Thank You!

A huge thanks to all you who helped recently with research by posting here and elsewhere re stormwater issues (I apologize for not posting individual thank you replies but it has been a crazy time for me these last few days). I believe Aaron, Leah or I will be publishing a draft of info compiled in the next week, in preparation for a followup meeting. Thanks again! Bev

Philadelphia's Green Roofs Tax Credit

I heard on NPR tonight that Philadelphia is encouraging green infrastructure as a way of preventing CSOs. I couldn't find any specifics on how this is being incentivized, but I did find info on their green roofs tax credit:

The ordinance:

http://webapps.phila.gov/council/attachments/3533.pdf

How the ordinance works, from a developer's perspective:

http://montrosegreen.blogspot.com/2009/01/phillys-green-roof-tax-credit.html

Green Roof Incentives

Hello everyone,

Great job establishing this site. This is officially my first contribution to the blogosphere world in general, and I am genuinely excited.

I'm not sure if anyone has already mentioned this site, but Plant Connection actually has a general list of Green Roof Legislation, Policies, and Tax Incentives organized by location. You can visit the site at http://myplantconnection.com/green-roofs-legislation.php, but I have pasted the bulk of it in this post. It might be a helpful skeleton to adapt and build upon..

-Megan Keely

Boston, MA

Proposed legislation in the city council will provide a one-time tax incentive of $5 per sq/ft for up to $100,000 for commercial and residential green roofs.

Chicago, IL (535,000 sq/ft of green roof)

Grant Program offers up to up to 50% of cost or $100,000 for green roof development of green roofs covering 50% or more of a rooftop space.

Green Permit: a program that fast tracks green roof or LEED certifiable bulding project permits

Los Angeles, CA

All city of Los Angeles building projects 7500 sq/ft or larger are required to meet LEEd standards.

Minneapolis, MN

Stormwater Management any building that improves their stormwater management such as installing a green roof, receives a 50% credit against mandated stormwater usage fees paid to the city.

New York City, NY (500,000 sq/ft of green roofs)

New York State Law in larger cities (only NYC meets the size requirement) you can receive a one year tax credit of up to $100,000 (or $4.50 per sq/ft) for green roof instals that encompass at least 50% of available roof space. Law is effective from January 1,2009- March 15, 2013.

Pennsylvania

Proposed legislation in the city council may provide a personal income tax credit for residential and commercial green roofs in amount of 25% of costs or up to $100,000 per year for 6 years.

City of Philadelphia: offers a credit against the Business Privilege Tax of 25% of all costs incurred to construct a green roof up to $100,000. To qualify, green roof must cover 50% of the rooftop to qualify.

Portland, OR

FAR Bonus: the city of Portland offers a Floor Area Ratio bonus in its building code. Developers may build an extra 3 sq/ft per foot of green roof they construct without additional permits. They also offer a grant reimbursement of up to $5 per sq/ft for reducing stormwater infrastructure with a green roof.

San Francisco, CA

Expedited permits for all green building projects.

Green Building Ordinace of 2008 sets standards for CO2 emmissions and reducing stormwater runoff.

Seattle, WA

FAR Bonus: the city of Seattle also offers a Floor Area Ratio bonus in its building code. Developers may build an extra 3 sq/ft per foot of green roof they construct without additional permits.

Green Factor Program requires a certain amount of green space in certain building zones.

Toronto, Canada

Green Roof By-law: green roofs are required for all new development above 200 sq/m. Coverage requirement ranges from 20-60% of the available roof space and the law effects all new application made after January 31, 2010.

Vancouver, B.C., Canada

Port Coquitlam Green Roof By-law All new commercial and industrial buildings over 5000 square meters must have a green roof. The city has also just enacted a zoning development bylaw, which allows a developer to be exempt from development permit fees if a green roof is planned with no variances.

Richmond Proposed Green Roof By-law office and industrial developments that are 2,000 square meters or larger would need a minimum of 100 green points, which could be achieved through the development of a green roof, meeting a LEED Silver standard, or using the roof for parking and landscaping the grounds.

Washington, D.C.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation has $ 300,000 in funds to provide green roof grants. Individual grants may fund up to 20% of the total cost of a green roof installation.

