The Marin County Board of Supervisors pushed its staff last week to adopt more ambitious requirements for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in new multi-family homes and commercial projects, a sticking point that temporarily delayed an update to the county’s green building requirements.
In a proposal that would boost standards for new buildings, additions and many remodels, the community development agency proposed requiring that developers devote 10 percent of spaces in new parking lots to be electric vehicle charging “ready,” and 10 percent of spaces “capable” for future installation.
“But why not 100 percent capable?” Supervisor Katie Sears asked at last week’s first reading of the ordinance. “This is a decision that is going to have some future survivability, so I’m going to push you here.”
The other supervisors agreed that 100 percent capability was non-negotiable, but wanted to keep the percentage of parking spaces “ready” for electric charging at 10 percent.
As a result of the proposed changes, county staff will revise and bring the ordinance back for another first reading next month. Assuming the board gives its approval at that reading, a merit hearing will likely be held in April.
Though Marin County operates under the state’s building code, which is updated every three years, it has set more stringent standards for the unincorporated areas of the county since 2002.
The county staff’s current proposal initiates an amendment to the building code and updates the county’s green building ordinance, last overhauled in 2010, reflecting new technologies and practices in the industry. The requirements address what county planner Alice Zanmiller said was a frustration from the building community over a lack of consistency in standards across the county. She said they wrote the amendment so that other jurisdictions within the county could easily adopt it.
In addition to addressing electric car charging capability, the proposed update includes requirements for new homes greater than 4,000 square feet to either create as much electricity as they use annually on site or else comply with alternatives that would mitigate consumption in other, comparable ways.
Lastly, green building standards for all projects in unincorporated Marin currently require a checklist that demonstrates that the project has achieved a number of points. By measuring compliance this way, the county allows applicants to underachieve on measures in one category, such as energy efficiency, but make up points in other areas.
“While the county wants to encourage broader green building measures, the reduction of energy use in new buildings is a key part of making homes comfortable, cost-effective and less carbon intensive,” the staff report on the amendment states.