Sep 30, 2008 8:26 pm US/Eastern
Tax Incentive Promotes Rooftop Gardens In NYC
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
A new tax credit for building owners could lead to a sea of rooftop gardens in New York City. Imagine flying over New York City and seeing green roofs on nearly every building. "We're talking about a vast unused space that could be performing valuable environmental functioning," said Stuart Gaffin, urban climate expert from Columbia University.
He says simple greenery like these sedum plants, a waterproof membrane and soil are the basics of a green roof. "Part of their functioning process is they evaporate copious amounts of water. It's both cooling off the plants and the roof and the local environment. It's also removing water from what would become run off."
On a warm summer day a traditional roof could easily heat up to 150 degrees. A green roof would stay at about 70 degrees. And it's a fact that as you lower air temperature, you improve air quality, which is why Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. is anxious to see more green roofs in his borough.
"We've been cleaning up the Bronx River, we've been cleaning up the streets, but now we want to clean up the air as well," said Diaz.
Diaz sponsored a bill that allows buildings owners who install green roofs on at least 50 percent of their available roof space to apply for a one year property tax credit of up to $100,000 dollars. That's roughly 25 percent of what it costs to install a green roof.
"Those incentives can get builders past the barriers they might have for making change. They understand money, that sort of green so if they can do something that is going to put a few more dollars in their pockets through the tax credit, they will do it," said Carlton Brown of Full Spectrum NY Development.
The hope is that this tax credit will lead to the installation of thousands of green roofs in the city, which could create hundreds of green collar jobs and significant improvements to the quality of our air and water.
Developers can start applying for the green roof tax credit starting in January of 2009.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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