Overland Park is still working on a new code that seeks to increase the sustainability of new and renovated city facilities, but two of its city council committees have offered different recommendations on how to proceed.
Earlier this week, the Overland Park City Council Community Development Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of green building objectives for the city. Their recommendation includes a requirement to achieve a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council or an equivalent certification when its feasible and appropriate.
That diverges from the recommendation offered by the Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee last month, which stopped short of requiring a certification, instead offering guidance on minimum requirements on project elements like energy efficiency, green infrastructure and landscaping.
The Community Development Committee’s version of the green building objective does fall in line with the recommendations from the Overland Park Environmental Advisory Council.
Regardless of which version — or if an entirely different version — of the proposed green building objectives is ultimately adopted by the full Overland Park City Council later this month, it would only apply to the construction of new city facilities or major renovations at existing city-owned facilities.
What would a LEED Silver certification mean?
Overland Park has never LEED certified one of its city facilities before, though Tony Rome, city facilities manager, said some recent city building projects — including the Firehouse No. 41 rebuild — likely could have qualified for a basic LEED certification.
LEED is a rating system that ranges from “certified” to “platinum” based on sustainability in construction and building operations. It evaluates things like sustainability of building materials, biodiversity, water quality preservation and transportation access, among other variables.
A LEED Silver certification would require the city to earn more points on the LEED scoring rubric in its projects than a basic certification requires. To be specific, a basic certification requires at least 40 points, while a Silver certification requires at least 50.
As such, Rome said it might require more investment in new building and renovation projects, but he noted that it would be hard to quantify just how much more and it could fluctuate from project to project. Additionally, getting LEED certification does come with some additional fees.
Under the recommendation the Community Development Committee offered Monday, there is some wiggle room that would allow exceptions to the certification requirements if it is inappropriate or unfeasible, particularly on renovation projects but also possibly on new construction. Exceptions would require approval from the city council.
Committee wanted “aspirational” goals in green code
- The Community Development Committee was broadly supportive of taking the extra step to default to requiring certification with room for exceptions, with Councilmember Inas Younis saying she thinks “it’s good to be aspirational.”
- Other members of the committee agreed.
- “If we do not start out the design process with certification in mind, it’s way more costly to do it after the fact and arguments will happen,” said Councilmember Chris Newlin, who chairs the committee.
- Council President Logan Heley also pointed out that the city seeks out and pays for accreditation processes for things like parks and recreation, public safety and public works.
- “As we’re looking to build buildings that we’re hoping to last 50 years or more, I think it’s really important that we spend less than we spend in a year on one of those accreditations on ensuring that we’re getting what we’re paying for,” he said.
- Councilmember Scott Mosher was initially skeptical about requiring a certification, but he eventually voted with the majority in favor of it because there would be an ability to opt-out.
City staff proposed a basic green building code
The sustainability building code proposal follows the city’s previous endorsement of the KC Regional Climate Action Plan, which strives to bring new local government buildings to net zero by 2030 among other goals.
City staff had originally drafted the green building objectives with input from various departments.
The resulting recommendation didn’t include a LEED or equivalent certification requirement, but included minimum requirements such as:
- Electricity-only for primary energy sources in appropriate buildings with an emphasis on on-site energy generation through rooftop solar panels or other means
- Landscaping that requires less water, reduces erosion, prioritizes pollinators and has appropriate shrub and tree plantings
- Internal water conservation elements, like low-flow toilets and sensored sinks
- Energy efficiency, as measured by an ENERGY STAR score of 80 or higher
Read the full resolution as drafted and the proposed checklist for city projects here.
The city’s Environmental Advisory Council did endorse those minimum standards, but also suggested few extra bullet points, including:
- Achieving LEED Silver certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council on new and renovated city buildings or obtaining an equal certification
- Or meeting a handful of other requirements related to tree planting, low-carbon energy sources and air quality
The advisory council also recommended revisiting the green building objectives within a year of adoption.
Next steps:
- The green building objectives go to the full city council for consideration next.
- The item is scheduled for the Dec. 16 meeting.
- Instead of being presented as part of the agenda from a city council committee — which is how city business is usually conducted — the proposed codes will be presented by the city manager since it took the unusual path through two committees.
More on Overland Park’s sustainability efforts: Overland Park plans to make all of its operations sustainable — but how?
