Simi has hopped on the environmentally conscious “going green” movement. The next time a building goes up in town, it’s going to be eco-friendly.

The City Council on Nov. 16 unanimously approved the adoption of the city’s first green building ordinance, which requires builders to live up to strict environmentally responsible standards.

Simi resident Alice Sterling, who serves as green building project manager for the city of Pasadena, applauded the ordinance.

“I think this is a tremendous first step for the city to take as it moves on the path toward sustainability and really truly becoming a city that looks at its natural resources, that looks at the built environment and wants to leave a legacy for future generations,” Sterling said.

The ordinance was two years in the making. The Sustainable Simi Valley Committee, cochaired by Mayor Paul Miller and Councilmember Glen Becerra, was formed in December 2007 to develop a framework for a green building program for the city.

After researching and reviewing several green building rating systems and examples from other cities, the committee found that using the 2008 California Green Building Standards Code, with local amendments, would be the simplest and most effective way to implement green building standards in Simi.

According to staff, the ordinance provides flexibility in the application of the code in that it sets simple performance standards that allow a wide range of options that developers and individuals may use to meet the code requirements.

City staff can also assist developers in selecting options so they may take advantage of rebates and other incentives for green building that are currently available.

Councilmember Michelle Foster, who sat on the committee when it was first formed two years ago, said she’s pleased to see both the high standards as well as the number of options permitted for meeting the new regulations.

“We wanted to put into place an ordinance that met the goals of conservation . . . while not tying the hands of the developers and the residents,” Foster said. “And I’m happy to see that you were able to accomplish that balance because I think that’s really important.”

Becerra agreed, saying that it was critical to the committee to make sure the green building rules are cost-effective and workable.

To do that, the committee relied on input from those who would be most affected by the changes, including the Building Industry Association of Greater Los Angeles/Ventura County, Waste Management, and the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce.

“We had all the stakeholders at the table to help us move this through to make sure we were being reasonable and realistic with what we were asking, while pushing the limits,” Becerra said.

If the city hadn’t adopted the ordinance now, it would have automatically adopted the state code, without local amendments, during the next State Building Code adoption cycle.

The Simi-specific changes address local climatic and topographic conditions such as high winds and temperature extremes, as well as the city’s green building goals.

These amendments include making 11 of the 99 voluntary provisions in the state code mandatory for new construction in the city. The amendments will increase the energy efficiency of new construction, the efficient use of potable water on outdoor landscapes and the recycling of construction and demolition waste.

In addition, builder-provided equipment and appliances must be ENERGY STAR labeled, builders must use water-efficient landscape and irrigation design to reduce potable water by 50 percent, and developers must recycle or salvage a minimum of 75 percent of construction and demolition debris.

According to city staff, meeting the new standards will have a minimal economic impact on developers, with an expected increase in construction costs ranging from $0.90 to $1.50 per square foot.

However, the standards will result in significant improvements in energy and water efficiency, which will reduce operating costs and utility expenses in the long run. City staff estimated that the return on investment is 7 to 12 years, depending on the size of the building and the compliance methods selected by the developer.

The ordinance will be read for a second time at the Dec. 7 City Council meeting and go into effect 31 days later.