I support establishment of this district, but suggest postponement to allow a public discussion with Sartorius about future building greenhouse gas emissions. The district, once established, will entitle Sartorius to a large tax cut, which is appropriate, but should not be granted unconditionally. The first of its several buildings, a $57 million, 130,000 square foot combined research/office center at 3874 Research Park Drive, just approved, will use gas heating. That's for technical and cost reasons related to lab air exchange requirements. Subsequent buildings in this proposed district should conform to the A2Zero plan (strategy 2, action 1) for new construction and use geothermal or air source heat pump VRF systems, unless there is a compelling reason not to. That mutual understanding should be reached before establishing this district. We're in a climate emergency, and each new building, with gas combustion, locks in a half century of emissions, digging us deeper into a hole.
I support establishment of this district, but suggest postponement to allow a public discussion with Sartorius about future building greenhouse gas emissions. The district, once established, will entitle Sartorius to a large tax cut, which is appropriate, but should not be granted unconditionally. The first of its several buildings, a $57 million, 130,000 square foot combined research/office center at 3874 Research Park Drive, just approved, will use gas heating. That's for technical and cost reasons related to lab air exchange requirements. Subsequent buildings in this proposed district should conform to the A2Zero plan (strategy 2, action 1) for new construction and use geothermal or air source heat pump VRF systems, unless there is a compelling reason not to. That mutual understanding should be reached before establishing this district. We're in a climate emergency, and each new building, with gas combustion, locks in a half century of emissions, digging us deeper into a hole.