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project is how much change is truly here versus what the City currently has on its books. He indicated that he feels this should be addressed before it goes to the City Council. Mr. Dolan explained that there are two different systems, and one is the point system. He stated that staff took the measures either required or elected and scored them in the point system to see how they would score and how close they would get to the required points necessary. He noted that following this exercise, staff determined that Tier 1 is needed to get to the points the City already requires. He indicated that the easiest way would be to adopt the basic requirements, but based on staff's evaluation, this would clearly be a step backwards and a significant relaxation of the City's current building ordinance. Commissioner Blank presented an example of what the cost requirements for a 3,000-square-foot residential single-family home would be, indicating that a developer would want to know the delta between the City’s existing LEED points and CALGreen plus Tier 1. Mr. Dolan replied that the delta between CALGreen and the City’s is zero, as the City is trying to make them equivalent. Commissioner Blank presented a comparison between building a structure under the City's existing LEED requirements and now the same building can be built but must comply with the existing LEED points in the City plus CALGreen and Tier 1. He inquired what the cost difference would be between adding CALGreen and Tier 1 versus adhering to only the LEED requirements. Commissioner Narum stated that she asked this question at the Special Commission meeting because she was concerned that a developer would get 64 points for CALGreen Tier 1 versus 50 points with LEED, which is about a 30-percent increase in points. She indicated that staff's reply was that there are many things that can be done which do not cost a lot. She noted that what Commissioner Blank’s question raises is whether there are incremental costs between what the City currently requires at 50 points versus the CALGreen Tier 1 level at 64 points. Commissioner Blank stated that one way to address this question is to go back and look at recent residential projects and discuss this with developers to get an idea of whether there are added costs. Mr. Dolan stated that staff does not believe there is a significant cost difference. He indicated that there are many alternatives one could use to meet requirements. He added that costing out every possibility is difficult; however, staff can look at providing additional numerical information. He reiterated that this has been an exercise to transition into a different system with no increased burden, and that the things that need to be done to be green have not changed; it is simply how a value is assigned. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES, September 29, 2010 Page 15 of 21