TOWN OF HINESBURG
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
November 29, 2006
Commission Members Present: Kay Ballard,
George Bedard, Joe Donegan, Carrie Fenn, Fred Haulenbeek, Joe Iadanza, Johanna
White
Commission Members Absent: Jean Isham, Nancy
Norris
Also Present: Alex
Weinhagen (Director of Planning and Zoning), Peter Erb (Zoning
Administrator), Karen Cornish (Recording Secretary),
Wendy Patterson, Karla Munson, George Munson, Bill Marks, Charlie Marks, Carol
Jenkins, Ken Brown, Bill Maclay, David Fenn, Jon Trefry, Howard Russell, Craig
Chevrier, Paul Wieczoreck, Andrea Morgante, David Blittersdorf, Chuck Reiss, Maura O’Dea, Tom Hengelsberg.
The meeting began at approximately 7:40 p.m.
I. Village Growth Project
Representatives of
the Vermont Green Building Network (VGBN) were invited to share green building
concepts, strategies, and examples of community initiatives with members of the
Planning Commission and the public. The
VGBN is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to increasing awareness
and participation in green building in Vermont. The meeting began with a presentation by VGBN member Maura O’Dea,
who described five key areas of green building:
She highlighted the following strategies under each area and gave suggestions for how Hinesburg could encourage green building initiatives.
Smart growth; preserve farmland; redevelop brownlands (areas of potential development which may have low-level pollution from previous development and/or require clean-up); provide alternative transportation; reduce light pollution.
For Hinesburg: provide incentives for dense development, preservation of rural landscapes and trails, carpooling and the reduction of lighting pollution in rural areas.
Water Conversation
Install high efficiency/low flow
fixtures; use greywater (any water that has been used in the home, except water
from toilets) for irrigation; use rainwater catchment and reuse systems and
green roof systems; reduce landscape irrigation; plant native species.
For Hinesburg: protect natural
waterways and wetlands; provide incentives for minimizing water use.
Alex stated we don’t have local wastewater regulations and that permitting is done by the State. He inquired about greywater use; Maura replied that the State of Vermont has recently permitted and installed re-use systems.
Improve the building envelope (a home’s walls, roof, windows
and foundation); commission building systems; use natural ventilation and
daylighting systems; install high-efficiency light fixtures and mechanical
systems; encourage the use of windpower, photovoltaics, solar hot water, and
hydropower.
For Hinesburg: Provide
incentives for building performance ratings beyond those required in the 2007
building codes; encourage wind power by making it possible in all zoning
districts.
Carrie asked for clarification of code for residential building. Maura replied there are guidelines for residential building, but 2007 code applies to commercial buildings. Alex added that although building codes don’t apply to residences, energy codes do. He said Vermont’s residential code is older than its commercial code, and inquired as to how it compared to other states’ codes. Maura replied that Vermont residential codes were sufficient but that there was no verification process to see if codes were met. She described the Energy Star rated homes program available through Efficiency Vermont, and suggested Hinesburg utilize their services as part of the building process. She said towns could require or give preferential treatment to developers if rating program standards were met, using some form of verification (building inspectors, a blower door test, etc.).
Select durable materials that are renewable, reused, or recycled; develop a construction waste management plan; reuse and renovate existing buildings.
For Hinesburg: Provide incentives; require developers
to provide a demo and waste management plan.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Provide daylighting and views; provide thermal comfort; develop a construction air quality plan; specify low-emitting materials and control pollutants.
For Hinesburg: Provide information packets to homeowners and developers; provide incentives for meeting LEED (see below) criteria.
Maura discussed the LEED rating system, a green building certification program administered by the US Green Building Council (USBGC). The following description is from the USBGC website:
“The
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating
System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and
operation of high performance green buildings.
LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing
performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site
development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor
environmental quality. The LEED
Rating System was created to transform the built environment to sustainability
by providing the building industry with consistent, credible standards for what
constitutes a green building. The rating system is developed and continuously
refined via an open, consensus-based process…”
Maura provided examples other communitys’ initiatives, such as tax incentives and priority permitting for green projects.
· Energy Star (energystar.gov) - government-backed program focused on energy efficiency
· US Green Building Council (usgbc.org) - developed and oversees the LEED rating system
· Building for Social Responsibility (bsr-vt.org)
– hosts seminars and workshops; BSR is the Vermont chapter of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA)
· Vermont Builds Greener (vermontbuildsgreener.org)
– an initiative of BSR, certifies residential buildings constructed to sustainable
criteria.
