Philly councilwoman offers higher density in exchange for a green roof

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 Green roofs top buildings in Rome.(<a href=Photo via ShutterStock) " title="shutterstock_150984686" width="1" height="1"/>

Green roofs top buildings in Rome.(Photo via ShutterStock)

Developers who decide on green roofs in Philadelphia would be rewarded under a measure proposed in City Council. 

 

Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown said her bill would allow developers to build more apartments than now allowed in a certain area — if construction is topped off with vegetation that helps manage stormwater. The roofs also help keep buildings cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

“So they get to do more while they are making an investment and an investment being a green roof given the cost of it,” said Reynolds Brown.

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For example, she said, in a 10,000-square-foot parcel a builder could put up 27 apartment units, instead of the 19 allowed in conventional construction.

The green roof adds about $100,000 to the cost of developing a commercial property. Reynolds Brown said giving developers an incentive could increase the number of the absorbent green roofs in the city.

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