HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSD-014-14 Cladyiwn REPORT
PLANNING SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Date: February 24, 2014 Resolution#:0109° 67-/ By-law#:
Report#: PSD-014-14 File#: PLN 39.5
Subject: PRIORITY GREEN CLARINGTON PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is respectfully recommended to Council the following:
1. THAT Report PSD-014-14 be received; and
2. THAT interested parties listed in Report PSD-014-14 be notified of Council's decision.
Submitted
by: Reviewed by:
Y
Da i J. Crome, MCIP, RPP Franklin Wu
Director, Planning Services Chief Administrative Officer
AB/FL/df
12 February 2014
CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379
REPORT NO.: PSD-014-14 PAGE 2
1. PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.1 The purpose of this report is to announce that the Municipality, through the Priority Green
Clarington initiative, has taken a major step forward in promoting "green" development
practices in new home development. Brookfield Residential, Halminen Homes and Jeffery
Homes have committed to a partnership with the Municipality for the demonstration of
green construction practices in three of their current residential projects.
2. BACKGROUND
2.1 Priority Green Clarington was established by Council to set a new standard for residential
development to promote innovation and to improve the community's quality of life through
green development practices. To achieve this, the Municipality, in collaboration with the
private sector and community engagement, is developing policies and standards, approval
measures, and incentives to encourage "green" development, from the initial design of a
subdivision through home construction. Policy development for this project is part of the
Official Plan Review process currently underway.
2.2 Green development considers both land use and the built form. It strives to use energy,
water, land and resources more efficiently, improve health, and contribute to the efficient
delivery of infrastructure and services, while balancing affordability.
2.3 In addition to addressing policy aspects, Priority Green Clarington will contribute to the
growing collection of knowledge about the opportunities and challenges associated with
green home building practices, and explore how to encourage the adoption of green home
building techniques and technologies (e.g. high performance heating, ventilation and air
conditioning systems; methods for reduced water usage and runoff). This will be achieved
through the execution of the demonstration project.
2.4 Working in partnership with the Region of Durham (Works and Planning & Economic
Development Departments) and the local building sector, the demonstration project will
result in the construction of a minimum of six new green homes. These homes will
incorporate practices that aim to reduce their environmental impact beyond that of a home
constructed to meet Ontario's Building Code.
2.5 Through performance monitoring, conservation and efficiency improvements will be
quantified and return on investment evaluated. The results of the assessment will be used
to inform residents and the building sector about the potential environmental, economic,
and social benefits of the green practices used.
2.6 In July 2013, with the assistance of the Durham Region Home Builders' Association, the
Municipality distributed a call for partners for the demonstration project. Brookfield
Residential, Halminen Homes and Jeffery Homes expressed interest in this initiative from
the outset. A collaboration workshop held in October 2013 and subsequent discussions
with each potential builder lead to the development of a comprehensive set of proposed
techniques and technologies (referred to as "green practices") and culminated in the
commitment of partnership with all three builders.
2.7 Potential benefits of the demonstration project and dissemination of the outcomes of the
initiative include:
REPORT NO.: PSD-014-14 PAGE 3
• Supporting local builders to establish a reputation for building sustainable homes;
• Contributing to building local capacity amongst builders, engineers, architects and
trades about green building practices;
• Raising awareness of the potential benefits and challenges of green building;
• Educating residents and future homeowners about green building practices to look for
when purchasing a new home;
• Educating residents about green building practices to consider when undertaking
repairs or upgrades to an existing home;
• Creating market support for green technologies and techniques; and
• Demonstrating municipal leadership by tackling resource conservation and climate
change in a collaborative manner with the private sector.
2.8 Priority Green Clarington is an initiative driven by the Municipality's Official Plan Review
and Council's Strategic Plan. Further, the demonstration project supports the
implementation of recommendations from the Green Community Strategy, as well as
mitigation actions identified in the Region of Durham's Climate Change Local Action Plan.
3. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT DESCRIPTION & APPROACH
3.1 Brookfield Residential, Halminen Homes, and Jeffery Homes are longstanding members of
Clarington's building sector, their history of local experience ranging from 25 to nearly 50
years. In addition, they're amongst the earlier adopters of the EnergyStar® certification
program each having built homes to this standard since the program's adoption by Canada
in 2005.
3.2 These partner builders will construct a minimum of 6 homes boasting a range of green
practices that will go beyond the energy efficiency and water conservation measures
currently required by Ontario's Building Code. Examples include:
Category Example of Green Practice
High Performance Envelope R20 insulated basement walls
Verified air leakage below regulatory standards (i.e.
