LA to be Largest City to Adopt Green Building Standards

Los Angeles is poised to become the largest city to adopt a green building requirement. Commerical buildings and residential developments over 50,000 sq. ft. would be required to meet a "standard of sustainability," which is LEED certification. A year of consultations led to broad support spanning large developers, the Los Angeles Business Council, building trade unions, the AIA and local green groups.

City Council President Eric Garcetti is quoted in the LA Times as saying, "When you do something this big, it can be quite scary, but this has been an inclusive process. It will lead to a healthier city and a healthier planet." A new Green Team of city agencies will hold monthly public meetings to work on problems and proposals, with the aim of opening the way for innovation.

The Times reports Ken Lewis, president of the architectural firm AC Martin Partners, as advocating "LEED Silver as the minimum" baseline. Having designed for the city, local universities and private developers, Lewis says meeting green standards cost ore fire years ago, but "Today we find no additional project cost to achieve the city's [proposed] baseline standard."

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