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Parks and Environmental Commission Work Session Meeting Minutes <br />April 2, 2025 <br />Page 3 <br />1 that will eventually require a recommendation from the PEC to move forward with the City <br />2 Council. <br />3 <br />4 Sustainable building policies are those that establish minimum sustainability criteria beyond <br />5 existing state code for new constructions or significant renovations, targeting pollution <br />6 reduction, resource conservation, and environmental responsibility. These can also be referred <br />7 to as green building policies. <br />8 <br />9 This evening the Commission is requested to have discussion to begin outlining what criteria <br />10 would apply to a potential sustainable building policy in St. Anthony Village, the types of <br />11 projects for which it would apply, and other possible requirements. The City has no existing <br />12 policy aside from a brief section for sustainability considerations in the language for general <br />13 regulations for R-4 zoning district multi-family developments. <br />14 <br />15 The Center for Energy and Environment and Hennepin County published a sustainable <br />16 building policy guide in 2021, with recommendations for policy frameworks and best <br />17 practices. There are three approaches that may be considered: a mandatory approach, scoring <br />18 approach and suggestion approach. All three have been used in other Minnesota cities. <br />19 <br />20 A city can activate its existing sustainable building policy due to the following triggers: <br />21 funding incentives, land use incentives, process incentives, and building size. Staff is <br />22 considering enforcement of the policy and how to ensure compliance as part of the <br />23 development process. <br />24 <br />25 Third-Party Rating Systems – To encourage standardization across the region, compliance <br />26 with a third-party rating system is recommended. These rating systems are well-known in the <br />27 construction industry and allow for developer flexibility to meet policy requirements. <br />28 <br />29 Ms. Saulog provided a table showing an informational overview of the most common and <br />30 recommended third-party rating systems for a sustainable building policy. These systems are <br />31 comprised of sustainability criteria and prescriptive pathways for meeting the criteria. They <br />32 are generally broad and cover different sustainability areas (e.g. water, energy, waste, <br />33 materials). Rating systems are often similar but not identical and each system has strengths <br />34 and weaknesses relative to one another. Making different systems acceptable for various <br />35 projects can help the city address priority impact areas being targeted in the sustainable <br />36 policy. <br />37 <br />38 Ms. Saulog reviewed the St. Anthony Village Overlay. The PEC has the opportunity to <br />39 provide input on criteria for the St. Anthony Village overlay. An overlay describes the criteria <br />40 specific to the City and is typically in addition to the third-party rating system. A list of <br />41 recommended overlay criteria and rules were provided. These are the most common city <br />42 overlay criteria as seen in other cities’ policies and demonstrates recommended rules that <br />43 would fulfill those criteria. Cities are advised to prioritize criteria for adoption that balance <br />44 needs for implementation with city goals to ensure policy success. <br />45 <br />46 Ms. Saulog provided the specific items for discussion and feedback: