Amid concerns for both Evanston’s economy and environment, locals voiced their opinions on green construction at a meeting of the Human Services Committee Monday.
At the meeting, Evanston residents spoke about the Green Building Ordinance, which was drafted by the Evanston Environment Board. The board proposes the adoption of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System for certain building types in Evanston, but many expressed concerns about the project’s costs.
Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) cited the need to look closer at the cost of the ordinance.
“It’s difficult in this current economic climate for anyone to build,” he said. “We need to look more into the cost, and have greater discussion at the committee level.”
The LEED Rating System is a measure of the degree to which building projects are environmentally responsible and healthy places to live and work. Standards include lower operating costs, reduced waste, conservation of water and energy, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
New commercial buildings of more than 10,000 square feet, as well as commercial renovations and build-outs, would have to comply with these standards under the proposed ordinance. Failure to comply with the new standards would yield penalties, which could include revocation of the building’s certificate of occupancy.
The ordinance presented to the committee on Monday included some adjustments to the original proposal, which was first discussed in July. Responding to issues regarding the proposed level of LEED certification, the Environment Board reduced its suggested standards for new buildings from Gold to Silver LEED certification. The chairman of the Environment Board said current city codes meet LEED certification and reaching Silver certification is the next step.
However, some committee members, Northwestern students and Evanston residents in attendance were concerned by other elements of the ordinance. They brought up increased construction costs and suggested that affordable housing projects might be terminated as a result. The chairman of the Environment Board agreed that construction costs might rise, but argued that residents would ultimately benefit from lower energy bills.
Weinberg senior Eric De Feo said that Students for Ecological and Environmental Development (SEED) has plans to take the concept of green living further. This is a particularly sensitive topic for De Feo, who is interested in pursuing a career in green design and architecture.
“SEED is interested in moving toward self-sustaining development,” said De Feo, who thinks having LEED-certified buildings in Evanston is important.
The committee voted to hold the ordinance, and will re-address it in December after discussing it further with developers in the community.
