Dec 26 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Bethania Palma Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.

Los Angeles County is in the process of requiring new buildings to be environmentally friendly, officials said.

A public hearing will be held Jan. 23 on new guidelines that will combine requirements for energy efficiency, low-impact design and drought-tolerant landscaping in new developments starting in 2010, county officials said.

"It's primarily oriented toward energy and water conservation, which will have a ripple effect of improving our air quality and natural environment for future generations," said county planning deputy Paul Novak.

The ordinance would affect new developments in unincorporated county areas, like Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights.

"This is a step in the right direction," said Lance Williams, executive director for the U.S. Green Building Council's Los Angeles chapter. "We have to work very hard to get something done now, or it will be too late."

Williams said the region is at a "critical mass," and environmentally friendly building is directly related to quality of life.

Poor water and air quality, water shortages, sprawl and other negative environmental impacts could result if the need to build and the need to protect natural resources aren't balanced, he added.

"We want to have an attractive environment," he said. "(Los Angeles) is a very desirable location, and the quality of life is the most important thing we have here."

He added that buildings are "energy hogs" in which people spend the vast majority of their time. As the region becomes more heavily populated, he said, energy efficiency is a must.

Terra Donlon, vice president of government affairs and public relations for the Building and Industry Association's L.A and Ventura chapter, said her organization has been working with the county on the draft.

"Green is definitely the wave of the future," she said. "That's what we're going to be building and that's what people are going to start demanding."

She said an important aspect for builders will be having adequate time to implement changes and choices concerning how to make new projects eco-friendly.

"We're looking at phasing in programs and voluntary programs until 2010," she said. "That would give our builders time."

She said building green will increase costs that may trickle down to consumers, until the technology and methods become more commonplace.

But, she added, "it's coming, whether L.A. County decides to do it or not, it will be hitting our area from a state or national level."

Donlon said the state is also implementing green standards that will supersede the county's, if they are stricter.

"This is the way the world is thinking at this point," Williams said. "This is the prevailing understanding."