Developers aiming for LEED certification in new construction andrehabilitation would be entitled to a partial refund of buildingpermit application fees under one ordinance proposed by Healy. Therefunds would range from 10% on buildings that meet the minimumcriteria for certification to 25% on projects that pursue LEEDPlatinum, the highest designation under the guidelines developed bythe US Green Building Council.

City-owned buildings and municipal projects, including thosecosting more than $1 million to renovate, would also adhere to LEEDguidelines if the council enacts Healy's proposed ordinance 08-176.The ordinance sets LEED Silver as the minimum standard for new orexisting buildings, and also mandates the pursuit of the USEnvironmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Building label on newconstruction. These requirements would be waived for newconstruction if earning LEED Silver and Energy Star designationsincreases the cost by 20%, and for modifying existing structures ifthe cost of LEED certification exceeds $20,000 or 1% of thebuilding's market value.

The proposed new ordinance also would showcase an upcomingmunicipal project as a pilot project that would have to achieveLEED Platinum as well as an Energy Star rating. According topublished reports, that project would be the proposed newheadquarters for the Department of Public Works and the Jersey CityIncinerator Authority. In June, the city revealed that its plannednew communications center and West District police station wereaiming for LEED.