· Vermont Green Builders Network (vgbn.org)
– professional organization; VGBN is a chapter of the US Green Building Council.
· Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (vsjf.org)
VGBN member Tom Hengelsberg passed out a numbered “brainstorming list” entitled “Ideas For Encouraging Green Building”. He said Hinesburg has already addressed several green building goals in its Town Planning Charette, namely a compact village center and multi-modal transportation. By number corresponding to the list, the following comments were made by Tom unless otherwise noted:
1) Local tax credits - Alex mentioned the equipment tax incurred by some businesses in Hinesburg and suggested this may be a good place to provide an incentive.
2) Incentives for high-performance features - towns needed to figure out where incentive money would come from.
3) Well-designed infrastructures – keep the downtown core compact
4) Increase permitting densities – keep downtown buildings very dense
5) Density bonuses for building green – floor area ratio bonuses, can build bigger or taller on same site.
6) Increase predictability of permitting process – reduce costs to developers by making process simpler. Submissions are likely to be more complete and easier to fast track.
Fred asked if there was a conflict with providing density bonuses and affordable housing bonuses at the same. Tom said it was conceivable that a developer could go for both, or they may have to take one over the other. Fred asked how much more expensive “green” is versus “affordable”. Tom replied that although no formal study has been done, anecdotally green costs between 3% and 10% more. An analysis using a cost estimate on the same building done both ways needs to be done. A building designed to be high performance can in some cases purchase smaller mechanical systems, reducing costs.
Bill Marks asked if there was a certification program to monitor builders. Tom described a bond program in which the builder puts funds up in the form of a bond; the funds are returned to or forfeited by the builder, depending on whether the building meets program requirements upon inspection. He added that this was a voluntary program, however, with no force of law behind it. Maura said there are national LEED overseers who will provide a certificate to builders, who then go back to the town. LEED also documents both the design and build processes.
Bill Marks suggested that with a density bonus (floor area ratio), if a building failed certification, it would not be compliant (due to variance in height, e.g.). With an incentive-based program, the building would be compliant; the builder would just lose the incentive. Alex suggested withholding the certificate of occupancy until conditions are satisfied.
Bill Maclay suggested that photovoltaics could be added either to the project building, or to another building in town (as an offset). He also suggested awarding incentives in phase construction; density bonus buildings would be awarded only after conditions are satisfied on the initial project buildings.
11) Create a lending fund – Andrea Morgante suggested graduated building fees; non-green project fees would be higher; the difference from those fees go to fund green initiatives
12) Provide carbon offsets – Johanna called this a “local Kyoto treaty”. Craig Chevrier said there is a local organization that facilitates a carbon credit system. Maura said builders could receive incentives for purchasing green power with Green Mountain Power. Joe Donegan mentioned the organization “Carbon Farmers of America”, of St. Albans.
19) Wind and Solar zoning – Tom suggests writing a zoning ordinance specifically permitting residential-scale wind turbines and solar arrays in all zones.
24) Identify high-value properties from a green standpoint – there was a discussion of white versus black roofs; white roofs are a good choice for flat-roofed, commercial buildings, as most of their energy costs are cooling-related.
Fred asked what the major differences are between conventional and green residential buildings. Alex referred to a higher performing “building envelope” of a green home, meaning the walls, windows, roof and insulation. He asked about the Efficiency Vermont rating system. Tom explained that this provides a certification on energy efficiency, but that Vermont Builds Greener and LEEDs provides a more holistic certification that includes the building process, the larger building site, etc.
Chuck Reiss, owner of Reiss Building and Renovation and Chairperson of Vermont Builds Greener (VBG), presented highlights from a pilot program now available through VBG. He explained that both VBG and the national US Green Building Council (USGBC) offered comparable “checklist” and certification programs, although VBG’s had a few more requirements. Chuck explained the new pilot program was a meld of the VBG program and USGBC’s “LEED for homes” program. He is presently doing workshops throughout the state. Tonight’s presentation was based on a workshop entitled “Residential Green Building: A Workshop for Building Professionals”, and could be used as a informational tool by the Planning Commission towards better understanding and implementation of green building initiatives.
