 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
A
SKETCH_PAD © Press Release |
||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
CATALYST'S Ackerman & Lassuy Present Green Code Concepts to Yavapai County Officials  PRESCOTT, AZ– Yavapai County joins a growing number of
local jurisdictions across the
U.S. that are seeking to ‘green’ their regulatory devices. Because Yavapai County has experienced over 25% population
growth since 2000
the impact has been felt as a loss of rural culture and character as
well as a diminishment of its open spaces and diverse natural
landscape. Diversity of Issues With governance issues as diverse as water resource management, land use and conservation, transportation planning, public health and safety, and economic development– it is understandable that Yavapai County is looking for ways to address these interrelated issues in more economically and environmentally sustainable (if not regenerative) ways. To this end, in July the Local Code Initiative (LCI)– an informal facilitation group comprised of Catalyst Architecture's Matthew Ackerman, LEED AIA, and Elizabeth Lassuy, along with Michael Frerking of Living Systems Architecture, and several others were invited to participate in a study session and interactive public meeting with the County Commissioners to begin to create region specific guidelines and standards for planning and zoning as well as for building and energy code. In addition to the LCI group, the panel consisted of contributors from various agencies including Gerry Wildeman with the Arizona Department of Water Resources; John Rasmussen with the Yavapai County Water Advisory Committee; Robin Boudreau with Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office; Jack Judd, Chief Building Official for Yavapai County; Suzanne Ehrlich with Yavapai County Environmental Health; and Hoyt Johnson with the Sustainability & Science Impact Center of Prescott College. Building, Planning, & Process In the July 11th Yavapai County Commissioner’s study session, Elizabeth Lassuy introduced and discussed the The ‘Greening Process’ of local jurisdictions. Elizabeth addressed how County officials can not only take a leadership position within their communities, but also offer oversight from the larger regional perspective, i.e. planning, transportation, resource management and economic development, down to very specific and close-up perspectives such as those in the building codes. Matthew Ackerman presented ideas and strategies for ‘Sustainable Planning,’ addressing diverse and interrelated topics such as neighborhood design, water management and conservation, local food production, public transportation, open space planning, and preservation. Michael Frerking contributed specifics ideas on the potential economic benefit of County initiatives which promote Energy Efficiency in buildings, renewable energy development, and by adopting an energy code (i.e. the International Code Council’s 2006 Model Energy Code). Resources Made Available In addition to the panel presentation, the LCI group developed a preliminary Resource Notebook for the Commissioners that included information, documentation, and additional resources. Included were examples of possible “Resolutions” adopted by other local jurisdictions that have gone through the process of ‘greening’ their codes and ordinances such as the significant efforts made by the City of Scottsdale, Arizona and Pima County, Arizona; King County, Washington; Alameda County, California; and City of Austin, Texas were included in the Notebook. Also included in the Notebook were in-depth materials such as the Pilot Version of U.S. Green Building Council’s “LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development) Rating System” and the “SmartCode: A Comprehensive Form-Based Planning Ordinance” developed by renowned town planner Andres Duany. The Resource Notebook included white papers and specific website links to highly developed energy-rating systems such as the US Department of Energy ‘Building America Program’ and the International Code Council’s “Model Energy Code” and “International Energy Conservation Code.” The Yavapai County Commissioner’s study session was hoped to be– and was affirmed as only the beginning steps for a significant effort and movement toward greater environmental and economic health for our community. When the question was raised at the conclusion of the discussion, “Shall we continue?” A resounding and unanimous nod and vocal “YES” was expressed by the Commissioners. Next Steps The next meeting with Yavapai County officials is scheduled for Aug. 16th @ 10am, with study sessions planned every 2 weeks between now and the end of October, when there will be a formal submittal of this work to the County Board of Supervisors. The County's hope is to be able to codify this first round of planning and energy code revisions into law by March or April 2008. The "Greening" Process Sustainable Planning Energy Efficiency & 2006 IRC Code Resource Notebook Table of Contents Contributor Bios Suggested Links DCAT- Development Center For Appropriate Technology New Urbanism COTE- AIA's Committee On The Environment Scottsdale Green Building Program US Green Building Council NAHB- National Association of Home Builders ICC- International Code Council |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Click here or on the CATALYST logo above to return to The SKETCH_PAD © | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||