Two members of City Council have introduced legislation
that would provide height and density bonuses for developers who design
buildings to meet certain environmental and energy benchmarks.
The bill, introduced by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds
Brown and co-sponsored by Councilman Mark Squilla, would allow additional
height and floor area in projects that receive LEED Silver certification. The
zoning code already provides bonuses for certain projects that are certified
LEED Gold and LEED Platinum, the two highest rankings.
The legislation sponspored by Reynolds Brown and Squilla
would allow an additional 12 feet of building height to LEED Silver projects in
the Central Delaware Overlay district. LEED Gold buildings in that area can
currently earn an additional 24 feet of height, and LEED Platinum buildings can
earn up to 36 additional feet.
The bill would also allow an additional 25 percent
floor-area bonus in lots zoned CMX-3 that fall within Transit Oriented
Development Districts, which have yet to be added to the city’s zoning maps. It
would give a 50-percent floor-area bonus to buildings in CMX-4 zones, and a
100-percent bonus to buildings in CMX-5 zones, the most permissive commercial
districts in the city.
“We are serious about achieving Mayor Nutter’s goal of
becoming the Greenest City in America, and therefore are consistently on the
lookout for new, innovative ways to incentivize going green,” said Councilwoman
Reynold Brown, in a statement. “Developers are always in search of more space
and we as a City Council are interested in seeing environmentally responsible
and sustainable construction, so this is a win-win scenario for both parties.”
Developers can earn points toward LEED certification for
building near transportation infrastructure, including bicycle parking and
reducing automobile parking, and using energy and water efficiently. LEED
Silver projects earn 50-59 points. Project must earn at least 40 points to be
LEED Certified.
Source: PlanPhilly
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