‘Green’ home rules proposed by city

The amendment would add a new section in the City Code titled ‘‘Gaithersburg Green Residential Criteria,” and is intended as an interim green building code until a national standard is developed, according to city documents.

The standards are based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) elements.

Criteria includes energy performance requirements, such as with heating and cooling equipment, standards to protect exposure to building contaminants and the builder also must provide an ‘‘Owner’s Manual” and orientation to educate the homeowner about the home’s green features.

‘‘We’re fairly confident all jurisdictions at some point will have this,” said Greg Ossont, the city’s Planning and Code director. ‘‘We just want to be ahead of the curve.”

Some upcoming residential developments include Aventiene on Fields Road in southwest Gaithersburg, and the Casey East and Casey West sites near Interstate 270 in north Gaithersburg.

Train swap advances

The plan to exchange Gaithersburg’s historic train cars with a museum in Hagerstown is chugging along as Gaithersburg City Council on Monday unanimously approved an agreement with the state to receive money for the project.

The approved memorandum of understanding with the State Highway Administration will provide the city $435,663 in federal funds through the state’s Transportation Enhancement Program.

The total project cost is slated at $865,845.

The project proposes to swap Gaithersburg’s 50-foot-long, circa-1940 kitchen car and 34-foot-long, circa-1942 caboose for an 85-foot-long, circa-1950 passenger car and a 42-foot-long, circa-1980 caboose.

The city’s locomotive will remain at the Gaithersburg Community Museum, 9 S. Summit Ave., and be restored along with the two exchanged vehicles. A new pedestrian plaza also will be added.

Work could begin this spring, and is expected to complete by next August, said Louise Kauffmann, Gaithersburg’s director of community development.