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r In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Arkin, Mr. Syphers replied that an increasing number of cities the size of Pleasanton were implementing green building measures. He noted that nationwide, hundreds of cities were implementing such measures, and that it was difficult to keep an accurate count due to the rapidity of the implementation. In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Sullivan, Ms. Maier confirmed that if the building size met the Ordinance threshold, they were required to build to the Certified level or provide a hardship exemption. In response to an inquiry by Commissioner Sullivan, Mr. Syphers confirmed that LEED did not endorse specific products or methods for achieving the certified rating. THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. David Gottfried noted that he was excited about the Green Building Ordinance being implemented in Pleasanton, and added that hundreds of cities were also following the same path. He noted that a Certified LEED level did not add any first cost, especially when it was implemented early in the design process. He noted that being smarter and understanding where the sun and natural daylight were located with respect to the site was a major part of building green. He added that the architecture, engineering, and construction communities were already on board with LEED. He was proud that the USGBC had over two thousand organizations that had joined, including hundreds of - architecture and engineering firms. Mr. Gottfried noted that he would like to see the City adopt a Silver Level for its projects and noted that since Seattle had embraced the Silver Level several years ago, approximately twenty of their civic buildings met that level. He noted that LEED was being used by ten percent of the country in its third year of existence. He added that fifteen percent of the federal government buildings were LEED certified. Their membership has grown by thirty to forty percent per year, and Canada just requested a license from USGBC, becoming the first country to do so. He had received requests from Australia, Spain, and China, and hoped that LEED would become a global standard. Mr. Gottfried noted that the cost of documentation for LEED should come down in the future, and added that version 2.1 was intended to lower the cost of certification. He estimated that it lowered the cost by fifty percent, and he intended to reduce the costs until everyone was certified. Commissioner Sullivan noted that the Economic Vitality Committee had been concerned about the cost of implementing the Green Building Ordinance. He wished to clarify Mr. Gottfried's statement that the first cost was not higher if the architects were smart, and implemented green building measures in the beginning of the project. Mr. Gottfried noted that he had spent a decade on the issue, and added that when a new ,-. process was introduced, a cost increase was a common fear. With regard to soft costs, PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES September 25, 2002' Page 9