Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | January 23, 2023 | wbjournal.com F O C U S C O M M E R C I A L R E A L E S T A T E New codes The new stretch codes coming in July call for building provisions such as: • Reducing air leakage • Recovering ventilated heating • Wiring 20% of parking spaces for EV charging Source: Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources BY KEVIN KOCZWARA WBJ Staff Writer M assachusetts has more than 2 million build- ings, and they are a major drag on the envi- ronment and the state government's mission to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Heating buildings with gas and oil makes up roughly 30% of statewide emissions, according to the Massachu- setts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. is is a stagger- ing number, as we need to keep our busi- nesses, office buildings, warehouses, and homes from freezing during the winter. If there is to be a major change to help halt irreversible transformations of the climate, making buildings more energy efficient is a huge step in that direction. At the same time, battles are fought in the name of progress, as developers and various interest groups are hesitant to make sweeping changes to make constructing the things their communi- ties need more expensive and difficult to bring to fruition via constrictive rules. e first steps toward cleaner build- ings started in 2008 when Mass. passed the Green Communities Act, which required the state government to update its building code every three years to ensure new buildings are designed while taking energy efficiency into account. On top of that, 290 Massachusetts communi- ties wishing to receive funding as Green Communities are adopting a series of stretch codes, which tries to make con- struction more cost-effective and energy efficient than the base energy code. e latest updates were submitted on Sept. 22 and will go into effect in July. is year's updates to the stretch code include requiring multi-family develop- ment to wire 20% of parking spaces for EV charging; more stringent ventilation requirements through either heat or electricity recovery; and a more stringent Home Energy Rating Scores (HERS) index making it easier to build a home using electric heat. "ere is no way to reduce greenhouse emissions enough to reverse climate change unless we deal with buildings," said Diane Jones, a member of Tipping Point 01545, a Shrewsbury organization seeking to eliminate fossil fuel hook-ups in new construction. Not stifling development On the other side, there's businesses who see a bottom line and communi- ties trying to create a business-friendly environment to bring jobs, homes, and residents to their community. Community growth could be slowed by the additional costs coming with the new building codes, especially in regards to housing, which Central Massachusetts needs more of, said Roy Nascimento, president and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, which covers 27 communities, including Athol, Clinton, Devens, Fitchburg, Gard- ner, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Orange, and Winchendon. One of the issues for the chamber, Nascimento said, is the rules and provisions aren't oen clear. One developer was told to add more EV chargers to a parking lot, which would increase the cost of the project. "Stretch codes are well-inten- tioned," Nasci- mento said. "But [legislators] have to understand how they affect affordability before they're adopted." Michael O'Brien, founder and princi- pal of Galaxy Development LLC in Web- ster, which developed the retail center Trolley Yard in Worcester and Pleasant Valley Crossing in Sutton, is more blunt when asked about stretch codes. "Big companies that can afford the extra cost seem to be fine with it," O'Brien said in an email. "But that is not most projects and, like everything else these days, it seems to be hurting small businesses the most." But changes are happening whether small businesses and towns want them. In August, then Gov. Charlie Baker signed the Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind, a comprehensive and expansive piece of legislation to end the sale of gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035. Inside the bill were updates to the state's building codes and an additional measure to allow 10 mu- nicipalities in the state to try out a pilot program banning fossil fuel heat in new buildings. e Town of Brookline has tried to ban fossil fuel twice since 2019, but both attempts were thwarted by then Attorney General Maura Healey, who is now governor, because the attempts violated state law. e new pilot program and stretch codes have given new life to the push to go electric. Stretch codes More stringent building code requirements, meant to increase energy efficiency, are coming to Central Massachusetts in July RODE Architecture has designed an all-electric, mixed- use apartment building for the former Fairway Beef site in Worcester. Michael O'Brien, founder and principal of Galaxy Development RENDERING | COURTESY OF RODE ARCHITECTURE

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