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Developers ask CRA to waive all‑electric and on‑site net‑zero rules, offering $5,000/month offsets
Summary
Silo Park developers requested waivers of the CRA's all‑electric and on‑site net‑zero requirements, proposing monthly offset payments (two programs at $2,500 each) in lieu of full on‑site renewable generation and citing a roughly $500,000 incremental cost to build all‑electric.
CRA staff told the board the Silo Park applicants are requesting two sustainable‑development waivers: one to allow gas appliances (stovetops, grills, fireplaces and gas water heaters) in many residential and commercial spaces, and a second to waive the on‑site net‑zero renewable requirement.
Staff said turning the project fully all‑electric would add about $500,000 to construction costs and that, instead of full on‑site renewables, the developer committed to participating in Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program and Salt Lake City's community clean energy program "at amounts of $2,500 per month, in each program," for the life of the reimbursement period. "They are also requesting the on-site net 0 building requirement be waived and adjusted to require participation in offset net 0 programs up to $5,000 per month for the duration of the tax increment reimbursement period," staff said.
Board members questioned the trade‑offs. They pressed staff for the provenance of the $500,000 estimate, asked whether future buildings could be tied to partial electrification in exchange for a smaller reduction to the TI cap (a staff option of 5% instead of 10%), and asked for clearer metrics on how offsets would be calculated and enforced. Staff suggested the term sheet could list material sustainability elements and attach reductions in reimbursement if those elements are not realized.
