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OVERVIEW Cities throughout Minnesota seek to improve public health, environmental justice, and environmental and economic S sustainability. As cities set targets to reduce carbon D emissions, reduce waste, protect natural areas, and mitigate Sstormwater runoff, many are turning to building-related esstrategies to help achieve these goals. su Generally, cities have three main levers to create change: be mandatory requirements, process incentives, and financial ne incentives. Because the State of Minnesota sets the building si code, cities are unable to establish building requirements that de are more strict than existing code; however, with financial ty levers and authority over land use, cities have tremendous po potential to use sustainable building policies as a tool to make re progress toward sustainability goals. kn po To da te, Minnesota cities have taken three approaches in the application of sustainable building policies, listed below in order of impact: 1. Mandatory approach (Recommended). This policy approach identifies default sustainability requirements E for funding programs and land use variances above Acertain thresholds. These requirements are in addition cito other program and land use requirements. f2. Scoring approach. Buildings are scored on a set of acriteria and those with the highest scores qualify for city program funding and approval. 3. Suggestion approach. Developers are strongly N encouraged to consider sustainability in construction L through a sustainability questionnaire. T Based on research of existing policies and interviews with tr Minnesota cities, we identified best practices and p recommendations for creating a framework and implementing st a mandatory sustainable building policy. s dThe intent of this guide is to provide a resource for cities pconsidering sustainable building policies and to encourage standardization across cities. Standardization has many benefits including improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness across the region, facilitating the adoption of sustainable building practices, and reducing competition among cities for development. ustainable Building Policy efined ustainable building policies tablish minimum stainability criteria that go yond existing state code for w construction or gnificantly renovated velopments. Included criteria pically target areas for llution reduction and source conservation. Also own as green building licies. xisting Policies s of 2022, eight Minnesota ties have some type of ormal sustainable building pproach: Duluth, Edina, Maplewood, Minneapolis, orthfield, Rochester, St. ouis Park, an d Saint Paul. he affected building types, iggers, and criteria vary by olicy, although some andardization is taking hape. See the Appendix for etailed comparison of the olicies. 1