Posted on 12/13/2007 1:55:58 PM PST by DesScorp
San Francisco is on track to having the country's most stringent environmentally friendly building standards after Mayor Gavin Newsom introduced a measure Wednesday that would drastically alter the city's building codes.
If the Board of Supervisors approves the legislation, new residential and commercial buildings in the city would be required to meet tough environmental guidelines, making San Francisco "the greenest large city in the United States of America," Newsom said.
"I will sign it, fast track it," the mayor said Wednesday. "As far as I'm concerned, if you want to do business in San Francisco ... these are going to be the minimum requirements. Anyone who's got to process a permit should be on notice."
The ordinance would require that new residential buildings over 75 feet tall, new commercial buildings over 5,000 square feet and renovations on buildings over 25,000 square feet comply with stringent standards developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
By 2012, new projects and renovations would be required to comply with the strictest levels of those standards known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED. Last year, the city began fast-tracking permits for developers who voluntarily met the LEED standards.
"In some respects, buildings are our legacy. They're our heritage," said Phil Williams, vice president of Webcor Builders, one of the city's largest private builders, and chairman of the city task force that earlier this year recommended the new building requirements. "Buildings last 50, 75, 100, 150 years, and they don't get better once they're done. We thought it was extremely important for us to make an impact now, not just for our own lives but (for) the next generation of San Franciscans."
(Excerpt) Read more at freerepublic.com ...
Or the large city with the least new construction.
Or a whole raft of new buildings that come in just under the mandated minimum sizes or buildings just outside SF but with access to SF. This could be Oakland’s opportunity to get ahead.
need pic of what you mean
First it was pink, now its green. What color next, gay boy?
SF.....................DNC..................................RNC...........................Center........................................................................................................................
.....1......................2......................3................4.................................5..............................................................................................................................
This nation is so wigged out that everything is skewed left of center.
San Francisco is way out on the lefternmost end of the scale.
Kucininch, Pelosi, Ried and company are around the 1 point on this scale.
Ted is somewhere floating in the ozone between 1 and 2.
A few Repbulicans wind up in the 3 hole due to ignorance.
The RNC has trod off into the sunset trailing after the DNC.
Conservatives or what is generally referred to as right of center, is actually about where the center should be.
Why doesn’t he worry about the billion dollar deficit his state is headed for?
“need pic of what you mean”
Just do a web search for “LEED Certified Building”, and you’ll see a lot of them, especially via google images. Because of the mandate for lots of glass, LEED buildings tend to be ugly, modernist boxes, with no soul. Most employees hate LEED buildings because they eliminate offices almost altogether, forcing people to work in communal pools, with rationed access to electricity...things like personal heaters and coffeemakers are banned in most LEED buildings, for instance.
Are they Earthquake safe?
The political football has been moved LEFT as RINOs leave the Democrat party in name (to distance themselves from the 1968-Lib radicals who run the party now) but maintain their political positions.
The traditional GOP members are suddenly cast as “extremists” for holding ground.
It is a win win for the Left. The yellow dogs need to cast the Reds out.
“Are they Earthquake safe?”
That probably doesn’t matter to this crowd. Dead citizens are good for the environment.
Get ready for buildings that in ten years, will look like condemned project housing.
A microcosm of society...
“Most employees hate LEED buildings because they eliminate offices almost altogether, forcing people to work in communal pools, with rationed access to electricity...things like personal heaters and coffeemakers are banned in most LEED buildings, for instance.”
We are going to take things away from you for your own good...
Get used to mandated light bulbs, rationed because of disposal problems, rationed toilet water in mandated low flow toilets, rationed toilet paper (we can’t spare a square)...
"mud" huts in San FranSicko.
Hoodathunk?
I agree with your thoughts on this. I’m just not sure how you defeat the down sides you mention. I’ll give it some thought.
I don’t see how you simply kick folks out. What do you base that on? Seems like an iffy proposition to me.
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