The City sent the following press release on Wednesday, August 12:
Council Consideration of Reach Codes Deferred | Additional Public Outreach to be Conducted
The Piedmont City Council will not consider the second reading of ordinances implementing Reach Codes at its August 17th meeting. Staff will conduct additional public outreach to better educate members of the community on the purpose and scope of these important measures before Council considers them again.
The proposed building code amendments were drafted following extensive public outreach – including two public surveys and five public outreach forums – significant research, and collaboration with East Bay Community Energy and several cost-effectiveness analysts. However, it has become clear since the Council’s first consideration of these ordinances that additional outreach would be beneficial to the community.
“The proposed Reach Codes are too important to Piedmont’s climate action goals to be considered without additional public education and outreach,” said City Administrator Sara Lillevand. “As a residential community, Piedmont has limited options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Though many residents participated in the year-long process to develop the proposed Reach Codes, it is important that the community have more time to understand and comment on these proposals before they are brought back to Council.”
“Planning & Building staff has received a significant amount of input from the community over the past year to help develop the proposed Reach Codes,” said Planning & Building Director Kevin Jackson. “We want to clarify any misconceptions residents may have about the proposals before Council takes them up again.”