Sustainable Development Focus
GREENTECH MEDIA - Aug 13 President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law a military spending authorization bill that includes a mandate to prepare and protect bases from floods, storms, and energy supply disruptions from climate change. H.R. 5515 includes language that directs the military branches to include in every installation’s master plan an examination of “energy and climate resilience.” While individual military bases have been installing microgrids and preparing for storms and floods on a case-by-case basis for years now, the new law requires every military base to take steps to protect against these disasters as part of their master plan.
THE HILL - Aug 13 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson on Monday announced plans to revamp an Obama-era fair housing rule. The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, put into effect in 2015 under then-President Obama, requires jurisdictions that receive funding from HUD to assess fair housing and identify solutions to discriminatory barriers in housing markets. In a statement, HUD said it is accepting public comments on proposed changes to the rule in an effort to minimize housing regulations, give more control to local governments, and increase the housing supply. The agency will receive comments on the proposed changes for two months.
SMART CITIES DIVE - Aug 13 A report from ABI Research indicates that electric vehicles (EVs) will exceed 20 percent of global mileage share by 2030. The report estimates that only 2 percent of new consumer vehicles this year will be electric, but local governments will contribute to more widespread adoption through regulatory measures such as urban emissions zones. Dozens of U.S. transit agencies including those in Dallas, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, have been leading the EV trend by replacing diesel or natural gas buses with electric, with a recent study predicting that 80 percent of municipal bus fleets around the world would transition to electric by 2040.
THE SAN MATEO DAILY JOURNAL - Aug 9 The California High-Speed Rail Authority could manage property it has bought for the bullet train without extra oversight under legislation now heading to the governor. The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, of Long Beach, allows rail officials to negotiate property access rights and sell excess land without getting approval from the state Department of General Services. Lowenthal says AB481 makes handling property issues faster and more cost efficient. The Assembly passed the bill 51-22 last Thursday.
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY EXECUTIVE - Aug 13 Heitman’s 10100 Santa Monica office tower has earned LEED Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council rating system for Existing Buildings. The 26-story building was previously awarded LEED Gold certification. The property’s sustainability features include a monthly landfill diversion of 68 percent through recycling and composts over 2,000 pounds per month, a water reduction of 3.7 million gallons annually or 28 percent of total use since 2010, a reduced electrical consumption by 21 percent since 1998, even after the addition of an on-site central plant, and strong support for alternative commuting that included electric vehicle charging stations.
THE REAL DEAL - Aug 9 DJM Capital Partners, which has been hired to manage the 14-acre Runway Playa Vista complex, announced it is transforming the mixed-use development from a “vehicle-dominated environment” to a “pedestrian-dominated” one, meaning no cars will be allowed on the premises. Runway’s ban on car traffic comes amid concerns that Playa Vista, a Silicon Beach development that has become a hub for many of the city’s tech tenants, is on the verge of an explosion of vehicle traffic. Major tech firms are preparing large expansions in the corporate office parks there. Facebook plans to take over about 260,000 square feet of space in the next few months, and Google is set to move into the 319,000-square-foot “Spruce Goose” airport hangar this fall.
