Overland Park has adopted a new green code designed to increase the sustainability of new and renovated city facilities.
On Monday, the Overland Park City Council unanimously approved green building objectives requiring a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council or an equivalent certification when feasible and appropriate.
“It’s going to deliver long-term operational savings that will benefit our taxpayers and better buildings that will benefit our staff,” said Councilmember Melissa Cheatham.
These new green building rules only apply to the construction of new city facilities or major renovations at existing city-owned facilities. They have no bearing on any private buildings or city facilities that aren’t slated for renovations.
What does LEED Silver certification mean?
- 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, landscaping, water quality preservation and transportation access, among other variables.
- So far, Overland Park has yet to certify a city facility under the LEED framework.
- However, some recent city building projects, such as the Firehouse No. 41 rebuild, could have qualified for a basic LEED certification, City Facilities Manager Tony Rome said previously.
- A LEED Silver certification would require the city to earn more points on the LEED scoring rubric than a basic certification. (Basic certification requires at least 40 points, while a Silver certification requires at least 50.)
- There is some flexibility in Overland Park’s green building code that would allow city council-approved exceptions to the certification requirements.
‘A very tangible step’
- During the city council meeting this week, several individuals spoke during public comment in favor of the certification, many of whom represented or are involved with the U.S. Green Building Council, or USGBC.
- Erika Winters-Downey, a structural engineer who chairs the Kansas City area USGBC board, was among them, advocating for a certification requirement.
- “I think adopting this measure is a very tangible step that you are taking those steps towards [the regional Climate Acton Plan],” she said.
Green building code took an unusual path
In Overland Park, most action items go to a city council committee before they come to the full city council for consideration. In that same vein, they rarely go to two committees before coming to the full council.
But the city-facility green building code did, appearing at both the Community Development Committee and Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee in the last few weeks.
That’s because, City Manager Lori Curtis Luther explained on Monday, the finance committee usually has jurisdiction over items related to city facilities, while the other committee takes on environmental issues. Since the green building code touched both purviews, it was sent to both committees before coming to the full city council.
The code ultimately adopted this week matches what was recommended by the Community Development Committee earlier this month. The adopted green building code also falls in line with the suggestions offered by the Environmental Advisory Council in the past that included a certification requirement.
However, it diverges from the recommendation offered by the finance committee last month, which instead offered guidance on minimum requirements on project elements like energy efficiency and stopped short of requiring certification.
More on Overland Park’s sustainability efforts: Overland Park plans to make all of its operations sustainable — but how?
