AGENDA #10
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TO: |
Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director David Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Coordinator |
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SUBJECT: |
Expansion of the Policy to Encourage Renewable Energy Planning with Rezoning Applications and Accompanying Special Use Permits |
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DATE: |
April 11, 2007 |
This memorandum responds to a petition by the Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (SEE) Committee to expand the Town’s existing policy to encourage renewable energy planning with rezoning applications and accompanying special use permits. The expanded resolution would encourage applicants to include a “20 percent more energy efficient” feature in their development plans. The resolution would also encourage applicants to submit an energy management plan as an element of an applicant’s development proposal. The plan would also include consideration of utilizing sustainable energy sources, as well as the purchase of carbon offset credits and green power production, through coordination with the NC Greenpower program.
On November 12, 2001, the Council adopted a resolution (2001-11-12/R-20) to encourage renewable energy planning in rezoning applications (Attachment 1).
On June 26, 2006, the Council adopted a resolution (2006-06-26/R-27) which identified energy efficiency as a new criterion with which to justify the expedited review of development applications (Attachment 2). Specifically, the resolution stated that in order to be granted expedited processing, the applicant must be actively pursuing LEED Silver certification and an energy efficiency standard which exceeds by 20 percent the standards set in American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standard 90.1-2004.
On September 27, 2006, the Town adopted a resolution (2006-09-27/R-8) to reduce carbon emissions generated in Chapel Hill as of 2005 by 60 percent before 2050 as part of their participation in the community carbon reduction (CRed) Program (Attachment 3).
On March 5, 2007 a Council Member petitioned the Council to expand the November 12, 2001 resolution (2001-11-12/R-20) to encourage renewable energy planning in rezoning applications. The proposed amendment to the 2001 resolution would include language stating the Council’s policy to encourage a standard of energy efficiency which exceeds by 20 percent the standards set by ASHRAE in 2004, and would encourage applicants to include consideration of sustainable energy as an element of new development proposals. The petition was received and referred to staff.
Both the 1989 Comprehensive Plan and the 2000 Comprehensive Plan included provisions encouraging energy conservation and the use of renewable energy in Chapel Hill.
The energy efficiency policy in both versions of the Comprehensive Plan provided a basis on which to address the energy efficiency of private development in the resolution approved by Council in November 2001, which contained the language below.
“The Town has an expectation that any applicants seeking approval of conditional use rezoning applications with an accompanying special use permit will demonstrate consistency with this policy in the Comprehensive Plan by including site planning, landscaping and structure design which maximize the potential for energy conservation and use of renewable energy.”
The resolution was similar to a resolution adopted by the Council in March 2000, which stated the Council’s expectations with respect to an affordable housing component in any residential rezoning application (Attachment 4).
During the current and ongoing process of revising the Comprehensive Plan, the Planning Board has recommended that the staff address the topic of sustainability. Environmental stewardship is one of the three interdependent variables most generally thought of as components of sustainable communities, and one in which the necessity of energy efficiency is most applicable.
Given the adoption of the CRed goals, the Town’s participation in the creation of an Orange County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Strategy, and the Council’s authority to grant expedited processing to development applications on the basis of energy efficiency, we recommend expansion of the 2001 policy.
The attached resolution would establish the expectation that applicants seeking approval of rezoning applications with accompanying special use permits address the energy efficiency of their development proposals by including a “20 percent more energy efficient” feature in their development plans, relative to the energy efficiency standard of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), or other comparable standards generally recognized as applicable to energy consumption in buildings, applicable at the time of application for rezoning with accompanying special use permits.
The resolution would also state the Council’s expectation that applicants submit an energy management plan to address the ongoing energy use of the proposed development as part of their development application. The plan would explore the feasibility of utilizing sustainable energy, currently defined as solar, wind, biofuels, and hydroelectric power, in the proposed development. The plan would also consider the purchase of carbon offset credits and green power production through coordination with the NC Greenpower program.
The proposed structure of the resolution is similar to a March 6, 2000 resolution (2000-03-06/R-4) which states the Council’s expectation for affordable housing as a component of new residential development proposals (Attachment 4).
We recommend that the Council adopt the attached resolution which would update the Council policy to encourage renewable energy planning with rezoning applications. The resolution states that it is the expectation of the Council that applicants seeking approval of rezoning applications include a “20 percent more energy efficient” feature in their plans, and that applicants explore the feasibility of utilizing sustainable energy, the purchase of carbon offset credits, and green power production, as discussed above.