Growing Fairview adopts green building regulations

Home construction must keep environment in mind after July 1
 

02:10 AM CDT on Friday, May 14, 2004

By CHRISTY A. ROBINSON / The Dallas Morning News

Residential builders in Fairview will soon be seeing green. The town council approved a "green" building code recently that will require builders to construct single-family homes in environmentally friendly ways. The code goes into effect July 1. Fairview wants to be a leader in smart growth, said town manager John Godwin. "We're starting to have pretty rapid growth and wanted to protect the environment of the town," he said. "This is just the first step of a number of steps to do that."

The green code was modeled after a similar Frisco ordinance, he said. Frisco instituted the first green building program in the country, which requires builders to meet federal energy efficiency standards, saving homeowners money and cutting pollution. The City Council passed laws protecting trees and streams and encouraging the use of native landscaping.

Four years ago, the city retooled its master plan to encourage developers to incorporate open space into neighborhoods. In Fairview, builders will be required to meet greener standards, such as designing landscaping systems and plantings to conserve water.

The new standards also say:

• Construction materials must be recycled or donated to a nonprofit organization.
• Unvented fireplaces and gas logs with fans that blow combustion gases into living spaces will not be allowed.
• Builders must give homebuyers options that will encourage recycling and composting after they move in.
• Builders must make information about landscaping with native plants available in their model homes.

Fairview also has a dark skies ordinance, which calls for large houses and lots surrounded by swaths of open space.

"People moved to Fairview because of the unique environment and the rural feel of the community," Mr. Godwin said. "We want to ensure that those things that brought our citizens here are protected."

E-mail carobinson@dallasnews.com