Table of Contents

Green Building

The city’s code of ordinances provides a green building code applicable to new public buildings and major renovations on such buildings of a certain size. It requires Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for new public buildings equal to or greater than 2,000 square feet and a percentage of energy performance for new buildings and renovations that are funded by the city equal to or greater than 10,000 square feet (§6-167). 

Historic Preservation

The city’s codified ordinances establish a historic preservation board, outline designation and design review processes, and discuss incentives (§14-601-1017). While initiated by the historic preservation board, historic designation is ultimately approved by the planning board and then the city council. The regulation outlines when a certificate of appropriateness is required and the standards by which the application will be judged. Incentive plans that contain a variety of financial and zoning incentives can be drafted by the owner, historic preservation board, and planning board to avoid demolition or significant alteration of a historic structure (§14-667).

Food Systems | Urban Livestock

The city code's animals and fowl chapter was amended in 2009 to address the noncommercial keeping of chickens (Article 5-4). The code allows a maximum of 6 female chickens per lot (§5-403). Standards require enclosure within a chicken pen during daylight hours and a henhouse during non-daylight hours; the code addresses design, construction, and location for both (§5-404). Other standards address odor and noise impacts, lighting, waste storage and removal, and enforcement. A city requirement for a chicken permit was repealed in 2017.