Bill Penny
Bill Penny

Bill Penny is a Member in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison. He is a member of the firm's Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Service Group as well as the Green Industry Practice Group. Bill has more than 25 years experience in environmental law. You can contact him at william.penny@stites.com or by phone at 615-782-2308.

Bill Penny
Christina Davidow

Christina Bodewig Davidow is an Associate in the Nashville office of Stites & Harbison and a LEED Accredited Professional. She is a member of both the Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Service Group as well as the Green Industry Practice Group. She may be contacted at christina.davidow@stites.com or by phone at 615-782-2323.

green building

A Decent Proposal In Atlanta: Proposed Sustainable Building Code Ordinance Put to a Vote Tomorrow

09.14.09 2:26 AM
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Tomorrow, the Atlanta CD/HR committee is slated to vote on whether to allow the first sustainable building ordinance of its magnitude to proceed through to the City Council.  The City has already required that all “city financed” buildings be LEED Silver since 2003; the proposed ordinance would apply to a broader category of buildings. 

The proposed ordinance seeks to add the “Sustainable Building Code for New Construction Except Low Rise Residential” to its existing building code. The ordinance names LEED, Earthcraft and Green Globes as third party certifiers and would only apply to those buildings that are 20,000 feet and above, and non-residential buildings that are taller than three stories.  
 
Like LEED, the ordinance sets up a system whereby the “Atlanta Sustainable Building Standards” establishes standards for the following criteria: site improvements; water use efficiency; energy; indoor environmental quality; the building’s impact on atmosphere, materials, and resources; and construction and operation plans.  The plan requires a carbon neutral footprint by the year 2030, although in general, it allows for variances in the event of extreme undue hardship.  In addition, the ordinance seeks to impose a requirement that upon completion, the owner compare the actual consumption levels to the model levels. Nonetheless, the proposed ordinance does not appear to require that those results be shared with the City.
 

If the ordinance makes it through the CD/HR Committee, then it will be put to a vote by the City Council on September 22, 2009.  Stay tuned!

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