PEC PACKET 03022026 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MEMORANDUM To:Saint Anthony Village Parks and Environmental Commission From:Steve Grittman, City Planner Date:March 2, 2026 Request: Ordinance 26-XX Review: Sustainable Building Ordinance BACKGROUND At the April 2, 2025 work session, the Parks and Environmental Commission (PEC) met to consider high level parameters of a sustainable building policy. Considering a sustainable building policy for new and remodeled construction projects was listed as an energy focus action item in the City’s Climate Plan. At the work session, staff had shared best practices based on other agencies and requested feedback pertaining to the type of approach, priority impacts to include in the overlay, as well as recommendation on type of applicable projects. The City Council then reviewed the PEC’s recommendations at a work session in the fall of 2025. Council, PEC and staff agreed that a mandatory approach via ordinance was the most effective approach, compared to suggestion or scoring approaches. A mandatory approach establishes a standard best practice with straight forward guidance for developers. The group had consensus that the ordinance should be applicable to new and redevelopments projects impacting multi-family housing, commercial and industrial zones. In addition, many agencies’ sustainable building ordinances or policies include “overlay” criteria, which are essentially criteria specific to the community to capture the City’s priorities or context sensitives. STAFF RESEARCH Staff had reviewed a number of local agencies’ sustainable building efforts. The Center for Energy and Environment and Hennepin County developed a sustainable building policy guide in 2021, which the City used as a key framework to develop their approach and ordinance. Sustainable Building Policy Basics •A policy can include compliance with a third-party rating system (i.e. LEED, B3, etc) to support standardization for sustainable building across the region. These rating systems are well-known in the construction industry and allow developer flexibility to meet policy requirements. •A policy can also include specific for a Saint Anthony Village overlay which are specific to the City and typically in addition to the third-party rating system. The City is pursuing a mandatory approach via an ordinance, ensuring compliance from a sustainability standpoint. More standardization helps with competition and cost control. Staff is mindful and heard feedback from the PEC and Council to avoid turning off developers who are considering new/redevelopment in SAV. Staff anticipates that a mandatory approach will result in less confusion as having language in code will be clear for developers to follow, and if it is written into Code. Staff further recommends a mandatory approach for maximum impact, as this relates to city Climate Plan goals for reduced greenhouse gas emissions.