ULI San Francisco is excited to announce the completion of a ULI Advisory Services Panel (ASP) report on San Jose’s Building Electrification and Renewable Energy! The mission of ULI ASP program is to bring the finest expertise in the real estate field together to tackle and provide tangible recommendations on complex land use planning and development projects, programs, and policies.

This panel, chaired by Jeff Kingsbury of Ancora Partners, was called upon by the City of San Jose to inform their path to becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2023. The central question posed to the panel was “what can the City of San José do to help unlock the environmental and health benefits of building electrification and renewable/carbon-free distributed energy resources (DERs) in market-rate and affordable multifamily housing developments, increase the financial viability of such projects, and improve social equity outcomes?” This question was then broken to several sub-questions under three main themes: incentivizing electrification and DERs, financing and costs, and equity.

The panel of ULI members consisted of experts from a wide variety of disciplines reflecting diverse perspectives, including land use and design, finance and development strategies, governance and policy, and real estate development. Panelists from across the nation included:

• Jeff Kingsbury, Ancora Partners
• Jose Bodipo-Memba, SMUD
• Page Bolin, Community Energy Inc.
• Kevin Bates, SHARP Development Company, Inc.
• Marta Schantz, ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance
• Molly Simpson, Fannie Mae Multifamily Green and Healthy Housing Financing
• Michelle Malanca Frey, Michelle Malanca Frey Consulting, Panel Writer

Over the course of 4 days, the panel developed five key recommendations for San Jose’s road to carbon neutrality:

• Lean into Leadership and Innovation
• Seize the Opportunity to Create Jobs and Equitable Prosperity
• Increase Access to Existing Resources through a Zero Carbon Hub
• Provide a Smooth Path for Electrification and Renewables
• Strengthen Stakeholder Buy-in through Continued Engagement and Widespread Communication

Through these recommendations, the panel strongly encourages the city to further lean into and leverage its unique assets and culture on its way to its vision of the future. This is a continuation of what the city already does very well— prioritizing equity and quality of life for everyone in San José.

You can read the full ASP report here.