Title
Approving a partial waiver of the Sustainable Building Ordinance for the Baker Park restroom building at 209 Page St. W.
Body
WHEREAS, in January 2018, the City Council of the City of Saint Paul adopted the Sustainable Building Ordinance (Chapter 81) that applies to the planning, design, construction, and operations of (a) New Construction or the Major Renovation of facilities owned or operated by the City of Saint Paul or the HRA, (b) New Construction or the Major Renovation of any facilities of which the City or HRA are, or will become, the sole tenant, and (c) New Construction or Major Renovation of any facilities within the City of Saint Paul receiving more than $200,000 of City Funding; and
WHEREAS, the Ordinance requires that such buildings must be certified under one of the following green building standards: (a) LEED for New Construction and Major Renovation, Certified Silver, Gold, or Platinum, (b) State of Minnesota B3 Guidelines, Certified Compliant, or (c) Saint Paul Port Authority Green Design Review (if applicable), and comply with five additional green requirements found in the Saint Paul Overlay; and
WHEREAS, the Baker Park restroom building is a 528 square foot, three-season restroom and storage facility serving park users and housing operational Parks equipment; the building will be ventilated but not conditioned, with unit heaters provided solely to protect plumbing from freezing; and
WHEREAS, the costs associated with the registration, administration, and certification of one of the rating systems specified in the Ordinance would be disproportionate to the cost of construction of a building of this size and limited seasonal use; and
WHEREAS, the City's Clean Energy Coordinator and the Center for Sustainable Building Research have determined that the SB 2030 energy standard does not apply to a small unconditioned building of this type and that the project will not be registered in the B3 Tracking Tool, consistent with how similar projects have been handled in the past; and
WHEREAS, the Baker Park restroom building will incorporate the applicable requirements of the Saint Paul Overlay portion of the Ordinance into the project design, including water use reduction, ventilation, low-VOC materials, and construction waste diversion; and
WHEREAS, compliance with the relevant requirements of the Overlay portion of the Ordinance can be achieved with lower costs and administrative effort and will ensure that the building reduces the use of potable water and diverts construction waste from landfills; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby waives the requirement in Chapter 81 of the Saint Paul Administrative Code that the Baker Park restroom building be certified under one of the rating systems specified in the Ordinance, and finds that the building is not required to meet those requirements of the Saint Paul Overlay that are not applicable to a seasonal building without heating and cooling.