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Council debates 50,000–100,000 sq ft thresholds to limit residential impact of carbon rules
Summary
Members argued over whether to set a numeric floor (50,000 or 100,000 sq ft) in the embodied-carbon appendix or leave bracketed values blank for jurisdictions to fill. Concerns centered on avoiding unintended application to small residential projects and preserving legislative/locally driven discretion.
Council members spent substantial time discussing the square‑foot thresholds that would trigger embodied‑carbon reporting for alterations and additions. Angela highlighted that Option 1 includes alterations above a gross square‑foot threshold, while Option 2 focuses on new construction; she urged keeping a clear floor to prevent the rule from applying broadly to small residential projects.
Roger and Rebecca favored having a clear floor (50,000 or 100,000 sq ft) so the requirement targets larger projects and avoids adding costs to small multifamily and single‑family projects. Todd noted that leaving the bracketed numbers blank could shift decision‑making to local authorities—and possibly lead to inconsistent adoption—whereas fixed floors could reduce ambiguity. No decision was made; members asked staff and legal counsel to analyze whether local adjustments would trigger council review and to bring suggested language forward as amendments.
