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Cutting green building's red tape
Officials want to make Green Points Program user friendly for builders

Source: Boulder County Business Report
Author: Laurie M. Fisher

BOULDER - In an effort to link the intent to produce eco-friendly building with measurable results, the city of Boulder is updating its Green Points Program by simplifying the application process, streamlining city administration procedures and focusing on the big picture.

"We want to raise the bar to help the program achieve the bigger goals of the city such as the climate action plan, waste reduction, water conservation and increasing the urban forest. We also are looking how the program integrates into historic preservation remodels," says Elizabeth Vasatka, environmental coordinator at the city of Boulder's Office of Environmental Affairs. The Office of Environmental Affairs will present
recommendations to update the program to the City Planning Board and Council by the end of the year. Vasatka hopes the changes will be in place in the first half of 2007.

The Green Points Program requires that residents and builders maintain a minimum threshold of energy savings and sustainable building methods to obtain a building permit. Components of the program include recycling and salvaging deconstructed material, landscaping for water conservation, limiting old-growth lumber use, increasing insulation, installing energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems and using solar power and materials that improve indoor air quality.

"The office is constantly evaluating what points should go with what practices and analyzing life cycle costs," she says.

Part of the updated program should include offering a Web-based rather than paper application as well as Internet access to sources of information.

"We are looking at the program in the big-picture way, looking beyond accruing a certain number of points and trying to look at how the program can contribute to achieving the goals," she says. Specifically, the city is examining "how our built environment impacts our lives and our environment."

During the last year, the update process has included input from members of the Boulder Green Building Guild, the city office of Planning and Development Services and city Historic Preservation Program. The advisory committee considered green-building trends and the best practices across the country and how they can be applied locally. The group examined how this program interacts with all the other city goals and how to
make things more compatible, Vasatka says. The city also plans to use the update as an outreach tool to educate residents on other priorities of the city and the community.

"There isn't much awareness about the program," she says. "We want to raise awareness among homeowners about how green-building changes in a house can impact the community."

Although square footage determines how many Green Points are required for permit approval, the goal is to mandate efforts so a house performs a certain way. The final draft of the updated program may include prerequisites for certain measures and give smaller amount of options than the current program.

Vasatka believes that by streamlining the administrative process layers of review may be eased. For example, the city hopes to integrate inspection for Green Points compliance at the same time as other building-code compliance is reviewed.

Jim Gery, a residential plans reviewer for Boulder, cautions that the unintended consequences of the proposed changes are "hard to figure." The changes, he says, will significantly help the design professionals in the city, the building professionals, homeowners and the city as an administrative body.

"The Green Points program as it exists is a little bit internally disconnected and cumbersome. It's been revised, but not cleaned up," he says. "It is good in intention but not as perfect in execution as we like it." He hopes that the update version will be a "tighter program."

Gery says the effort is to simplify and eliminate parts of the program that are not used or are not clear. "We are hoping to have a program that will have a resonance beyond getting a building permit," he says, adding people are taking much more to heart the importance of lowering environmental impact of construction.

Gery also points out there is still significant residential building within the city limits as well as a great deal of renovation. "The development of green building is tremendous over time. Green building is a good idea; the more we get the better off everyone is going to be."

Another goal of the revised program is to have a green-building standard practice and to acknowledge those who produce zero-energy or carbon-neutral homes.

"We are looking at trying to acknowledge these projects and the good work above and beyond standard code and Green Points," Vasatka explains. She says, however, there are no immediate plans for financial incentives for homeowners since fees just cover the costs of reviewing permit applications.

"We want to give recognition to people who are doing an amazing job at working to keep their homes green. Right now they are not being recognized," agrees Kim Master, executive director of the Boulder Green Building Guild. Master believes the updated program better educates the public that building green could be easy, if
they think ahead.

Tim Coonce, owner of Porchfront Homes in Boulder, says that as a builder his membership in Green Advantage and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has informed him of the green-building rules.

"If you're in touch with those two organizations you can navigate through the guidelines," he says. Architect Joseph Vigil, of VaST High Performance Architecture and Green Design in Boulder, says he never had a problem getting enough Green Points for a project. After serving on the update advisory committee and the
board of directors of Boulder Green Building Guild he hopes the simpler system might be clearer.

He believes formal recognition of going above and beyond green point requirements will make houses more marketable. "There was no benefit in the old system for going after more than the minimum number required. It would be nice to get some certificate and recognition. The Boulder Green Building Guild could put on some kind of tour to give recognition for their effort," he suggests.

Vigil says that changes in the program will be subtle. "I tend to design green houses that are energy efficient anyway. For me the Green Points has never been a difficult system." He acknowledges some people have problems and thinks the program is just another process in a difficult and complex permit process. "Everybody ultimately gets a better product when you go through the system."

Vasatka says her office is working with Boulder County and the city of Longmont to develop similar and consistent programs. "The real challenge is to make sure all the back-end administrative processes are ready to go when the program is launched," she says.

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