PK PACKET 04022025 Worksession - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Another best practice is to leverage other existing processes for front end-confirmation of sustainable design, such as Xcel Energy’s Energy Design Assistance program and other similar utility programs that incentivize energy modeling to meet building performance criteria. Enforce the Policy Enforcement comes into play once a project receives the necessary approvals to start construction. In most cases, following the previous steps will ensure that a project adheres to the policy; however, if the project does not meet minimum standards, enforcement may be necessary. Formal enforcement should be codified in the policy, so developers understand the implications of not complying. Informally, city staff can communicate with project teams about the negative impact to their relationship and concerns over future projects following city policies. Community Highlight: Rochester, MN The City of Rochester structures their Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreements as pay-as- you-go disbursements, giving the city the opportunity to withhold future disbursements if a project does not adhere to certain policies or codes. The city has used this approach for projects in the Destination Medical Center and throughout the municipality. Evaluate Impact Evaluating the policy’s impact helps city staff and city decision-makers understand if the policy achieved the intended goals. Project reports should detail the size, cost, and anticipated savings compared to actual performance. A summary of these along with the collective environmental benefits (e.g., gallons of water and greenhouse gas emissions saved compared to code) should be shared with city council, staff, and the public. In addition, annual or biennial reviews with project teams, city staff, and external collaborators give valuable input into the effectiveness of the policy. Cities should talk to project teams about what worked and what could be improved about the sustainable building policy’s implementation process. They should also talk to external collaborators and sustainability experts about the latest trends and best practices for sustainable buildings. Having both quantitative and qualitative data on the policy’s success will be useful during future policy updates to strengthen its impact. FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS Going forward, these policies should evolve as new sustainability standards become available and as city goals around reducing structural racism and ensuring equity become clearer and more focused. As cities find alignment on these issues, they should continue to exchange best practices and evolve together. We recommend cities check in on at least a biannual if not quarterly basis. This could be led by cities themselves or by an external coordinator. Areas that may warrant further exploration include: • Compliance tracking tool. Cities currently lack a holistic method for tracking compliance for all property types and may benefit from the development of one. 9