Grey County is launching a voluntary program to celebrate and support local leadership in energy efficient, climate resilient residential development. Grey County Council supported the program on March 26. The program will run in collaboration with Dufferin and Wellington counties, pending the support of their councils, to create a consistent framework for developers in the larger region. The Green Development Program is expected to launch late this spring.
“This new voluntary program is about working together to celebrate developers who are choosing to build energy efficient, climate resilient homes in Grey County. It supports the goals of our Going Green in Grey climate action plan while recognizing that sustainable building can also deliver real, long-term savings for homeowners,” said Grey County Warden Andrea Matrosovs. “We’re pleased to have designed a flexible program that will recognize and celebrate high-performance building already happening in our communities, and we look forward to seeing this program grow.”
The Green Development Program will initially focus on development projects of ten or more units, though developments of any size can apply for recognition. The program includes three key components: metrics, recognition, and capacity building. For each Metric or sustainability feature incorporated, the project achieves a certain number of points. Based on their total number of points, the project would be recognized at the bronze, silver, or gold level.
Applicants can choose from a range of metrics reflecting regional priorities, grouped into three themes: natural environment, community and transportation, and built environment. These themes include considerations such as tree canopy, affordability, accessibility, stormwater management, park access, electric vehicle readiness, heat pumps, water efficiency, solar readiness, construction waste, and many more.
Proposed recognition includes project profiles on county websites, supporting marketing materials, and the creation of an awards program.
The Green Development Program was created from best-practice research, existing building credential programs, similar municipal programs, and input from the community and development industry. Developers and home builders from the three participating counties were invited to information sessions last year. Through this engagement, staff designed a program receptive to builder concerns, such as the need for flexibility.
In collaboration with Georgian College and Sustainable Waterloo Region, the Counties are also looking to better understand what the industry is already doing and what they need which will help design programs and other supports to make it easier to integrate key features into new builds.
The Green Development Program will be coordinated at the County level with options for municipal collaboration based on interest and capacity. This approach recognizes the varying needs of the three counties and 24 municipalities and will support equitable opportunities for recognition and a streamlined review process.
To learn more about The Green Development Program, visit www.grey.ca/green-development. For questions about the Green Development Program, please visit www.grey.ca/contact-us and choose the Climate Change Action Plan category.
