Page 6 - GSABA Builder Brief March 2020

Code Changes
JEFF CZAR President
GSABA Leadership is
Energized to Continue the Fight for Affordability
I had the opportunity to be part of a meeting in late January with the Business Coalition which the Greater San Antonio Builders Association (GSABA) is part of. Mayor Ron Nirenberg spoke to the presidents and executive directors from each of the Coalition members and shared some interesting statistics.
While San Antonio is enjoying a 3 percent unemployment rate and our economy is thriving, we still have serious transportation issues to address and resolve. This November, there will be a proposal on the ballot to reallocate the 1/8th of a cent sales tax from the Aquifer Protection Program to a dedicated transportation initiative with no tax increase. The City must align their spending with our unprecedented growth. We will bring you more details on this ballot initiative as well as additional initiatives prior to the November elections.
What was most alarming, Mayor Nirenberg shared that 22 percent of San Antonio residents live at or below the poverty level. San Antonio has the largest poverty level in the nation, and this is a staggering number. We hope that the mayor and City Council will take these families and individuals into consideration when they adopt housing strategies in the future.
Housing affordability has and will remain a top priority of mine this year and we must continue to fight unnecessary fees and regulations on the local, state and national levels. The proposed changes to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) will impact the cost of a new home in the greater San Antonio area by as much as $7,000 if the changes are adopted by the City of San Antonio. This will be a huge blow to housing affordability in our community, across Texas as well as the United States.
The Energy Codes are adopted by the State Energy Conservation Commission (SECO) every six years. SECO is currently operating under the 2015 Energy Code. San Antonio chose to adopt the 2018 Energy Code and they have plans to adopt the 2021 code in October of 2020. If SECO adopts the 2021 code, every City must adopt this code because cities cannot change the rules that the state of Texas adopts.
The City of San Antonio will host public hearings and we need your support. Special interest groups worked behind the scenes to have certain provisions added to the 2021 Energy Code to include one Energy Vehicle (EV) space in each garage. This means that a 40-amp circuit will be required with one additional breaker in each new home. If a family can’t afford a vehicle, they don’t need a plug for an electric vehicle.
Proposed
will impact the cost of a new home in the greater San Antonio area by as much as $7,000 if the changes are adopted by the City of San Antonio.
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MARCH 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
FROM THE PRESIDENT