The team has completed a case study of Palo Alto’s Roadmap to Zero Net Energy, with a focus on the opportunities to transition small to medium-sized retail-use commercial buildings to the City of Palo Alto’s energy efficiency standards as defined by their overall sustainability goals. The main contributor to the research effort was the department of Development Services at the City of Palo Alto; this paper has been compiled with their challenges in implementing their green building ordinance in mind. The specific challenge researched was on how to effectively transition Palo Alto’s small to medium-sized retail-use buildings in accordance with the Commercial Zero Net Energy Ordinance for Smaller Buildings, the City’s 2023 Green Building Vision milestone based on California state goals for 2030. Our research and analysis uncovered opportunities to reduce roadblocks to Palo Alto’s 2023 sustainability goals by reinvigorating energy audits for retail-use spaces, implementing and enforcing guidelines for landlord-tenant environmental responsibilities through use of green leases, and improving communication and understanding of Zero Net Energy obligations for retail buildings. Our proposed solution is a web-based and mobile-friendly application (the app) for self-assessment of energy efficiency. The intent of app usage is to transition the target user base to energy efficiency upgrades for Palo Alto’s 2023 milestone. We recommend that the proposed solution is implemented in alignment with the broader measuring and monitoring system will be implemented to ensure that the Development Services department is able to meet their Road to Zero Net Energy milestone goals.