AgdaPkt 2019-09-23 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ordinance No. 1057 Page 2 effective and will require buildings to be designed to consume no more energy than permitted by the California Energy Code; WHEREAS, because of the City's unique local climatic, geologic and topographic conditions, the City desires to make amendments and additions to the code. NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MENLO PARK DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1: FINDINGS AND DETERMINATIONS. The following local climatic, conditions justify modifications to the California Building Standards Code. A. Climatic: The City is located in Climate Zone 3 as established in the 2019 California Energy Code. Climate Zone 3 incorporates mostly coastal communities from Marin County to southern Monterey County including San Francisco. The City experiences precipitation ranging from 13 to 20 inches per year with an average of approximately 15 inches per year. Ninety-five percent of precipitation falls during the months of November through April, leaving a dry period of approximately six months each year. Relative humidity remains moderate most of the time. Temperatures in the summer average around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and in the winter in the mid 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Prevailing winds in the area come from the west with velocities generally in the 12 miles per hour range, gusting from 25 to 35 miles per hour. These climatic conditions along with the greenhouse emissions generated from structures in both the residential and nonresidential sectors requires exceeding the energy standards for building construction established in the 2019 California Buildings Standards Code.The City Council also adopted a Climate Action Plan that has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 27% below 2005 levels by 2020. In order to achieve and maintain this goal, the City needs to adopt policies and regulations that reduce the use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change, such as natural gas in buildings, in new development Human activities, such as burning natural gas to heat buildings, releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and causes an overall increase in global average temperature. This causes sea levels to rise, affecting the City's shoreline and infrastructure. Many new buildings in Menlo Park will be built near the coastline in an area known as the Bayfront Area that is situated on marshlands and former salt ponds. San Francisquito Creek also runs through the City, which creates an increasing potential flooding risk with climate change as a result of human generated greenhouse gas emissions. Menlo Park is vulnerable to sea level rise where new development is proposed in this code cycle. New buildings that are directly vulnerable to sea level rise should avoid generating additional greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed Reach Code would ensure that new buildings use cleaner sources of energy that are greenhouse gas free. B. Geologic: The City of Menlo Park is subject to earthquake hazard caused by its proximity to San Andreas fault. This fault runs from Hollister, through the Santa Cruz Mountains, epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, then on up the San Francisco Peninsula, then offshore at Daly City near Mussel Rock. This is the approximate location of the epicenter of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The other fault is Hayward Fault. This fault is about 74 mi long, situated mainly along