Chuck said the VBG program addressed the lack of state residential building codes and certification processes, by requiring written and photographic documentation throughout the entire design and building phases of a project. He explained the basic components of the program, as well as the four certification levels (certification, silver, gold, and platinum) awarded at the end of the project. He described VBG as an umbrella organization working with other programs, such as the national Energy Star (ES) program (administered locally by Efficiency Vermont). The VBG program utilizes the ES indoor air quality program, as well as their energy rating program (homeowners are required to receive a 5-star ES rating). He said the final requirement in the program is to provide homeowners with a comprehensive walk-through and owner’s manual.
Bill Marks asked if a development’s entire site was considered under the program, as opposed to just the immediate house site. Chuck responded yes, the VBG program automatically addresses many of the protective measures outlined in the LEED Neighborhoods program. He said that program is not yet available here, but builders can use guidelines available through the Vermont Forum on Sprawl. Andrea Morgante emphasized the need to address building sites and forest conservation. Maura noted that the town of Newton, Massachusetts charged high fees to cut down trees for development.
Chuck then discussed average home sizes nationally, and stated keeping square footage small was the first step towards building a greener home. He said that the point system helped to deal with the size factor by requiring, for instance, less checklist items for smaller homes.
Fred asked if air-conditioning was allowed under the program. Chuck replied yes, but that his group did not advocate it. There was some discussion about a home’s building envelope and the use of renewable energy sources. Wendy Patterson asked what the best “renewables” investment was. Chuck replied that it was the use of solar hot water. The payback for photovoltaics (PVs) was longer but also substantial; he added that incentives for PVs were also substantial, noting an average $10K reimbursement incentive (combined, from federal and state incentive programs) on a $25K investment. David Blittersdorf felt solar hot water should be used in every home, as it amounted to cutting ½ as much use as conventional systems.
Alex stated that the information provided by Chuck could be useful in setting policy for the Town of Hinesburg. Chuck noted that the state is looking at progressive electrical rate structures, meaning a household using higher levels of electricity would be charged at a higher rate. Funds generated from the difference in rates would go towards funding green initiatives. He suggested Hinesburg could institute a similar concept with progressive permit rates, lessening fees for projects that contained green building initiatives.
II. Other Business:
Minutes of the November 8, PC Meeting
George MOVED to approve the minutes as written. Carrie
SECONDED the motion. The motion PASSED 6 – 0, with Joe Donegan abstaining.
Commission members then provided various reports of
conferences or meetings they attended:
Vermont Building Solutions: People Creating Healthy
Communities
This annual conference was held on November 11th, at
Vermont Technical College in Randolph, Vermont, and was attended by Jean and Carrie. Carrie attended four workshops (Healthy
Communities, Energy, Transportation, and Homegrown Economies) and said the
conference was very well attended.
NRG Luncheon with Bill McKibben
Johanna, Jean, Carrie and Alex attended this luncheon,
where nationally known writer and speaker Bill McKibben presenting his basic
thesis, that communities must act quickly to address global warming.
Ed McMahon, Urban Land Institute
Johanna, Alex and Andrea Morgante went to hear this
speaker, who delivered a similar message on controlling sprawl and introducing
green initiatives.
Alex then provided an update on the November 14th
community visit, describing the four workshops that were formed, and noting the
third and final visit will take place on December 14th. Andrea Morgante clarified this was not the
end of the process, only that these were the final visits by the Vermont
Council on Rural Development team.
Alex discussed topics that needed to be discussed within
the next few Commission meetings. Those
are:
-
affordable housing (e.g.
inviting a speaker from Champlain Housing Trust)
-
ancient roads project (update
by Howdy Russell)
-
Conservation Committee update
-
green building (review this
evening’s information)
He expressed a desire to create a draft document detailing
the past 18 months work on the “Village Growth Project” project. He hopes to include language from proposals
submitted by commission members in a package review by the commission and the
public. Members discussed this process;
Alex assured them that nothing was final, that he wished to get something into
the hands of the public in order to schedule a public hearing.
Alex passed out budget information, asking for feedback by
Monday, December 11th. Carla
Munson announced that a meeting to address public transportation issues would
take place at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 13th, at Town Hall
in the lower level conference room.
The next Planning Commission meeting is Wednesday, December
13th, 2006.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:05 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted:
Karen Cornish
Recording Secretary