replicable, Scalable
Manageable – Accounts for limited capacity of
 city staff

The Policy Scope

 Applies to:
   New construction only

   All City buildings (e.g., rec centers, libraries, office
    buildings)

   Private development that receives more than
    $200,000 of public investment

Public Investment

Defined as money originating from:
 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
 Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
 HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME)
 Multi-Family Housing Revenue Bonds
 Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)
 Other federal, state, and Metropolitan Council funding
  programs, HRA funds, any City of Saint Paul funds,
  including STAR, from any combination of loans, grants,
  land write down, or other funding vehicles.

The Policy Structure

Two Key Steps:

 Comply with a green building standard from
  the approved list

 AND

 Follow the Saint Paul Overlay

Approved Green Building Standards

 Commercial Projects:
   LEED Silver or
   Green Globes, 2 Globes or
   Minnesota State Guidelines - Buildings Benchmarking
    and Beyond (B3) Compliant

 Residential Projects:
   LEED Silver or
   Minnesota Green Star, Silver or
   Green Communities Certification

                  Certification is Required

Why Allow Multiple Standards?

Good standards exist - No need to reinvent the
 wheel
Provides accountability - each standard requires a
 high degree of attainment
Provides Flexibility to Developer
Eliminates Redundancy
Accounts for limited staff capacity - both time and
 knowledge

When Selecting Standards
        What to Consider

 Reputable / Proven / Fair to and for everyone

 High but reasonable expectations

 Comprehensive in nature - energy, potable
  water, stormwater, Indoor Environmental
  Quality, and other community’s values etc.

The Saint Paul Overlay

 The Purpose
   Create a minimum threshold of attainment regardless of
    which standard is used - it is an equalizer between standards
   Reflect local environmental concerns
   Diminishes likelihood of point chasing

 How the Overlay Requirements Were Selected
   Internal process of discernment , Mississippi River concerns,
    energy reductions, policies by the state, special light rail
    energy zone,

 Designed to complement any standard selected

Overlay Requirements -
             What to Include

 Operating Energy          Solid Waste (construction and
 Potable Water              operations)
 Waste Water               Life Cycle Impacts of Materials
 Soil Conservation         Indoor and Outdoor
 Urban Heat Island          Environmental Quality
 Economic Development      Vegetation and Habitat
 Food                      Stormwater and Groundwater
 Night Sky Radiation       Active and Passive Recreation and
                             Human Health Opportunities
 Transit/Transportation
                            Employment / Economic
 Renewable Energy           Development

The Saint Paul Overlay
         What We Included

 Predicted energy use
 Predicted greenhouse gas emissions
 Actual energy use monitored for 10 years
 Predicted use of potable water
 Predicted use of water for landscaping
 Diversion of construction waste from landfills
 Indoor Environmental Quality
 Stormwater Management

Tools and Resources

Tools and Resources

Tools and Resources

Tools and Resources

Tools and Resources

Tools and Resources

Lessons Learned

Political leadership is key
Outside facilitation is helpful
Early engagement by stakeholders is
 essential
Incremental steps can help ensure success
Partners & Champions are invaluable

Lessons Learned (cont.)

Dedicate the necessary resources
 internally
Educate the users of the system
Consider not codifying
Do Some Bragging

“By 2050, 36 years from now, cities will be home
to 7 out of every 10 people on Earth. Being on the
front line, cities have a unique responsibility and
opportunity to shape the future. What we do
today, right or wrong, will be our legacy.”

                 Christopher Coleman,
                 Saint Paul Mayor

Questions?