New York State and NYC Green Roof Tax Abatement Incentive

Text of State law at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/pdf/08pdf/green_roof_legislation.pdf

NYC Green Roof Tax AbatementWhat it is: A one-time property tax abatement equal to $4.50 per square foot up to $100,000 (no greater than the tax liability of the building for one year) for green roof installations that cover at least 50% of the roof and meet certain criteria (vegetation depth, waterproofing requirements, etc.)When to apply: Application must be received by March 15th in order for a property tax abatement to take effect on July 1st of the same calendar yearWho is eligible: Property owners who have installed a green roof meeting the criteria required after August 5, 2008Which agency: NYC Department of BuildingsTo apply: Green Roof Property Tax Abatement Application

Mission Statement and Calendars!

Wonderful to meet everyone. What an interesting and resourceful group of individuals; I'm excited to be working with you!

Jeanette, Kathleen, and I are working on a first draft of a mission statement for our organization. Here is a very rough starting draft:

GR4SF is an alliance of individuals from construction, architecture, landscaping, advocacy, and the general public working together to promote green roof adoption in San Francisco. Passionate about their economic, energy-saving, habitat creation, and water-saving benefits, we strive to advance the understanding and implementation of green roofs in San Francisco by building broad awareness, gathering and disseminating technical research, and advocating for governmental policies. Our goal is to influence green roof adoption so as to see _% of new roofs in San Francisco installed with at least _% of their square footage dedicated to a living roof.

Meanwhile, I couldn't resist purchasing a quantity of Green Roofs of the World 2010 calendars! I'll be giving these as holiday gifts to lots of friends. If anyone wants one I can bring any extras I have to our next meeting. If you can't wait, they're available at greenroofs.com

Happy holidays!
Pam

DC: Capitol Green Roofs

http://www.capitolgreenroofs.com/ ...this is another great resource that you can post any questions you have and get a wealth of responses from green roof professionals, researchers and policy makers....

Toronto: DATA

Brad Bass: Environment Canada.... Brad Bass is one of the leading researchers in the field and specifically deals with energy and water in regard to green roofs. Here is a link to all of his papers which start to look at hard data for green roofs. His contact information is here as well and I can give him a heads up that someone will be contacting him from our group.

Portland: Research

Portland Stormwater Management Plan learn more about WERF and specifics on Portland's Storm water management plan.

Other Resources:

Portland Programs Eco Roofs.. this leads you to everything you need!

Eco Roof Handbook good information

I will contact Tom Lipton and get a direct contact for Beverly to go over specifics....

personally i think this would be our best model as it close to our climate and a progressive city.

I will also contact Michelle Delaria who is now working for the State of Colorado but was very involved with Urban Drainage.. which is setting many of the standards. She participated in our storm water panel at Growwest and is very willing to share and one of the most knowledgeable I know.

Aaron's notes from 2009_12_14

Hi folks,

Thanks for an incredible meeting yesterday! As others have said, it's inspiring to have such an enthusiastic group come together for such a great purpose. :)

If you're receiving this e-mail, it is because you expressed interest in being part of the "SFPUC Stormwater Ordinance Advocacy" subgroup. We have until the first part of January to come up with recommendations for modifying the SFPUC's proposed stormwater management guidelines (see below for summary from Leah and link to the full document).

The following tasks need to be completed before our meeting with Sarah Minick (which I'm proposing should be held on Friday, Jan. 8 to give us sufficient time to prepare):

1. Research/compile/send around stormwater-related provisions that incentivize green roofs, focusing on successful policies in Chicago, Portland, and Toronto
   * LEAD: Beverly Powell (working with Megan and others)
   * RECOMMENDED DUE DATE: Friday, Dec. 18
   
   
2. Draft recommendations for modifying SFPUC's proposed stormwater guidelines and send around to the group for comment and friendly amendments
   * LEAD: Leah Fessenden (working with Haven, Awie, and others)
   * RECOMMENDED DUE DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 23
   
   
3. Set up early-January conference call to finalize and refine group recommendations (if you're interested in being on that call, please let me know if you prefer 1/4 or 1/5).
   * LEAD: Aaron Lehmer
   * RECOMMENDED DATE: Monday, Jan. 4 or Tuesday, Jan. 5 @ 2 pm
   

Okay, I know I'm missing something here. So if you recall other things that we talked about doing as part of this subgroup, please respond to this message accordingly. If you are interested in being involved in one or more of the above-mentioned tasks, please contact the "lead" person directly (as indicated). I'll keep folks updated as I hear back from Sarah Minick.

Thanks everyone!

