Costa Mesa adopts energy plan

Lolita Harper

Nobody on the City Council could argue Monday that energy

conservation was crucial, but one council member was concerned with a

proposal to give such environmentally cautious developments priority

over others.

Council members unanimously approved a nationwide energy-saving

program requiring all new city buildings to meet various conservation

requirements -- outlined in the Environmental Protection Agency’s

Energy Star program -- and encouraging private developers to do the

same.

Because the city legally cannot offer any financial incentives for

economic developments -- such as discounted permit fees -- city

planners recommended the city give the Energy Star projects

preference.

Councilwoman Karen Robinson said she was very concerned that there

could be legal consequences to blatantly favoring one type of project

over another.

“Someone else’s project is going to get put somewhere else or

moved aside,” Robinson said. “Have we looked at all of the

ramifications of that and the cost to the city?”

Don Lamm, the assistant city manager, said he did not anticipate a

problem with the priority incentive and predicted that few projects,

if any, would be negatively affected. It depended on the work load,

he said. If there were suddenly dozens of Energy Star projects

flooding City Hall, planners may not have time for other

developments, he said. But that outcome is highly unlikely, he added.

“If we had a couple dozen [energy-saving projects], that would be

great and then you could come back to us if you were drowning [in

work],” Councilwoman Libby Cowan said.

Planning commissioners had outlined energy conservation as one of

their chief goals months ago and recently recommended the City

Council approve participation in the Energy Star program.

The program includes small businesses, schools, hospitals and

residential buildings, a staff report shows, and concentrates on

buildings that have exceeded the state energy code by 15%.

Energy Star is largely recognized by major builders and provides

certification of buildings that have succeeded in meeting more

stringent environmental codes, a staff report outlines. Builders can

tout that they have been recognized as energy-efficient, which would

let buyers know it would cost less to operate there.

Certification and support is performed by the EPA and would not

require any increased city staff attention. In addition, planners

would give such projects priority when reviewing the plans.

Cowan encouraged program adoption as recommended by city staff,

but Robinson adamantly fought for a provision that would require the

City Attorney’s Office to analyze the possible affects.

“You take just one week and a development is completely off

schedule,” Robinson said. “I just want to analyze the legal

implications, if any, of bumping a plan check.”

Cowan appeased her colleague and amended her original motion,

although she said it was an unnecessary addition.

The council unanimously supported it.

* LOLITA HARPER covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.