City hall is set to study new green standards for all new buildings in London, including electric-vehicle charging stations and bike parking.
City hall is set to study new green standards for all new buildings in London, including electric-vehicle charging stations and bike parking.
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The directive came from council’s planning committee, whose members on Tuesday voted unanimously to have city staff report back on potentially implementing those green-friendly requirements on developers and their projects.
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“We need to be moving this forward, we have a climate crisis, the previous council declared a climate emergency, and this aligns with our strategic plan,” Ward 11 Coun. Skylar Franke said.
The original motion was a joint submission from both Franke and deputy mayor Shawn Lewis, looking to enshrine certain green thresholds that the committee has applied ad hoc to certain new builds, such as bird-friendly glazing on taller structures to help birds avoid colliding with them.
Citizens also addressed the issue with politicians on Tuesday, including Mary Ann Hodge of Climate Action London and Mike Wallace of the London Development Institute.
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“If maintaining affordability is one of council’s guiding principles, I urge you to consider (this),” Hodge said. “As someone who lives in an older home, it costs more to renovate a home than to build from scratch. You will be providing more affordable housing for Londoners by adopting standards earlier rather than later.”
Referring specifically to bike lockups, Hodge says that for London to call itself a big city, it needs more transportation options – and said requiring a townhouse to install a bike rack is not significant. Electric-vehicle (EV) charging, especially in larger apartment or condo buildings, will also cater to residents who are hesitant to buy an EV for a lack of home charging options, she said.
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Wallace told politicians the EV market would drive the inclusion of charging stations in more residential areas regardless of standards. He also suggested city staff report back in the third quarter rather than the second, in order to line up with upcoming federal and provincial building-code changes that also include green standards.
“Depending on the whims of upper-level government, and depending on any change in government, that may not occur and that is my worry,” Franke said, explaining why she would still like to see the city take action.
She added that moving toward more electrification in powering London’s buildings will also ensure that money stays local at London Hydro and strengthens the corporation.
For Lewis, it’s clear not every request can now be accommodated but having standards will guarantee their inclusion. “There are some very reasonable first steps we can take (so) that we don’t have to wait for the longer comprehensive review.”
Planning committee members Lewis, Franke, Corrine Rahman and Steve Hillier endorsed the direction to city staff. Steve Lehman was absent. If supported by full council on Jan. 23, city staff will begin their study and report back likely this fall.
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