OSE MAPC TAP Grant Acceptance — File 24-1261

CITY HALL ANNEX● 50 EVERGREEN AVENUE ● SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02145 [phone removed] ● www.somervillema.gov/OSE EMAIL: OSE@somervillema.gov 1 of 3 CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT KATJANA BALLANTYNE MAYOR TO: The Honorable City Council, Mayor Ballantyne, Neha Singh (Director of Intergovernmental Affairs), and Kimberley Hutter (Legislative Liaison) FROM: Elyse Belarge (Sustainability and Resiliency Planner) CC: Christine Blais (Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment), Emily Sullivan (Climate Change Program Manager) RE: Requesting approval to accept a technical assistance grant with no match required, from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), valued at $25,000 worth of MAPC staff time, to the Office of Sustainability and Environment for sustainable and resilient zoning development. DATE: August 29, 2024 The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) was selected to receive a Technical Assistance Program (TAP) Grant from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to continue updating regulatory language that aligns with the Specialized Stretch Energy Code (Specialized Code) and furthers the City’s goals to encourage more resilient and sustainable development. OSE is requesting City Council accept this TAP award. Enclosed please find a copy of the email confirming the City’s receipt of the MAPC TAP grant award. This award is not monetary. The award is technical assistance from MAPC staff, valued at $25,000 worth of technical assistance. More information about the history of sustainable and resilient zoning in Somerville: Somerville adopted the Stretch Energy Code in 2011. In December 2019, Somerville formally incorporated sustainability into its zoning requirements when City Council approved revisions to the Somerville Zoning Ordinance (SZO). Since 2019, the City has developed sustainability and resiliency requirements for development review. In January 2023, City Council adopted the Specialized Code. The code went into effect in July 2023. As of July 2024, Somerville is one of 45 municipalities across the state to adopt the code. As more

CITY HALL ANNEX● 50 EVERGREEN AVENUE ● SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02145 [phone removed] ● www.somervillema.gov/OSE EMAIL: OSE@somervillema.gov 2 of 3 municipalities adopt the building code, local governments are navigating aligning existing zoning and other ordinances with the Specialized Code. OSE will use the MAPC TAP to update the specific references to the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements to more broadly update local ordinances and regulations to better incentivize sustainable development. While certain energy-related LEED requirements are preempted by state building code and the Specialized Code, other LEED requirements related to water conservation, heat mitigation, and other measures not yet regulated by state codes could still be incorporated into local ordinances. This project will be coordinated with the ongoing initiative to amend the SZO’s net zero density bonus.