More Scottsdale Homes Going Green

By Anthony Floyd, City of Scottsdale Sustainable Building Manager

Scottsdale's Green Building Program reached a major milestone with the issuance of 463 green building permits in 2005. In 2005, 33% of all single-family residential building permits adhered to the city's green building program standards. A year-end comparison to 2004 activity reflects a 21% increase in green building permits and a 189% increase in green housing starts. Since 1998, the city has issued 932 green building permits.

Scottsdale's program was established in 1998 as Arizona's first Green Building Program with an emphasis on residential home construction. The program's goals are to reduce the environmental impact of building; achieve both short and long-term savings of energy, water and other natural resources; and encourage a healthier indoor environment.

A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center found that nearly half (46 %) of consumers expecting to buy a newly built home or spend more than $10,000 on renovations in the coming year are eager to incorporate green features into their homes. A key finding of the survey is that respondents do not consider the cost of green building features an obstacle to their use.

Scottsdale is nationally recognized as a governmental leader in Green Building. In March of 2005, Scottsdale became the first city in the nation to adopt the national LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Standard for Green Building. Resolution No. 6644 requires all new city buildings to be designed and built to achieve certification in the LEED Program at the Gold certification level. The new Scottsdale Senior Center, located at McDowell Village, will be the first LEED Gold city facility. Construction began at the beginning of 2005 and is slated for completion by March 2006.

The ASU Foundation has committed to LEED certification for the new ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center (being constructed on the southeast corner of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads). It will be the largest commercial project in the city with LEED certification. The city has developed a local commercial green building standard that builds upon the success of its residential green building program.

For more information visit - www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/greenbuilding