Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | October 16, 2023 | wbjournal.com BY TIMOTHY DOYLE WBJ Staff Writer A t the Sept. 26 Worcester City Council meeting, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives President and CEO Jon Weaver stood up to speak, surrounded by people with handmade signs supporting the adoption of specialized stretch codes, which are envi- ronmentally friendly building codes designed to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. "We've done a lot of research into the code, and I think everyone agrees with the concept of going green," Weaver said. "Our concern is it relates to the economic development efforts we've been trying to do in the city of Worcester as it relates to biotech." A woman holding a sign that read, "Delay is denial. Denial (arrow) disaster" shook her head in disap- pointment. "e city of Worcester, for all of our collective efforts, is out of lab space," Weaver said. e best next step would be to create more lab space in the city, said Weaver, citing potential future Stretched too far Worcester's adoption of envi- ronmentally friendly building codes may hinder life sciences development, advocates say Specialized code-commercial developments at the Le Field Building adjacent to the Polar Park baseball stadium, Gateway Park around Prescott Street, and e Reactory off Belmont Street. His concern is adopting the specialized stretch codes would place additional costs on devel- opers building lab space because of specialized requirements for biotech and hospital developments. He asked for an exemption to be carved out for these industries so as not to dissuade developers from coming to Worcester. e following speaker dismissed Weaver's concerns, saying Boston and Cambridge have already adopted the codes and the biotech field is thriving there. e Worcester City Council went on to approve adopting the stretch codes 10-1. Worcester has been seeking to grow its life sciences industry, offering lower prices for lab and biomanufac- turing space than in Greater Boston, as well as lower cost-of-living for the workforce. Industry advocates say adopting the opt-in specialized energy code will hinder biotech development in Worcester. John Odell, City of Worcester chief sustainability officer, disagrees, saying through currently available technology and subsidies, developers can actually lower their costs. Stretch codes e specialized stretch codes are an optional exten- sion of stretch codes enacted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a step away from the use of fossil fuels. Including Worcester, 20 municipalities have adopted the specialized codes, as of Oct. 5. "Buildings contribute 65% of total carbon emissions in the city," Odell, wrote in an Aug. 22 letter to City Manager Eric Batista. "Incorporating the SSC will not only reduce future carbon emissions associated with the operation of these new buildings, but will also reduce energy costs, improve indoor air quality, and increase comfort of the user and/or occupants of those buildings." e codes require a residen- tial dwelling of more than 4,000 square feet to be electrified. Multi-family developments in excess of 12,000 square feet must meet passive-house standards. New commercial construction must be either all-electric, meet passive house requirements, and pre-wire for electrification; or if they use a fossil fuel, they must meet all efficiency requirements, be pre-wired for future electrification, and use solar power on-site where feasible. Renovations or additions to existing buildings are exempt from the specialized stretch codes. Source: Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Jon Weaver, MBI president and CEO A technician works at the existing lab facil- ity at Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, which was construct- ed before the passage of the specialized stretch codes. PHOTO | WBJ FILE

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