- Aaron


Overview of SFPUC Stormwater Management Ordinance
View original document and SF Water's page here

Goal of ordinance: to meet minimum requirements to ensure compliance with Stormwater Discharge permit issued by the state. The permit only applies to the separate sewer areas (10% of SF's system including Bayview/Hunter's Point and Treasure Island, both slated for redevelopment); additional goal is to reduce pollutants entering the wastewater system by incorporating onsite, upstream treatment. The ordinance is proposed to be effective city wide.
Strategy: developed Guidelines for post-construction stormwater control through low-impact design (LID); these guidelines complement the existing Green Building Ordinance and Building Codes.
Minimum Thresholds for Compliance-"Projects that disturb 5,000 square feet or more of ground surface will be required to comply with the Guidelines. Activities that disturb the ground surface include, but are not limited to, the construction, modification, conversion, or alteration of any building or structure and associated grading, filling, excavation, change in the existing topography, and the addition or replacement of impervious surface. All sidewalks, parking, driveways, and landscaped and irrigated areas constructed in conjunction with the Development Project are included in the project area. Development Projects do not include interior remodeling projects, maintenance activities such as top-layer grinding, repaving, and re-roofing, or modifications, conversions or alterations of buildings or structures that does not increase the ground surface footprint of the building or structure."

Ordinance details administrative framework to track and regulate use of the Guidelines.

Comments:
At the SFPUC meeting on December 8th, 2009 the Commission emphasized the good work that has gone into this ordinance by Staff (Sarah Minick is the Project Manager), but felt unfamiliar with the document, wanted to examine it more closely.
It seems this document is moving forward as a piece out of many overlapping programs and policies in different stages of development- including Rainwater Harvesting and Better Streets Plan. This ordinance is prioritized because there is the issue of compliance with the state's permit. There was some discussion about ensuring this ordinance includes appropriate language aligned with department's goals of sustainability, and connecting the importance of stormwater management with climate change.
Commissioner Moran commented on the restriction of the ordinance to address new building or retrofits over 5,000 sq ft in a city that is mostly built out.
Supporters that came out included BayKeeper (www.baykeeper.org), who might be good to be in touch with on related policy pieces in other municipalities.
The Ordinance was tabled, and will be on the SFPUC meeting agenda in January 2010. After the SFPUC approves it, it will go to the Board of Supervisors. Now would be a good time to find out who allies are there.

Questions:
Is there a way of reworking the language to ensure that this ordinance is not exclusive of re-roofing or smaller residential projects to come under the umbrella of LID reqs?
Is there an overarching strategy piece that would be more appropriate place to try to address promoting vegetated roofs?
Are there opportunities alongside the other programs, especially the Rainwater Harvesting?
more to come forth...

Meeting Minutes 2009_12_14

Meeting Minutes: 2009_12_14

Participants: Jeanette, Aaron, Awie, Cooper, Kathleen, Leah, Pam, Megan, Beverly, Lisa

Time: 2-4pm

INTRODUCTIONS AND SKILLS:

Jeanette: news group for green roofs for san francisco:other life is a business analyst for AAA

skills: researching, writing reports, networking

Pam: Roof Living general contractor in SF for residential projects for the past 8 years. Career change for personal and professional reasons now would like to be the GC or project manager for green roof installations. Is interested in botany and habitat restoration.

Skills: Research, Writing, Contacts a Resourceful Bright Girl!

Awie: Habitat Gardens as of the last 4 months. Interest sparked as has been involved in landscaping with own house and returning to training in Entomology and plant pathology.

Skills: contacts. architects and business development side of things

Cooper: Habitat Gardens for 2 years, previously was the nursery manager at Rana Creek. Love of ornithology, plants, habitat and natives. Also has nan interest in water catchment, water recycling and best practices.

Skills: Contacts, networking, practical knowledge, naked skiing;)

Lisa: Evo Design, environmental designer, works in Colorado and California. Founding member of Growwest. similar group based in Colorado

Skills: contacts, networking, practical knowledge, cutting edge in formation

Kathleen:Landscape Architect student at UC Berkley. Interest began in balconies, small roof gardens, green walls

Skills: data collection, contacts,networking, problem solving

Tad: Bay localize intern. Has created a video on green roofs, survey of different living roofs, energy savings, food production, his interest is in gaining knowledge.

Skills: video, information gathering.

Aaron: Founder of Bay Localize. We provide more of our own resources and use our own resources. EX Rainwater catchment and solar. Bay localize has many pilot projects, urban core, POWER in mission district. east oakland. middle school nutrition. interests policy an legislation: build on one each other and looking at how to leverage the network to see what we can move forward.

