The city is one step closer toward requiring developers to meet higher environmental standards in new construction.

The only concern around the table as councillors received an update last week seemed to be that the planned green building policy isn't coming fast enough.

Last September, council passed a bylaw requiring new city-owned buildings to meet at least a LEED silver standard, a green building rating system for environmentally sustainable construction.

Work on a similar policy for privately-owned buildings has so far resulted in a list of guiding principles, after a round of consultation with stakeholders including the Urban Development Institute, a development industry group, and the city's own advisory design panel, heritage advisory committee and environment and shoreline working group.

The list of principles endorsed to take the program forward, including terms like leadership, collaboration, accountability and excellence, may have been vague, but councillors were more concerned that the timeline for actionable parts of a policy didn't foresee progress until 2009 for most parts of the policy.

"I certainly support the tone of this, but I'm looking to go beyond to something more tangible," said Coun. Pam Madoff.

Some of the waiting is due to the city having to see what the provincial government will do as it raises envirnomental standards in the building code, said planning director Deb Day.

An amendment introduced by Coun. Sonya Chandler made the language clearer that the city will expect developers to show leadership.

But Chandler also expressed regret the city hadn't brought in a green building policy earlier, before signs the construction boom is nearing an end.

"I felt in a lot of ways we have missed some really big opportunities in terms of where the market has been and where it's going," she said.

Councillors Bea Holland and Chris Coleman, just returned from the Union of B.C. Municipalities annual meeting in Penticton, brought a $50,000 cheque the city won in recognition for its work in partnership with the Dockside Green development. Council agreed to put that money, which is intended for environmental initiatives, toward more work on the green building policy.

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