Bill Text: NJ S3543 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Requires certain State projects to be designed and managed to include sustainable landscapes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-11-30 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [S3543 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2016-S3543-Introduced.html

SENATE, No. 3543

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

217th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED NOVEMBER 20, 2017

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  BOB SMITH

District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires certain State projects to be designed and managed to include sustainable landscapes.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning the construction of certain State projects and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  Any development project, with or without buildings, on a site of at least 2,000 square feet constructed by, or for the use of, a State governmental entity shall be designed and managed to include a sustainable landscape.

     b.    All plans, specifications, and bid proposal documents for any development project to which the provisions of this section apply shall identify all aspects of the project which relate to the performance measures of the Sustainable SITES Initiative concerning the reduction of water demand, filtering and reduction of stormwater runoff, provision of wildlife habitat, reduction of energy consumption, improvement of air quality, improvement of human health, and increase of outdoor recreation opportunities, as appropriate and applicable to the development project.  The Director of the Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury, in cooperation with the New Jersey Building Authority where appropriate, shall enforce the provisions of this section. 

     c.     The requirements of this section shall not apply to any development project for which a request for proposals to design the project has been issued prior to the effective date of this section.

     d.    As used in this section:

     "State governmental entity" means the same as the term is defined in section 1 of P.L.2007, c.269 (C.52:32-5.3).

     "Sustainable landscape" means a landscape that receives SITES certification in accordance with the Sustainable SITES Initiative, developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden, and administered by Green Business Certification, Inc.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill would require any development project, with or without buildings, on a site of at least 2,000 square feet constructed by, or for the use of, a State governmental entity to be designed and managed to include a sustainable landscape.  The Director of the Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury, in cooperation with the New Jersey Building Authority where appropriate, would enforce the provisions of the bill.  All plans, specifications, and bid proposal documents for any applicable development project would be required to identify all aspects of the project which relate to the performance measures of the Sustainable SITES Initiative concerning the reduction of water demand, filtering and reduction of stormwater runoff, provision of wildlife habitat, reduction of energy consumption, improvement of air quality, improvement of human health, and increase of outdoor recreation opportunities, as appropriate and applicable to the development project.  The requirements of the bill would not to apply to any development project for which a request for proposals to design the project has been issued prior to the enactment of the bill into law. 

     The bill defines "sustainable landscape" as a landscape that is certified in accordance with the Sustainable SITES Initiative, referred to as "SITES," developed through a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden, and administered by Green Business Certification, Inc. 

     SITES sets forth performance measures rather than prescribing practices, thus supporting the unique conditions of each development site.  SITES certification is based on a point system:  the number of points that a project earns determines the certification level it receives.  The process is performed through SITES Online, which is a simplified tool designed to collect documentation and track projects from start to finish.  The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a long-time supporter of and stakeholder in the Sustainable SITES Initiative, and certain SITES components are incorporated into the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system developed by the USGBC.  SITES extends the principles of sustainability beyond the physical building where LEED has been successful to landscapes, including parks, streetscapes, and more.  SITES takes a systematic approach to defining, measuring, and elevating the value of landscapes, waterways, and other forms of green infrastructure through sustainable best practices that help create more resilient communities which are better able to withstand and recover from catastrophic events, such as floods and wildfires.  As of September 2017, more than 100 projects of more than 75.5 million gross square feet of space across 31 states and five countries have registered or certified with SITES.

     This bill expands upon a provision in current law that requires certain State buildings to be designed to be "high performance green buildings."

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