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GY Framework Reference Guide- PDF GY Framework Government Pilot Requirements - PDF Pilot Projects |
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A Program of Regional Significance
A response to the issue of the day In 2004, when YBP reached the 100-member mark, business members were surveyed as part of YBP’s first strategic planning process. Not surprisingly during that time of the real estate boom, growth management and land use issues were the members’ top priority issues. Not wishing to duplicate the ongoing efforts of organizations engaged in land conservation and comprehensive planning, YBP designed their Sustainable Development Initiative to encourage more responsible, private-sector approaches to growth and development. In 2005, The Nature Conservancy asked YBP to partner in a research project to assess the prospects for integrating sustainable construction techniques, responsible land development, and resource conservation across the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The team determined through attitudinal research and a series of regional meetings that sufficient interest existed among a variety of business and community leaders for YBP to proceed with the concept. A tri-state workshop for regional business and community leaders in December 2005 affirmed that a voluntary rating system designed for an ecosystem made sense for the Greater Yellowstone region and could: • Fill a niche that planning and zoning was currently not meeting • Be a free-market, non-regulatory approach and thus would be received favorably in many parts of the region • Be applied on the complex regional scale as well as locally • Be appropriate where development is inevitable • Help provide funding for land conservation through real estate transfer fees or stewardship fees • Create good models of conservation development Involvement of the US Green Building Council The planning phase for this initiative was launched in January 2006 with an overture to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for their assistance. In April of that year, the USGBC pledged its support to help YBP expand upon the Council’s nationally acclaimed LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system by adding development standards important to the Yellowstone-Teton region. Tom Hicks, then USGBC Vice-President for LEED, assigned Jennifer Henry to help the initial GY-Framework teams create the first regional rating system affiliated with the LEED Green Building Rating System. In his letter, Hicks said that the USGBC, “whole-heartedly supports your goal of preserving the biodiversity and open space of the region by encouraging more sustainable construction methods and neighborhood development.” Designing a green rating system for the Greater Yellowstone region With this affirmation, YBP mobilized regional leaders in the fields of architecture, construction, land use planning, and community design who advocate more sustainable approaches to building and development. Over a nine-month period, more than 80 volunteers helped design a regional rating system that includes and goes beyond the application of LEED green building standards – a system that makes economic and environmental sense for the Yellowstone-Teton region and rewards real leadership. The GY-Framework was introduced to the YBP constituency at its annual meeting in May 2007, with many of its authors present to enthusiastically explain the rating system and its region-wide objectives. The Pilot Phase The next step was for the Framework to be vetted across a wider audience and proved in concept with developers and local governments. The plan was for YBP and a variety of pilot sponsors to demonstrate how each prerequisite and credit included in the rating system could be practically achieved on the ground. A three year timeframe was given for the pilot phase of the project, which was expected to be completed in 2010. Although 12 projects from across the region signed up as pilots, the 2007 financial crisis and implosion of the real estate market meant that many, many projects, including some of th GY-Framework pilots, were put on hold if not shut down altogether. However, in April 2011 the first pilots did complete certification: Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts Fall and Tower General Storesk, in Yellowstone National Park. The way forward Once it became clear that the financial crisis was hurting the ability of the GY-Framework to be taken up by the private sector, YBP began to explore how the work done to create the GY-Framework could still benefit the region. Many municipalities that had been inundated with development applications were now taking the time to step back, take stock and better prepare for the future of land development in their jurisdiction. The idea of using GY-Framework elements as model code to assist local governments who wanted to ensure sustainable development for their communities and give real estate developers clear guidelines, began to take shape. YBP added a "Government pilot" component and began to bring together metropolitan planning organizations and municipalities from around the tri- state region to explore how the GY-Framework could be adopted to their needs. The "Sustainable Communities Consortium" was born. While the hope is that many more pilots will certify, YBP recognizes that the time horizon on this element of the project is still unclear. YBP is actively working to help local governments benefit from the high-caliber research and technical work that the GY-Framework represents. One way of doing this is through the 2011 YBP Annual Conference, the theme of which is Livable Communities: People, Place, Connections. |
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