19.51.050 Sustainability standards

Eligible projects must include design elements or features that meet the following sustainability standards set forth in this section.

(A) Stormwater and drainage. A stormwater pollution prevention plan to minimize contamination, erosion, and dust pollution during construction. All stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces (roofs and paving) must be routed through a specially designed water quality detention and treatment basin. On-site detention must be provided to meet the City of American Canyon standards.

(B) Storage and collection of recyclable materials. Provide readily accessible areas that serve the entire building and are identified for the depositing, storage and collection of nonhazardous materials for recycling.

(C) Construction waste management, including recycling. A minimum of 65 percent diversion of construction and demolition waste from landfills. All of trees, stumps, rocks and associated vegetation and soils resulting from land clearing shall be reused or recycled.

(D) Environmental tobacco smoke control.

(E) Light pollution reduction.

(1) All exterior site lighting, including mounted building lighting and lighting within the parking areas and along walkways shall provide a minimum of 1-foot candle illumination in these areas.

(2) Lighting shall be shielded as appropriate and avoid light spillage or glare from the project site.

(3) Exterior light fixtures on buildings shall be shielded to return potential light glare and impacts.

(F) Water-efficient landscaping.

(1) The project shall be landscaped using plants adapted to the of American Canyon climate. Low-water-use plants shall be primarily used, with moderate water use plants used at accent points, such as driveways and building entries.

(2) The project shall comply with Section 8.20.110 of the City of American Canyon Municipal Code, known as the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO).

(3) The landscape palette shall not include oleander.

(4) All landscaping shall be designed to use recycled water for irrigation. Recycled water landscaping shall be designed to comply with California Code of Regulations Title 22 and shall include design details to prevent runoff of recycled water. The irrigation system shall include an evapotranspiration/automatic (or smart) (ET/SMART) irrigation controller.

(G) Water use reduction methods.

(1) The project shall comply with the City's Zero Water Footprint policy adopted by the City Council on October 23, 2007. In this policy, "Zero Water Footprint" is defined as "no loss in reliability or increase in water rates for existing water service customers due to new demand for water within the City's Water Service Area.

(2) All buildings shall be dual plumbed to use recycled water for non-potable uses.

(H) Use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting sealants, adhesives, coatings, floorings, and wood materials.

(1) "Low-VOC" architectural coatings used during project construction shall not exceed 50 grams of reactive organic gases (ROG) or VOC per liter of product.

(I) Roof structures that are designed to accommodate additional weight for roof-top photovoltaic electricity generation panel arrays.

(J) California Green Building Code compliant electric vehicle charging stations must be provided as follows:

(1) Parking areas for passenger automobiles and trucks shall be designed and constructed to accommodate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. At a minimum, the parking shall be designed to accommodate a number of EV charging stations equal to the Tier 2 Nonresidential Voluntary Measures of the California Green Building Standards Code, Section A5.106.5.3.2 (or a successor section as it exists at the time of project approval).

(2) According to California Building Code section 11B-228.3.2.1, the applicable number of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) and van accessible EVCS spaces for the employee parking lot must be provided.

(K) Application of United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM) techniques and practices to the project design and construction.

(L) Covered parking for bicycles.

(M) Preservation of open space and wetlands either onsite or offsite.

(N) Greenhouse gas emissions and energy.

(1) Buildings shall be designed and constructed to, at a minimum, the Tier 2 advanced energy efficiency requirements of the Nonresidential Voluntary Measures of the California Green Building Standards Code, Division A5.2, Energy Efficiency, as outlined under Section A5.203.1.2.2.

(2) Parking areas for passenger automobiles and trucks shall be designed and constructed to accommodate electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. At a minimum, the parking shall be designed to accommodate a number of EV charging stations equal to the Tier 2 Nonresidential Voluntary Measures of the California Green Building Standards Code, Section A5.106.5.3.2.

(3) Electricity demand will be satisfied with 100 percent carbon-free electricity sources, through means such as on-site solar panels, through the year 2045.

(4) To the extent permitted by federal law, the project shall be designed without the use of natural gas-fueled appliances or natural gas plumbing. If, in the judgment of the City Attorney at the time of City review of a proposed project, the City Attorney determines that the City is precluded by the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. § 6291 et seq.) from using its police power or building code(s) to prohibit the proposed project from using natural gas, the applicant may seek to obtain the streamlining benefits of this Chapter (19.54) by voluntarily foregoing the use of natural gas in its proposed qualifying project. Such a voluntary proposal shall be reflected in the submission of project documents and plans showing an absence of natural gas piping and other infrastructure.

(5) Project applicants shall incorporate GHG-reducing construction best management practices (BMPs), including use of alternative fueled construction vehicles and equipment, the use of local building materials, and the recycling and reuse of construction waste.

(6) Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for the project shall be 15 percent or more below the regional average. As part of the project application, the applicant shall submit a transportation study prepared by a qualified transportation engineer or consultant demonstrating that VMT for both anticipated employee trips and anticipated truck trips associated with project operations will be at least 15 percent below the regional average, with the affected "region" being the nine-county geographic area (Bay Area) subject to the planning jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.