REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Action to Waive Second Reading and Adopt Ordinance No. 2056 updating the 2021 Reach Code of Santa Clara to Conform to the 2022 California Building Standards Code
Report
BACKGROUND
At the October 18, 2022 Council meeting, proposed Ordinance No. 2056 was passed for the purpose of publication. Pursuant to City Charter Sections 808 and 812 and Government Code Section 50022.3, a summary and notice of a public hearing for proposed Ordinance No. 2056 was published twice to the Santa Clara Weekly on October 19, 2022 and October 26, 2022, and copies were posted in three public places and made available for public inspection at the City Clerk's Office.
DISCUSSION
The City adopted its first reach code in November 2021, following a long public process. The reach code made local amendments to the 2019 version of the California Building Standards Code (CBSC); specifically, the California Energy Code and the California Green Building Standards Code. The reach code mandates the use of electricity as a power source in new construction, limits installation of natural gas plumbing and meters, and increases requirements on new construction to install electric vehicle infrastructure.
A new version of the CBSC (the "2022 CBSC") will go into effect on January 1, 2023. As a result, it is necessary to modify the 2021 reach code so that its requirements will still apply under the new 2022 CBSC standards. The proposed ordinance does not make substantive changes to the 2021 reach code; the modifications are limited to reorganization and renumbering so that it conforms to the new 2022 CBSC. The ordinance also makes the requisite climatic, geographical, and topographical findings for these local modifications to the CBSC.
Adoption of the proposed ordinance will ensure that the City's reach code provisions carry forward into 2023 with no gap in the City's enforcement ability. If, however, the Council wanted to make substantive amend...
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