This section provides an overview of best practices for promoting sustainable building in your community. These examples come from programs around the country. For more information and ideas for sustainable building policies, the Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods provides local governments with guidance and resources to rapidly advance green buildings, neighborhoods and infrastructure. For more information, visit www.greenplaybook.org.

Grants for Integrated Design Planning Process

Because of increased meeting time between project stakeholders for design collaboration, planning for a sustainable building project can sometimes require more time than for a traditional project. Ultimately, in a well-designed project, these slightly higher soft costs should pay off in a more efficient construction phase, requiring fewer change orders in the field. Typically, a developer can also expect a more efficient and higher-performing building.

Providing planning and design grants for sustainable building projects creates an incentive to developers to consider making a project investment. Planning grants for sustainable building projects are available from organizations such as the Kresge Foundation and Enterprise Green Communities. Grantmaking organizations such as these provide funding to support some of the following activities: professional services to facilitate the building planning meetings during the predesign period; energy analysis and modeling; water use analysis and modeling; ecological site planning; commissioning expenses associated with the planning process; and initial documentation and LEED registration with the U.S. Green Building Council.

Permitting Incentives

To incentivize sustainable building in our communities and reduce development costs, developers can fast-track or waive the cost for permits for a sustainable building project. This process saves time and money and is a positive incentive as oppose to a regulatory one. The City of Chicago’s green permit process has been a successful model of this type of incentive and promises an expedited permit process and, in some cases, reduced fees if a project meets certain levels of sustainable building excellence. This program is based primarily on the LEED Green Building Rating System for commercial projects and the Chicago Green Homes Program for smaller, residential projects. 

Sales Tax Rebate for Green Building Materials

Similar in concept to certain kinds of rebates offered in enterprise and empowerment zones, a sales tax rebate for green building materials allows for a rebate on city and state sales taxes. Qualifying developments would receive a rebate on all building materials needed for the construction of the project. Qualification could be LEED certification or acceptance into fast-track permitting procedures. This incentive would have the potential added benefit of encouraging developers to buy local products in order to receive the rebate, itself a core sustainability concept as well as contributing to the local economy.

Rebates for Stormwater Runoff Diversion

Reducing the amount of stormwater that leaves a property has a significant impact on water quality, habitat restoration and pollution prevention. Stormwater management practices are an integral piece of sustainable building and can include reduced building footprints, green roofs, native landscaping, permeable paving, bioswales, filter strips and rain cisterns. The City of Minneapolis has developed a progressive stormwater policy that allows developments to reduce their local utility payments if a certain amount of stormwater runoff is diverted. In this way, projects that use stormwater management strategies can realize a financial benefit through rebates for water service payments.

Energy Code Requirements

Communities can achieve significant energy efficiency and as a result, reduce their carbon footprint, by requiring standards of sustainable building in all new developments and major rehabs. One way to do this is incorporating energy efficiency requirements in the local energy code. Many local governments have adopted the 2006 International Energy Code and ASHRAE 90.1 for this purpose.

For example, the City of Albuquerque has passed energy code amendments that reflect the goals of the Architecture 2030 Challenge. Architecture 2030, a nonprofit, nonpartisan and independent organization, was established by architect Edward Mazria in 2002 in response to the global-warming crisis. Architecture 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the U.S. and global building sector from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions into a central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis.

The standards require that commercial and multifamily residential projects be 30% more energy efficient than a baseline building, using the 1999 edition of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 as the baseline. Projects that achieve a LEED Silver rating with four energy performance credits are exempt, and projects smaller than 20,000 square feet are allowed to follow a prescriptive path.  For smaller residential development, Albuquerque will adopt and amend the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code and include performance requirements of the ENERGY STAR program. Projects are exempt that achieve a LEED Homes Silver rating or above, and buildings certified as Build Green New Mexico Silver or above.

Variance for Parking Requirements

Parking requirements for new developments often do not address opportunities for alternative transportation options and thus ultimately reduce the sustainable design opportunities of a project. If parking requirements can be reduced for developments that are sited near public transportation nodes or that use innovative transit options such as car sharing programs, sustainable design goals can be more easily met. Possible promotions as part of a parking requirement variance can include car sharing programs, locating developments within a quarter mile of a public transit node, providing secure bicycle parking and shower facilities, and designating parking spots for car pools and alternative-fuel vehicles.

High-Performance Green Building Practices for All Government Construction Projects as a Model for the Private Sector

Government agencies should consider incorporating green building principles and practices into the planning, design, construction, management, renovation, operations and demolition of all government facilities. This provides a model for the private sector and shows leadership on the part of local government. 

The Chicago Center for Green Technology on Chicago’s west side is a great example of a government-sponsored LEED Platinum project that serves as a model for the private-sector building community. Completed in 2002 and one of the first LEED new construction projects in the country, it showcases green products and technologies, offers building tours, and hosts over 100 free green building education courses each year as part of its Green Tech U program. Chicago has also adopted the “Chicago Standard,” which requires all public construction projects to meet LEED Silver standards.

Continuing Education for Local Government Officials

Sustainable building is an emerging field, and new information and technologies are being introduced into the marketplace regularly. As the private sector is learning more about sustainable building and beginning to implement these strategies, local government officials, particularly in departments that deal directly with aspects of development and urban infrastructure, must understand how these strategies and technologies work.

To facilitate the transition to sustainable building, the newly created Office of Sustainable Design of New York City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) has developed a training program for DDC staff. Training covers the city’s sustainable building requirements and goals and the department’s self-published design manuals, including DDC’s High Performance Building Guidelines, High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines, a manual on energy-efficient lighting, a geothermal manual, and a construction and demolition waste manual.