Title
Redevelopment Plan Amendments for the Inclusion of Green Building Concepts in the Downtown Expansion Redevelopment Area (B)
Explanation
On February 19th, 2007, the CRA requested the advisory boards consider incorporating language related to green buildings and energy efficiency into the Downtown Expansion Redevelopment Area Plan, if that language was not already present. Environmentally friendly construction, or "green building" as it is often called, aims to achieve sustainability by incorporating principles, techniques, and materials that conserve natural resources and improve environmental quality throughout a building's entire life-cycle. Inclusion of these concepts in the Redevelopment Plan is necessary in order to authorize green building and/or energy efficiency requirements for CRA projects, whether supported through investment or tax increment recapture. It was determined that the Downtown Redevelopment Plan lacked language addressing green buildings. DRAB approved the concept at the March 28, 2007 meeting. At those times, the advisory board asked staff to incorporate language in the districts' Redevelopment Plan such that green building concepts, energy efficiency, resource conservation, and LEED (or equivalent) certification are well supported in the document. Staff subsequently drafted proposed language supporting green buildings to be included in both the Downtown Redevelopment Plan.
The amendments to the Downtown Plan are located in the "Redevelopment Plan & Implementation" section of the document. This section describes the overall goals for Downtown and includes lists of specific objectives for the various subsections of the Redevelopment Area (which are identified as the Central Business District, Transitional Industrial Areas, Commercial Corridors, and Downtown Neighborhoods). Language supporting green building practices and energy efficiency has been incorporated into both the district-wide general goals, and the more...
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