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SUMMIT COUNTY — Last week’s approval of a new green building code in Frisco took some Summit County homebuilders by surprise.
“They didn’t solicit our comments,” said Dave Koons, president of the Summit County Builders Association. “Nobody contacted the builders ... If they want to leave us out, well then maybe we’ll remember that in April at election time.”
Koons suggested that the builders might support candidates more inclined to work with the construction industry.
Koons said the last time the builders had any formal communication regarding the green building code was about eight months ago.
The Frisco town council passed its version of a countywide green building code at last week’s meeting. The town has been working on the new rules for several years and council members didn’t see much point in delaying adoption of the measure.
“Requiring new projects to adhere to strict green building codes will help us sustain the Frisco community in the future. Every building constructed that’s not energy efficient is a lost opportunity,” said town spokesperson Amy Stoehrmann.
“I guess I thought they were in the loop,” said community development director Mark Gage. “It was my impression they were at the meetings. We really just wanted to get it adopted. We’ve been working on it for a long time. There’s no real time issue since it’s going to be retroactive to Jan. 1.”
Frisco building official Janine Snyder said the builders group had two representatives at a Jan. 17 meeting, when they had a chance to offer input before the Jan. 22 council meeting.
“That’s why we held off until Jan. 22. They had a chance to comment,” Snyder said.
Koons said local builders are not opposed to the changes. But he said that, as he sees it, the code changes are still in the draft stage and need some more work.
“Let’s make sure we get everything well-defined,” Koons said. “It’s a draft. That means there’s more work to do. We are concerned. We wanted to give our members more opportunity to review this,” he said.
The builders group was to review the new code language one more time at its February meeting and then offer feedback. Koons said he was under the impression that local jurisdictions would wait until after that meeting to adopt the green building measures.
“Officially, the builders want to participate in this process,” Koons said. The industry can offer suggestions on the best way to implement sustainable building policies without hurting the industry locally, he said.As examples, Koons cited language referring to insulated window blinds, and to in-home “recycling centers” as areas that need clarification.
Along with adding another layer of bureaucracy and extra cost to the construction process, Koons said he is most concerned about equity and consistency.
He said any new building codes that are adopted must apply equally to all types of projects.
“What about these giant lodges and multi-family complexes they’re building at the resorts,” he said, specifically referring to new Peak 7 base area developments at Breckenridge. “It must be equitable to all types of development,” he said. “That’s not at all clear to me right now.”
<i>Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.</i>
“They didn’t solicit our comments,” said Dave Koons, president of the Summit County Builders Association. “Nobody contacted the builders ... If they want to leave us out, well then maybe we’ll remember that in April at election time.”
Koons suggested that the builders might support candidates more inclined to work with the construction industry.
Koons said the last time the builders had any formal communication regarding the green building code was about eight months ago.
The Frisco town council passed its version of a countywide green building code at last week’s meeting. The town has been working on the new rules for several years and council members didn’t see much point in delaying adoption of the measure.
“Requiring new projects to adhere to strict green building codes will help us sustain the Frisco community in the future. Every building constructed that’s not energy efficient is a lost opportunity,” said town spokesperson Amy Stoehrmann.
“I guess I thought they were in the loop,” said community development director Mark Gage. “It was my impression they were at the meetings. We really just wanted to get it adopted. We’ve been working on it for a long time. There’s no real time issue since it’s going to be retroactive to Jan. 1.”
Frisco building official Janine Snyder said the builders group had two representatives at a Jan. 17 meeting, when they had a chance to offer input before the Jan. 22 council meeting.
“That’s why we held off until Jan. 22. They had a chance to comment,” Snyder said.
Koons said local builders are not opposed to the changes. But he said that, as he sees it, the code changes are still in the draft stage and need some more work.
“Let’s make sure we get everything well-defined,” Koons said. “It’s a draft. That means there’s more work to do. We are concerned. We wanted to give our members more opportunity to review this,” he said.
The builders group was to review the new code language one more time at its February meeting and then offer feedback. Koons said he was under the impression that local jurisdictions would wait until after that meeting to adopt the green building measures.
“Officially, the builders want to participate in this process,” Koons said. The industry can offer suggestions on the best way to implement sustainable building policies without hurting the industry locally, he said.As examples, Koons cited language referring to insulated window blinds, and to in-home “recycling centers” as areas that need clarification.
Along with adding another layer of bureaucracy and extra cost to the construction process, Koons said he is most concerned about equity and consistency.
He said any new building codes that are adopted must apply equally to all types of projects.
“What about these giant lodges and multi-family complexes they’re building at the resorts,” he said, specifically referring to new Peak 7 base area developments at Breckenridge. “It must be equitable to all types of development,” he said. “That’s not at all clear to me right now.”
<i>Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.</i>
