Longmont

MANDATORY GREEN BUILDING ORDINANCE APPROVED

With little fanfare the City Council approved a mandatory Green Build ordinance which goes into effect on September 1st. Only Mayor Julia Pirnack and Councilman Fred Wilson voted against the ordinance. Its purpose is to encourage the use of environmentally-sustainable and energy efficient building materials and practices for new homes as well as additions and renovations to existing homes. The program is based on a point system, with applicants receiving points for using items such as xeriscape gardening, compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy efficient appliances, ceiling fans and low volatile organic compound paint. The Home Builders Association did not support the ordinance, primarily because it is mandatory; however Chief Building Official Chris Allison and Community Development Director Phil DelVecchio said they are working with the HBA to ensure the new ordinance is compatible with existing green programs such as Built Green. The City has prepared a guide which explains the requirements. It is available on the City's website at www.ci.longmont.co.us/bldginsp/adopted/documents/green_guide.pdf

PRIMARY JOB LOSSES CONTINUE

A recent Longmont Area Economic Council review showed a year-to-date loss of 120 primary jobs in the city. At this time in 2006, Longmont had a gain of nearly 300 primary jobs but also lost 640 when Seagate bought out Maxtor. The biggest loss in 2007 came when hard-disk drive storage company, Cornice closed eliminating 75 primary jobs. Commercial vacancy is 21.3 percent, down from 21.6 percent last year.