GREEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM

City of Rancho Palos Verdes Voluntary Green Building Construction Program

The City of Rancho Palos Verdes has developed a Green Building Program that encourages the development of efficient and sustainable homes, schools, churches, resorts and commercial buildings that exhibit beneficial levels of environmental quality. Participation in the City’s Green Building Construction program awards property owners a faster process and up to a 50% rebate on permitting fees! See the “Voluntary Green Building Construction and Rebates” section on this webpage for further information.
The links for the City’s process for implementing the Green Building Construction Program (Ordinance No. 481), which was adopted by the City Council in November 2008, are available at the bottom of this webpage.

Purpose of Green Building Construction

“Green Building” is a term given to buildings that are sited, designed, constructed and operated to enhance the well-being of occupants, and to minimize negative impacts on the community and natural environment. Typically, “green buildings” are higher quality, provide a healthier environment to live in, are less costly to maintain, consume fewer natural resources and generate less waste. Some of the benefits of designing and constructing a “green building” are:

• A reduction of environmental impacts from building construction at both local and global levels
• Long-term savings through reduced energy and water consumption
• An increase in the lifespan of a structure from the industry 40-year standard to 100+ years of sustainability
• A reduction of output to existing infrastructure and utilities, thereby increasing the lifespan of local infrastructure
• Certified recognition to a home owner and marketability for constructing an environmentally friendly structure

Green Buildings are commercial, institutional or residential structures that have been specifically designed to minimize their use of non-renewable energy, natural resources, and toxic chemicals. The main goal of designing a Green Building is to reduce the impact that buildings have on the local and global environment and to increase the health of those who work, live and/or play within these spaces. By design, a building that minimizes its use of non-renewable energy, natural gas and water, results in significantly reduced energy costs over the life of the building. With the increased cost of energy, this translates into significant cost savings for the building owners.

Voluntary Green Building Construction and Rebates

Rancho Palos Verdes has taken advantage of a “green” movement in the building and architectural communities that is fully underway and becoming a growing standard both in price and consumer demand, as well as through State-wide building requirements. In order to encourage the construction of “green” buildings, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes adopted a voluntary program for Green Building Construction that applies to residential and non-residential projects. The City is offering permit streamlining as well as up to a 50% rebate of Planning and Building Permit fees for voluntary participation in the City’s Green Building Construction program. The program is designed for new construction or major remodels, whereby more than 50% of the interior and exterior walls of an existing structure will be removed. If you are interested in participating in the voluntary program and receiving up to a 50% rebate on your permitting fees (potentially $5,000 or more in City rebates), please click on “steps 1-4” below to get started (please allow time to download documents). For a more detailed overview of the step-by-step process, please click here.

Other Resources

Locally, South Bay Energy Savings Center is working for you to provide energy-efficient information, programs, and additional rebates available to South Bay residents and businesses.
If you have any questions or comments, please send your email to planning@rpv.com or contact the Planning Department at (310) 544-5228.

City’s Process for Implementing a Green Building Construction Program

Below are the links for the City’s Green Building Construction Ordinance that was passed by the City Council in November 2008, City Council Staff Reports and Planning Commission Staff Reports.

• Final Ordinance No. 481 – Voluntary Green Building Program and Mandatory Practices
• November 18, 2008 City Council Staff Report
• November 6, 2008 City Council Staff Report
• Ordinance No. 481 – Voluntary Green Building Program and Mandatory Practices
• PC Staff Report, May 13, 2008
• PC Memorandum, June 10, 2008
• PC Memorandum, July 8, 2008
• PC Memorandum and Draft Code Language, August 26, 2008
• PC Staff Report, September 9, 2008- Resolutions, Code Language & CEQA

If you would like to be placed on an interested parties list to receive public notices or other periodic updates on the Volunteer Green Building Program via email, you may subscribe by joining the list serve.

Contact the Department with Planning Questions:planning@rpv.com