Long Beach California Votes to Move Forward with Green Building Code Requirements
The City Council of Long Beach, California voted unanimously last week to move forward with the drafting and implementation of final Green Building requirements. Currently, Long Beach has interim Green Building regulations. The interim ordinance requires that all residential development over 50 units and all commercial/industrial development over 50,000 square feet register their project with the US Green Building Council with intent to achieve LEED certification or provide third party verification that the development meets the equivalent of USGBC LEED certification prior to the issuance of Certificate of Occupancy.
The final ordinances may be stricter and have broader implications for the development industry. According to an article in the local Long Beach newspaper, the Grunion Gazette, the new ordinance would require LEED certification or equivalent but be expanded to include all projects regardless of size.
The next step is for the ordinances to be drafted. The City has constituted a Green Ribbon Committee which has been delegated this task.
