"Feebate" program to reward green buildings in Portland, Oregon.(INDUSTRY NEWS & NOTES)(Brief article)

Officials in Portland, Ore. have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the United States. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 square feet or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46 per square foot. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Those that achieve LEED Gold, LEED Platinum or the Living Building Challenge, would receive rebates of $1.73-$17.30 per square foot depending on certification level.

Based on the same requirements, multifamily residential properties, 5,000 square feet or larger, would also be eligible for rebates of $0.51-$5.15 per square foot. Multifamily projects, 50,000 square feet or larger, that receive city funding must meet LEED Silver standards.

For new single-family residential construction, the proposed program sets performance targets for the percentage of homes certified through either LEED for Homes or Earth Advantage. These targets increase from 20 percent in 2009 to 40 percent in 2011. If the targets aren't met at any point, the city of Portland will set up a feebate structure similar to that used for commercial buildings.

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