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    7.    
AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABILITY
Meeting Date: 11/13/2017  
Subject:    RECEIVE report on Bay Area Model Solar Ordinance Toolkit.
Submitted For: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation & Development Department
Department: Conservation & Development  
Referral No.: N/A  
Referral Name: N/A
Presenter: Jason Crapo, Deputy Director, Dept. of Conservation and Development Contact: Jody London (925)674-7871

Information
Referral History:

At the September 23, 2017, meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainability, the Committee requested an update from staff on the Model Solar Ordinance Toolkit recently released by the Bay Area Regional Collaborative (BARC), Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN).

Referral Update:
Since the September meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainability, staff members from the building permitting and sustainability groups in the Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) have reviewed the Model Solar Ordinance Toolkit, participated in webinars offered by BARC, et. al., and met telephonically with staff of the sponsoring agencies to discuss the model ordinance and provide suggestions on how it can be more easily adopted by local jurisdictions. The Model Solar Ordinance Toolkit has been released at this time with the intention of making it easy for Bay Area jurisdictions to go through the process of vetting and adopting the model ordinance.

It is widely expected that the 2019 California Building Code will include a requirement for mandatory solar facilities on new residential structures. The sponsoring agencies, who are working with the California Energy Commission (CEC), would like to encourage local governments to get a head start on the upcoming code by adopting this ordinance now. Adopting the ordinance now means more new homes will be built with rooftop solar capability. At this time, because the model ordinance exceeds the current requirements, this will be considered a reach code and will have to be submitted to the CEC for adoption. The toolkit therefore includes a cost-effectiveness calculator and other templates that a local government would need to prepare and submit, both to the local government’s governing board and the CEC.

DCD staff are ready to develop and vet the model ordinance upon direction from the Board. In order to prepare an ordinance for consideration by the Board, DCD staff will need to modify the Model Ordinance to fit within the structure of the County Ordinance Code and work with County Counsel to prepare an ordinance for introduction to the Board.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
DIRECT staff to proceed with developing a solar ordinance reach code for Contra Costa County.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
Adopting the Model Solar Ordinance involves costs related to staff time, and costs for applicants who will be subject to the new ordinance. The costs related to staff time include costs for: reviewing and collaborating on how the model ordinance can best meet the needs and requirements of Contra Costa County; vetting the model ordinance with stakeholders; preparing the ordinance for adoption by the Board of Supervisors and submittal to the CEC; training staff on the new ordinance; developing materials related to the new ordinance, and related activities.

The costs for applicants will include costs associated with developing plans and getting pricing for rooftop solar; permit and inspection fees, and the cost of the rooftop solar installation.

It should be noted that most of these costs will be incurred either now or when the California Building Code is updated in 2019.
Attachments
No file(s) attached.

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