Portland's Progressive Eco-Roof Program
On January 6, 2010
By Scott Wolfe Jr
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The Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce just reported about a mixed-use project in Portland (The Beacon) installing an eco-roof to circumvent height restrictions on high-rise buildings in the city. According to the report, Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability allows builders to increase its floor area over the city maximums by 3 square feet for every square foot of eco-roof. The Beacon’s eco-roof provides it with an approximate extra 45 feet of height.
While the DJC article focuses on an eco-roof as a solution for builders wanting to build higher, it hints at the bigger picture for Oregon developers and builders: Portland’s very progressive Eco-Roof program.
The increase in building height is just one of the many incentives Portland provides for installing an eco-roof.
What The Heck Is An Eco-Roof?
An “eco-roof” is another word for a “green roof,” which is defined by Wikipedia as a roof “that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane…[that] may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems.” The website for Portland’s Eco-Roof Program describes it as a “living, breathing vegetated roof system.”
It’s like a garden on the roof, and it has a lot of positive features for the environment and the energy consumption of the building (i.e. stormwater control, better insulates the building to lower energy costs, etc.). The Portland Bureau of Environmental Services published this Eco-roof Fact Sheet explaining the benefits of a Eco-Roof.
Available Incentives in Portland
Portland leads the country in providing incentives to builders and developers to incorporate eco-roofs into their projects.
As seen in the DJC article, a developer / builder can circumvent building height restrictions by installing an eco-roof. Another incentive for builders and developers to invest in eco-roofs is that the Portland Eco-Roof Program will fund up to $5 per square foot of an eco-roof project. With installation costs of eco-roofs ranging between $5 and $20 per square foot, this incentive can be up from 25% – 100% of the roof’s cost.
How to Apply
Those interested in the incentive cash must apply through the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, through the Portland Grey to Green program. Applications are accepted and reviewed twice annually, and the application process just closed for the last time in 2009 (December 1st 2009). However, applications can be submitted against starting in April 2010, and will be reviewed in June.
Qualifications to apply include:
- The project is within the Portland city limits.
- The project manages stormwater.
- The project has a designated project manager.
- Construction will start within two years of being approved for an incentive.
- Funding can be secured within two years.
- The project is feasible and buildable.
- The ecoroof must not be complete on or before December 1, 2009.
- The project must agree with and satisfy the city’s contact agreement requirements to receive funding.
How to Learn More
You can learn more easily online, as Portland has published a number of web pages explaining this program:
- Grey to Green Program
- Portland Environmental Services
- Portland’s Official Eco-Roof Blog
- Eco-Roof Page at Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services
Additionally, the city of Portland is sponsoring Ecoroof Portland, a conference offering folks a chance to learn about the alternative roofing process on March 12-13, 2010.
This article was originally posted on Wolfe Law Group’s topic-specific Northwest Green Building Law Blog.
About the Author: Scott Wolfe Jr
Scott Wolfe, Jr. obtained his J.D. degree from Loyola University of New Orleans, and his B.A. from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. In 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Scott was recognized as a Leader in Law by CityBusiness Magazine. The son and grandson of general contractors, Scott is a construction litigator in the Pacific Northwest, and the founding member of the bi-coastal law firm, Wolfe Law Group. Scott is also the founder and CEO of Express Lien, Inc., a legal document preparation service for contractors. In 2008, City Business Magazine recognized Scott as one of its Innovators of the Year for the Express Lien concept. As an entrepreneur himself, Scott has a strong background in business and commercial transactions and laws. He focuses his practice on the legal issues facing the construction industry, and has represented clients in multi-million dollar construction disputes in litigation and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Scott is a LEED AP.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Scott Wolfe Jr, Matthew DeVries. Matthew DeVries said: RT @scottwolfejr: Blog Post: Portland’s Progressive Eco-Roof Program http://bit.ly/4RR2id // Would like to see some successful projects [...]
[...] roofs” are becoming popular. The most ambitious green roof program is likely found in Portland, which we’ve discussed in a previous post. Essentially, vegetation is planted on the roof of a building to better insulate it, reduce the [...]