<3.0 air changes @ 50 Pa for single detached dwellings)
High Performance Heating, High efficiency furnace (min. 95% thermal efficiency)
Ventilation &Air Drain water heat recovery system capturing two
Conditioning household drains
Energy Efficient Lighting & 75% CFL lighting (targeting high use areas)
Appliances EnergyS tar® certified appliances
Improved Indoor Air Quality MERV 8 (or better) air filtration
High efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilator or Energy
Recover Ventilator minimum 65% efficient
Reduced Water Usage & <4.8 litre per flush toilets
Runoff Permeable outdoor hard surfaces i.e. walkways)
Efficient Materials Advanced wall framing techniques
Management Attic insulation containing 40% recycled content
Future Ready Design Rough-ins for the installation of a greywater system
Rough-in for the installation of photovoltaic solar panels
REPORT NO.: PSD-014-14 PAGE 4
3.3 The demonstration homes will be sited in the Brookhill subdivision in west Bowmanville
(Figure 1) and the Courtice North subdivision in Courtice (Figure 2).
Figure 1: Key Map
Brookhill Subdivision (Brookfield Residential and Jeffery Homes)
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Courtice North Subdivision (Halminen Homes)
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REPORT NO.: PSD-014-14 PAGE 5
3.4 Each of the demonstration homes will be sold to interested home buyers and a
performance monitoring program carried out under "real-life" conditions. While this type of
performance monitoring offers unique value as compared to other types of demonstration
projects carried out in Ontario, its success is dependent upon identifying home buyers who
are willing to accept both the green practices being implemented and the four month home
monitoring period.
3.5 Working in partnership with our participating builders, home buyers considering the
purchase of a home in the Brookhill and/or Courtice North sub-divisions will be informed of
the Priority Green Clarington demonstration project, its goals and objectives, the `Better
than Code' green practices that the demonstration homes will feature, and the performance
monitoring program, and offered the opportunity to be involved.
3.6 Due to limits on project resources, the number of houses that will be monitored and
analyzed for performance will be limited to 6 (2 per builder). However, each builder is
currently exploring the potential to construct additional homes in their respective
subdivisions that include these green practices for interested home buyers.
3.7 Collaboration with our project partners is now underway to develop a promotion and
education plan for the demonstration project. The promotion and education plan will inform
the community about the goals, objectives, potential opportunities and challenges of the
initiative, and track construction progress. A goal of the promotion and education plan is to
raise awareness of the green practices being implemented and their application in new and
(in some cases) existing homes, and share lessons learned.
3.8 Demonstration projects costs include the implementation of green practices (where costs
exceed the status quo scenario), promotion and education, and monitoring, analysis and
reporting. These costs are supported by the Municipality, the Region, the builders, and
grant funding received from the Government of Ontario's Showcasing Water Innovation
program and the Federal Government-Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green
Municipal Fund.
4. CONCURRENCE — Not Applicable
5. CONCLUSION
5.1 Partnership and collaboration are important success factors for Priority Green Clarington,
and are critical to the implementation of the green demonstration project. The commitment
that has been made by Brookfield Residential, Halminen Homes and Jeffery Homes marks
a key milestone for the initiative. The demonstration project will provide local examples of
builders leading the charge to construct `Better than Code' houses and will make important
contributions to the understanding of green building approaches, opportunities and
constraints, both within and beyond Clarington.
REPORT NO.: PSD-014-14 PAGE 6
CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN
The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the following
priorities of the Strategic Plan:
Promoting economic development
Maintaining financial stability
Connecting Clarington
X Promoting green initiatives
Investing in infrastructure
X Showcasing our community
Not in conformity with Strategic Plan
Staff Contact: Carlos Salazar, Manager and Amy Burke, Priority Green Clarington Coordinator
Interested parties to be notified of Council's decision:
William Greig, Brookfield Residential
Bob Stewart, Brookfield Residential
Scott Jeffery, Jeffery Homes
Katrina Metzner Yarrow, Halminen Homes
Anita DeVries, Executive Director, Durham Region Home Builders Association
Aaron Law, Senior Program Analyst, Environmental Innovations Branch, Ministry of the
Environment
Jim Wren, Project Officer— Contracts, Green Municipal Fund, Federation of Canadian
Municipalities
Glen Pleasance, Water Efficiency Coordinator, Region of Durham Works Department