HUD OKs NMHC’s Alternative Green Building Standards

The Northern Marianas Housing Corp. announced yesterday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently approved the CNMI’s Alternative Green Building Standards.

In a news release announcing the decision, it said that a customized Green Building Standard for new construction and rehabilitation projects in the CNMI is justified, based on its unique climate and housing needs.

“Our remote location poses several challenges, both in obtaining certified Green materials and equipment, and in procuring the services of accredited consultants necessary to conform with one of the ‘National’ standards that HUD prefers,” it said.

“In addition to the challenges related to procuring a certification, our tropical climate negates the need for most space conditioning. Our standard new construction homes are sold without any HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] equipment for heating or cooling. This means that there is no need for insulation and air sealing of the building envelope. With regard to the building envelope, it is important to note that we have long-held standards related to resiliency, perhaps the most important Green standard for our location. Our structures are concrete, including the roof assembly,” it added.

In an email dated Nov. 19, 2021, HUD assistant director for Disaster Recovery and Special Issues Division notified NMHC corporate director Jesse S. Palacios to “accept the former’s email for NMHC’s records as approval from HUD of the CNMI’s Alternative Green Building Standards that were received from NMHC on Aug. 30, 2021.”

The HUD assistant director further wrote that, “as a provision of the approval, HUD is requesting that NMHC’s policies and procedures be modified to include Energy Star appliances for single-family housing activities when available and can be reasonably procured.”

“This is indeed welcome and exciting news in that our CDBG-DR Housing and Public Infrastructure (e.g., repairs/reconstruction of public facilities) projects can now move forward with the approval of this HUD requirement—HUD Green Building Standards,” said Palacios. “To facilitate and expedite these CDBG-DR projects, I have asked our CDBG-DR program manager to finalize the Green Building Standards and checklist and the CDBG-DR housing administrator and CDBG-DR project manager to begin calling in approved borrowers and contractors to revise previous NMHC approved house plans and project worksheets, respectively, to incorporate these alternate green building standards.”

80 FR 25901 and 24 CFR §§ 92.251 and 905.312 (b) require CDBG-DR projects and developments to comply with the IBC, local codes, and HUD requirements, which include Green Building Standards.

NMHC wants to thank the public, particularly its clientele—both approved borrowers and contractors—for their continued patience and understanding. (PR/Saipan Tribune)