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Martinez 0 for 3 - "Greener" Building Codes Will Be Published

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM - The Martinez administration has struck out in the "new rules" department. Shortly after being ordered by the New Mexico Supreme Court to publish two new sets of rules approved last year, the governor has backed down in a similar case involving new state building codes.

Clean energy and conservation proponents are three-for-three. The Sierra Club has withdrawn a lawsuit against the Martinez administration in exchange for the governor's agreeing to publish new state building codes adopted last year to achieve greater energy efficiency. The reversal comes after the State Supreme Court ordered the administration to publish two other sets of new environmental rules.

Governor Martinez had put a 90-day delay on implementing all such new rules and codes, but the high court said that move was overstepping her authority. Tammy Fiebelkorn with the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) helped develop the new building codes, "These codes were passed after over a year of public hearings. They went through many, many public input sessions and then, they were passed by the Construction Industries Commission, and they are the commission that has authority to adopt building codes for New Mexico. They're legal; they should be in place."

The codes are expected to be published in the State Register soon, with all provisions in effect by July 1st. Fiebelkorn says training sessions on the new codes using stimulus money will take place this spring throughout the state. The other rules the Supreme Court has ordered the new administration to publish involve pollution from dairies, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from utilities and other major polluters.

According to Fiebelkorn the new codes will save New Mexico businesses and households on energy bills by making new buildings more energy-efficient, "So that folks in New Mexico aren't spending all their money on utilities to heat and cool, and it makes it less pollution for New Mexico, less money spent for New Mexicans. All around, a good idea."
Eric Mack reporting, nmnc@newsservice.org

 

Challenge to NM Governor’s Hold on Energy-saving Building Codes

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Santa Fe, NM – New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has blocked publication of new state building codes that supporters say will produce energy efficiency and lower utility bills. The Sierra Club contends state law requires the codes to be published, and is asking the New Mexico Supreme Court to intervene.
 
As one of her first acts in office, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez ordered a freeze on new state regulations, including the publication of state building codes designed to achieve energy-efficiency in new construction. The Sierra Club is asking the New Mexico Supreme Court to unblock the building codes. Organizer Shrayas Jatkar says the regulations effectively became law when adopted last year by the Construction Industries Commission,  "Pretty much all of the building codes were adopted in July, 2010, and there were just two additional sections for commercial buildings, specifically, that were adopted in September."

Jatkar says the delay is costing New Mexico consumers money. He says the new codes will help homes and businesses cut energy use by 20-percent, and reduce reliance on polluting coal-fired power plants. New state building codes require beefed-up insulation in all new construction, which Jatkar says will save the average New Mexico homeowner 167-dollars a year,  "Insulation is one of those no-brainers when it comes to energy savings because you reduce the fluctuations in the temperature. You don’t need as much heating and cooling. That’s going to save you energy, save you money."

Jatkar says the new building codes have the potential to have a huge impact on New Mexico energy usage, even to the point of avoiding the need to construct new power plants, "This is not like, oh, just don’t leave your lights on, you know, you’re going to save a little bit of energy, or don’t keep your appliances plugged in, you save a little bit of energy. I mean, we’re talking about industry-wide, statewide, all new construction, so this is pretty significant when it comes to energy savings."

Jatkar claims the new codes will also stimulate the state’s clean energy sector, producing hundreds of new jobs. He adds that Governor Martinez' action may be jeopardizing the state’s 32-million dollar share of federal stimulus funding for energy projects.
Doug Ramsey, nmnc@newsservice.org

Wall Street Home “Resale” Fees Raise Ire, and Eyebrows

from the New Mexico News Connection - A statewide news service for New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM – A coalition including the National Association of Realtors, AFSCME, and the Property Rights Alliance is calling foul on a new Wall Street real estate investment device called a “private transfer fee covenant.”  Sixteen state legislatures have restricted their use, and the coalition is asking for a federal ban.

With real estate values still low in most of the country, a new investment device has surfaced – and a coalition of consumer groups and real estate industry organizations is sounding an alarm. “Private transfer fee covenants” being placed on homes by investors and developers require a percentage of the final sale price to be paid to a private third party every time the property is sold.  Kurt Pfotenhauer with the American Land Title Association says his organization is joining the coalition’s call for state legislatures to take action, and for a federal ban, "The whole thing’s set up to make money. It’s marketed to the developers, ‘This is money in your pocket.’ Clearly, you’ve just given one percent of your equity away to somebody else."

So far, sixteen states have restricted the resale fees, and HUD won’t insure loans that have the fees attached. The coalition is delivering a letter to US financial officials on the issue this week. Companies backing the fees promote them as a way to reimburse developers for infrastructure expenses. The fees are also pitched as a steady cash stream and a product that can be sold to other investors, and packaged for Wall Street.

Pfotenhauer claims buyers don’t understand this new financial product being attached to properties, and some aren’t even finding out about the fees until they go to sell their home. He calls the resale fees damaging to homeowners and homebuyers, as well as the real estate market overall, "The truth of the matter is, is that when you’re in a down market, when prices are depreciating or flat, you’re that much more under water if one of these things is attached to your house."

Members of the Coalition to Stop Wall Street Home Resale fees include: National Association of Realtors, AFSCME, Vote Vets, Center for Responsible Lending and the Property Rights Alliance.
A complete list is at www.stophomeresalefees.org.

Sawmill Land Trust Proves Affordable Senior Housing Is No Oxymoron

Albuquerque, NM- Sawmill Community Land Trust, in partnership with PacifiCap Properties, will formally break ground on Sawmill Senior Housing on Wednesday February 24, at 10:30am at the corner of 18th NW and Zearing. Located just north of Old Town in the historic Sawmill area, this exceptional 46-unit rental complex will not only expand affordable housing options for Albuquerque's low income seniors, but also supports the ongoing development of the Arbolera de Vida community. Stalled in predevelopment for several years as a result of the economy and capital markets, recent stimulus funding administered through the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority has allowed the project to move to construction.

Sawmill Senior Housing will serve residents age 55 and older with household incomes at or below 50% of area median. The complex will include a two story L-shaped residential building of one and two bedroom units (653 & 785 sq ft) and a separate community building. The community building will be a vibrant hub for senior residents, providing a venue for education, recreation, and social interaction. It features meeting space, a conference room, computer lab, fitness room, and offices. In addition, the complex will be staffed with an onsite Social Services Coordinator who will provide assistance for residents' transportation, homemaking, and healthcare needs, coordinate computer education, fitness and art classes, and prepare resident events. Sawmill Senior Housing's amenities offer seniors the opportunity to remain healthy, independent, and active members of the community.

The complex will be situated centrally within the Arbolera de Vida community, next to the children's playground and recreational fields. It will include a common interior garden equipped with rainwater harvesting cisterns and compost bins and a fruit orchard with semi-dwarf fruit trees, recalling a time when small farms and fields buffered the neighborhood from the indusatrial operations of a once active lumber industry. A small outdoor community plaza with fireplace/barbeque and covered porches with benches for sitting will be located near the garden and community center. The project design purposefully emphasizes opportunities for interaction, supports inclusiveness and a sense of community, and its construction is rooted firmly in sustainable principles and environmental integrity.

ABOUT SAWMILL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST -  Sawmill Community Land Trust is a nonprofit, community organization dedicated to developing vibrant, prosperous neighborhoods through the creation and stewardship of permanently affordable housing for low and moderate income families. Our work improves the health/wealth of individuals and communities by creating sustainable homeownership and housing options, by providing housing education and financial counseling, and by engaging the active participation of residents in the development and growth of their neighborhoods.