On February 15th, the Planning and Land Use Committee of the Los Angeles City Council approved a landmark Green building ordinance whose rules require that all major commercial and residential developments cut energy and water use. Buildings of 50,000 square feet in floor space would be covered, and would have to incorporate a schedule of Green practices into their design.
The measure had been supported by a variety of local environmental groups, including the PIPE labor-management trust. PIPE has been a strong supporter of Green efforts on the local level and expects to encourage more cities to enact rules promoting conservation of resources.
The new ordinance will use the LEED standard of the U.S. Green Building Council as a guideline for its provisions.
This new measure makes Los Angeles the largest American city to enact Green building standards for private-sector construction; other local cities with Green standards include Pasadena, Santa Monica, Long Beach and West Hollywood.
Michael McGrorty
