AN ORDINANCE relating to Seattle’s construction codes; amending Sections C404.2.3, C404.2.3.1, C406.8, C406.8.1, C503.4.6, and C503.5 and Table 406.1 of the 2018 Seattle Energy Code, adopted by Ordinance 126279.
Agenda Item 19 Council Bill 120239 An ordinance relating to Seattle's construction codes amending sections of the 2018 Seattle Energy Code adopted by ordinance 126279. The committee recommends the bill passed as amended. Thank you so much. I'm going to hand it back over to Councilmember Strauss to walk us through this item. Thank you. Council president. And I do believe that Councilmember Lewis will be speaking to this. So I'll just share that. At the start of 2021, we adopted the strong synergy code, my nation, which banned the use of gas or electric resistance for space or water heating in multi-family residential buildings and for space heating and commercial buildings. I'll pass it over to Councilmember Lewis and follow up with any further comments if needed. In summary, Councilmember Strauss, Councilmember Lewis, please. Thank you, Madam Chair. And just to follow along with Councilmember Strauss's remarks, this legislation extends the impacts of the legislation we passed last spring by encompassing most commercial construction, with a couple of exceptions that are itemized in the bill to be included under the requirements of that bill to include electric water heaters in new construction of commercial structures. As we've discussed extensively over the last two weeks, we expect this legislation to have a positive impact on our efforts to fight climate change. Appreciate the efforts of stakeholders in this legislation over the course of the last several months in order to answer a lot of questions that were left outstanding from the process in the spring , necessitating a little bit more discussion and appreciate Councilmember Strauss making space for this and in his coveted committee spots during this month. Given the limited amount of work that we are putting through, I also appreciate the work of Noah on in Councilmember Strauss's office and his effective working with Parker Dotson and my office to shepherd this through , as well as the work of Stsci and other external stakeholders who have been working on this over the course of the last six months plus. And with that, I have nothing else to add and look forward to. Thank you so much, Councilmember Lewis. Are there any additional comments on Agenda Item 19 Council Bill 120239 Strauss, please. Thanks. Just wrapping up Council President, this legislation includes several exemptions that did result from compromises made at the Construction Code Advisory Board, including existing upgrades to existing commercial buildings. And this type of exemption doesn't exist in other parts of the code. And I just want to note that as we transition in this type of work to addressing the climate crisis, we must ensure that our workers are also taken care of. And so this compromise does continue to move us forward, and we still need to do more to meet the needs of our workers who are earning family wage family wages. Thank you, Councilperson. Thank you, Councilmember Strauss and Councilmember Lewis, that does conclude the debate on this item. So will the first please call the roll on the passage of council bill 120239 Agenda Item 19 Lewis. Yes. Warhol's house was set up by Peterson. I. Strauss Yes. Herbold Yes. Whereas I council President Gonzalez. I aid in favor and unopposed. Thank you so much. The bill passes and the chair will sign it. Will the please to fix my signature to the legislation on my behalf? Will the Court please read the short title of item 20 into the record?