Title
Resolution in Support of An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 105 of Title VIII of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor to Support Greening of the Rental Market
Memorandum
In November 2019, Ann Arbor's City Council unanimously adopted a Climate Emergency Declaration committing to charting a path for how the entire Ann Arbor community could achieve a just transition to carbon neutrality b?y the year 2030. In June 2020, City Council unanimously adopted the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Plan, a document created with input from thousands of Ann Arborites that lays out seven strategies for our community to achieve carbon neutrality.
The A2ZERO Plan seeks to ensure that buildings in Ann Arbor - which account for 69% of total community-wide greenhouse gas emissions - are as energy and water efficient as possible. This is one of the strategies identified in A2ZERO, and because rentals comprise 55% of the city's housing stock, a Green Rental Housing program is one of the specific actions in A2ZERO.
Green Rental Housing is a set of standards that encourage safe, healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient rental housing units in the city. These standards will be added to the existing rental inspection program, thereby helping occupants and owners save money and energy while improving comfort and health.
With energy and water costs accounting for an average of 26.8% of building operating costs nationally, and data showing that 30% of energy consumed in buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily, efficiency improvements can help building owners and tenants significantly reduce utility bills and greenhouse gas emissions. These savings help reduce the energy burden often placed on tenants and can be put toward other needs such as the purchase of goods and services, which drive local economic activity. Making buildings and properties in Ann Arbor more energy efficient also helps creates jobs at all skill levels and frees up money to flow back into the local economy.
Body
W...
Click here for full text