Though not legally binding, board adopts "LEED" building code.
By: Rachel Silverman
By identifying sustainable building practices as a new community-wide goal, the Princeton Regional Planning Board trumpeted the importance of environmentally sound building policies Thursday.
At its meeting, the Planning Board wrote the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, building code into the Master Plan, as a "design and measurement tool" for future building projects.
"We’re hoping this will lead the way and get people to use primarily LEED standards," board member Wendy Benchley said as fellow board members guffawed at her play on words.
This eco-friendly building policy, however, is not legally binding, acting only as a series of recommendations for regional development.
"It’s in the Master Plan as a policy document, it doesn’t have the effect of law," said Planning Director Lee Solow. "There’s no zoning that says they have do this. It’s a policy thing to say we’re concerned about it, you should be."
But despite its legal impotence, the sustainable building guidelines represent a marked shift toward environmentally attuned goal setting.
"What we are trying to do is to demonstrate Princeton’s commitment to environmental, economic and social stewardship," Wendy Kaczerski, a member of the Princeton Environmental Commission, told the planners.
"Sustainable building merges sound environmentally responsible practices into one paperclip that looks at the environmental, economic and social effects of the building or the built project as a whole," Ms. Kaczerski said. "It encompasses efficient management of energy and water resources, management of material resources and waste, protection of environmental quality, protection of health and indoor environmental quality, and reinforcement of natural systems that integrate the design approach."
In her presentation, Ms. Kaczerski also cited a recent boom in environmentally conscious building and design.
"Currently, there are 24 cities and five counties in this country that have LEED buildings," she said. "There are 1,588 registered projects; 28 of those are in New Jersey. This is happening all over the country.
"Princeton University requires minimum LEED standards," the Chestnut Street resident noted, referring to one example in the area.
"There are articles more and more in the paper showing green building is no longer on the fringe," she said.
For Carnahan Place resident Heidi Fichtenbaum, a local architect, Princeton’s push toward sustainable building constitutes a highly commendable move.
"I really have to applaud the Planning Board for doing this," Ms. Fichtenbaum said. "As a resident of Princeton, I feel really a lot of pride in being able to recognize this forward-thinking step that your taking in providing leadership for all of us in the community.
"It’s really been local communities that are the engine that’s driven this particular idea and initiative forward throughout the country," Ms. Fichtenbaum said.