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Green Without Envy
CM City Council goes environ-mental, 5-0
By Lisa Wells
OC Voice Staff Writer
(Oct. 2007)
It’s official. Costa Mesa citizens, from environmentalists to Minutemen members can proudly announce that their city has gone green. On Sept. 5, 2007, two programs went into effect. The residential and business Build Green Incentive Program and the Sustainable Municipal Green Policy were unanimously adopted by the Costa Mesa City Council during their  Sept. 4 meeting.
The residential and business incentive program is a nine month pilot program that offers waived permit fees and expedited building plan checks to those who want their home or building to have a li ghter carbon footprint.
To lessen the financial footprint, Costa Mesa waives various fees for green installations such as solar panels, skylights, Energy Star windows or doors, tankless water heaters or green certification. A green certified building is 50 percent less damaging to the environment than a standard building.
Taking the lead in California, Costa Mesa’s newly adopted municipal program holds city government facilities to the highest certification level in the state. It stands alone, as a city, by lifting the allowable thresholds—like building size or value—according to Khan Nguyen, Costa Mesa Building Official and co-leader of the Costa Mesa Green Team task force. This task force was set up by Costa Mesa Councilmember Katrina Foley earlier this year to research and develop the green programs.
Overall, the municipal green policy focuses on the implementation of various sustainability programs and practices in city operations by increasing efficiency, conserving resources, promoting healthier work environments and being more environmentally responsible.
Future municipal facilities in the city will be constructed in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system’s gold requirement.
The LEED Gold requirement is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings which promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
While a LEED Gold certified building will cost the city approximately eight percent more to build, its costs are recovered in eight to 10 years through energy and water conservation, which then continue to save the city money during the building’s lifetime.
Councilmember Foley says that developers, corporations and local government have recognized that the long-term saving and other benefits of sustainable features in buildings far outweigh initial installation costs.
Foley is glad to see that a program that saves the average person these costs is now in effect, adding, “I’ve had a lot of positive response—residents and business owners are all talking about how to go green and save money. I’m proud that we are setting an example at City Hall. It’s great to work on a project that will have impact beyond the city limits.”
During the Sept. 4 city council meeting, the discussion was relatively brief and focused mainly on clearing up Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever’s confusion about how much the programs would cost the city.
“[I]t looks like we’re also subsidizing some very costly certification and I’m just wondering what the value of these certifications is beyond bragging rights down at Starbucks.”
After going back and forth with Building Official Khan Nguyen, Foley finally cleared up the issue by saying, “Member Bever, it sounds to me that you’re thinking we’re going to give the person $30,000 to pay for the certification. The waiver is $30,000 of construction and plan check fee; we’re not giving them $30,000 to pay to the U.S. Green Building Council.”
But it was Mayor Pro Tem Bever who summed things up: “All the neighboring cities are now green with envy.”
For more information look for the Build Green Costa Mesa link at:
http://ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/
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