Skills: organizer, contacts, political positioning

Leah: Project Intern for Bay Localize. First interested through a green building class at Merritt college. They began a small green roof project on green house. she completed it. interests: policy on green roofs

Skills: research, PUC, initiatives

Megan: recent Landscape Architect graduate from Cornell. Interested in policy, and design.

Skills: research, design

Beverly: Native plants person, active community member, active with government

Skills: contacts, writing

SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION:

What is our intention? what do we want to get out of it green roofs? San Francisco has an opportunity to lead california in green roof policy. How do we set the standards, policy and education components?

Barriers:

1.lack of information, cost/ benefit. regulation, knowledge

2.perception of quality benefits

3.residential/commercial differences, Codes, Regulations

4.cost-lack of monetary support from government/rebates

We now have this great opportunity with the Storm Water Ordinance. We do not need to reinvent the wheel as we can piggy back on other municipalities and city leaders such as chicago, toronto, portland. We also want to look at what other communities are doing in the state such as San Diego.

Strageties:

1. education awareness

2. technical performance

3. policies and programs

These first two are very important. Education seems to be the key piece and the rest follows. How do we provide this? possibilities include resource website and symposiums. Policy is also a key piece as it can enforce the awareness.

what is our mission?

what are we choosing to focus on? where do we start? are we localized in just san francisco or the bay area. Is the focus storm water, bio diversity, aesthetic value?

Current status of policy:

The train that has left the station, there is already movement in the direction just needs to be presented as a viable option. The Storm Water Ordinance has sufficient ground to be modified. We have a strong environmental ethic and policies in place. What are incentives to jump start the industry?

If we choose to build upon the train: what is our agenda? we can work with sarah mince? with PUC and help to push through and survey interest. We can also work with the Green Ordinance to showcase green roofs as a viable option for mitigation and increase awareness of the benefits.

We discussed the Neuva School cooper was one the design team. What is the opportunity for hands on, on the ground and school education?

We can also act as a Resource( a clearing house for information). There is a lack o f knowledge of where to find resources, information and training and we can direct people to already existing sources.

Incentives:

1. Green points for development projects and other opportunities similar to "reduce energy and water on remodeling" in Richmond

2. paid for up front with customer payback with property taxes

3. rebates

we discussed the urban core: berkley first finance model where the cost of solar panel is paid for up front and then the customer pays for it on the property taxes. The bay area association of governments: 9 bay area sailor system, energy efficiency retro fits. What policies or programs would provide financial support? coordinate the incentives and provide and aggregate of demand?

SFPUC:

We discussed the importance of aligning ourselves with the storm water ordinance and green ordinance. we can they provide recommendations and changes that support green roofs. Leah shared with the group about the SFPUC meeting last week and the Green Ordinance. They were looking at all remodels with a foot print of 5000 sq/ft whether it was construction modification, additional change or replacement of permeable surface having to comply with low impact design: there is a suite of options to facilitate this such as better street plans, rainwater harvesting, and green roofs. In the Bay View and Treasure Island they are on a different systems than the other 90% is on a combined sewer system. Each project needs to hit certain targets: existing permeability of >50 % they have to improve <25%>

In this case makes sense to align ourselves with SFPUC and other groups as well as take a look at other cities. There are many resources and contacts we have a s a group to pull together examples and get direction from. We should also think of other political contacts we have as well,

RESOURCE SHORT LIST:

contacts:

Lisa-Tom Lipton /Portland, Charlie Miller-Philadelphia, Brad Bass,Growers in Austin, Growwest-Denver, Toronto, Chicago, DU and CSU research, Guelph Univ. Research, Seattle utilities connection guy

Beverely-Astrid-Mayor Newsome's Office

Cooper- Gabe, other contacts, Kurt-intrinsic, Nigel Dunnet

Aaron-City officials

Pam- City officials, Architects

Information/ data:

-FLL

-IGRA

-Brad Bass

-GRHC

-GIF

-Capitol Green Roofs

ACTION ITEMS:

1. prioritize recommendatios to sarah

2. schedule a meeting with sarah the latter half of the first week of january

3. schedule a conference call the first part of that week

4. meetings/ focus of sub groups:

-sarah SFPUC Task force: Aaron, Awie, Jeanette

-mission statement: Jeanette, Beverly

-resource list- Cooper, Lisa

-research: Megan, Kathleen, Awi, Pam