How will Evanston LEED? - Community Site Of The 9th Ward, Evanston, IL

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Office of Alderman Coleen Burrus

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Environment And Sustainability

How will Evanston LEED?

You may have heard the City Council recently passed the Green Building Ordinance, making us one of the few cities in the state, much less the country to entertain systematic requirements when developing real estate. You probably read about it in the Evanston Review. Bob had it mostly right - I said sustainable Bob, oh and who said what about killing which? Must of been late when he returned to the office; Council let out last Monday at 10:30p after a prolonged but mainly civil discussion of the ordinance. Question is, what does this ordinance mean for the rest of us who, for reasons financial plan on holding off on building that six unit townhouse development for another week or two?

Not much, not right away.

The ordinance as originally drafted only covered new builds or rehabs over ten thousand square feet. So unless you're tired of living in a haunted mansion or somehow believe Evanston needs just one more condominium development - oh and you found a bank willing to put up the capital - the gist of this ordinance will pass you by. Smaller commercial developments of less than 10000 square feet should comply with lesser ASHRAE requirements. So those who somehow can afford to both open a small business and pay their property taxes this season should look to my previous post for a link and look into low flow water toilets. And that's about it.

Eventually the banks will work the good debt out from the pile of "toxic assets" currently mucking the financial system, and cautiously begin lending again. Shortly before we sell off the remaining housing overstock someone will find property that truly deserves yet another multi-unit development. By then contractors, architects and engineers will have their LEED certifications down pat. Who knows maybe they'll even have learned that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design isn't all about saving on electricity bills, but living lightly on the earth, conserving land, water and other resources for our grandkids to use sparingly.

Meanwhile smaller developers of existing structures may need a hand figuring out how to lead. Evanston can assist by expediting permit requests for such developments, creating templates for first time LEED developers in filling out forms and perhaps assisting with the work. Our city manager has considerable say of the kinds and severity of penalties for those who fail to comply. I'll wager Wally will go easy on the first pioneers. But the learning curve on LEED is hardly insurmountable. Any contractor who has written a paper for American history at ETHS or managed a character sheet playing World of Warcraft could reliably complete the LEED checklist. Developers should take the course and get on with it.

Developers in turn can stop balking at this minor change in their professional landscape and adapt - to their advantage. The special committee established by the council to review this bill's impact on rehab developments should assist developers while holding firm: ten thousand square foot buildings must comply. Period.

Finally we should maintain realistic expectations for the performance of buildings affected by this ordinance. LEED certification simply means the developers did their job crafting a more sustainable building. It doesn't mean the building will dramatically conserve electricity, heat or water. After all there's the small matter of who lives in the building, and how. Instead of getting hung on the merits of LEED we should instead focus on energy and resource conservation in our own lives. Turn down the thermometer this winter; more sweaters and blankets. Part of demonstrating our civic pride through bills like this is the promise inherent in its passage that we too will walk the walk.

Window to Evanston

Office of Alderman Coleen Burrus

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