Cities Study Green Building Ordinances

Aliso Viejo is one of the newest cities in California and is breaking ground with a plan for a green building ordinance.

Two California cities are studying ordinances that would mandate environmentally-sensitive building details for contractors and do-it-yourselfers.

If passed by Aliso Viejo's city council in Southern California, the rules would require builders to use a combination of solar hot water, ceiling fans and insulated garages to save energy. There would also be requirements for a percentage of recycled materials in decking, railings and trim. The rules would also specify 50 percent faux stone, stone or brick for exterior walls.

Most of the ordinance is designed to save energy, but the council may also require a percentage of porous, permeable hardscape to wick water into local ground and limit runoff to the nearby ocean, Mayor Karl Warkomski told landscapearchitect.com.

If passed, the ordinance would use a point system to have new-home builders comply with a required 60 percent of the specifications and remodelers 50 percent.

Aliso Viejo is the first city in the region to explore such a rule. At least seven other cities have requested copies of the ordinance, city engineer John Whitman said.

At a March council meeting, a Builders Institute of America representative and several homeowners expressed concern that the rules would increase costs.

The ordinance is expected to come before the city council again in June, said Warkomski, a Green Party member.

In the Northern California city of Pleasanton, Mayor Jennifer Hosterman is working to pass a similar ordinance.

--Erik Skindrud