Somerville, MA Passes Green Roof Legislation Just Before Holidays
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is pleased to announce that The City of Somerville, Massachusetts has recently passed mandatory green roof legislation for new buildings and significant renovations, forging a path towards creating more sustainable buildings. This legislation is a great start to creating greener cities for Sommerville residents and will gradually help future proof the community against climate change extremes.
“This legislation will require 80% coverage of green roofs on new buildings and significant renovations in the community and we applaud the leadership of the local council members for implementing this initiative.” said Pete Ellis, Community Organizer and Manager, Recover Green Roofs. "Construction of a new principal building or the substantial renovation of an existing principal building with a flat roof in the Mid-Rise, High-Rise, Assembly Square Mixed-Use, or Commercial zoning districts, except development subject to the Affordable Housing overlay district, must include a vegetated roof for eighty percent (80%) of the available roof area."
Somerville has also updated the existing Green Score Policy and made changes to the point system. The Green Score is a metric that assesses a building’s positive environmental impact, assigning it a score based on the areas of green space associated with different factors such as having trees, rain gardens, bioswale, vegetated walls, green roofs, and more. When new developments or major retrofits are planned, developers are required to meet a green space target, and can achieve this through a mix of the different green infrastructure approaches until they reach the green space target. Previously, Somerville has passed a Native Planting Ordinance that establishes minimum requirements for native plants and trees to be planted in City-owned parks, open spaces, and streets.
"In a City as dense as Somerville, it is a real challenge to find ways to create meaningful new green space,” says Somerville Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen. “Green roofs are a great tool to help us solve this problem - and, people love them."
“Green Factor policies like Somerville’s Green Score are a great way to provide developers and designers with flexibility while also raising the overall level of green infrastructure in a community over time.” said Steven W, Peck, GRP, Founder and President, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. “Some jurisdictions are even requiring that the area of green infrastructure exceeds the area of the footprint of the building and site, resulting in an overall net gain of green infrastructure from each project” he added.
Under the new legislation, all new mid-rise buildings, high-rise buildings, and similar zoning districts within Somerville have a mandatory requirement of 80% coverage of the available roof area with green roofs. Flexibility is built in to allow for other uses, such as mechanical equipment and hardscape. This legislation will help promote biodiversity, address the urban heat island effect, and help to create recreational spaces for residents to use.
To learn more about the new legislation, click here.
To read more about the green roof policy and programs of other jurisdictions across North America please see our Policy Guide.
To learn more about policy making for green roofs and walls, please click here to listen to the proceedings from our Policy Symposium in 2023.
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About Us:
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is a non-profit 501(c)(6) professional industry association working to grow the green roof and wall industry throughout North America since 1999. Our mission is to develop and protect the market by increasing the awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs, green walls, and other forms of living architecture through education, advocacy, professional development, and celebrations of excellence.
We offer The Living Architecture Monitor quarterly online magazine where industry leaders share their insights and expertise. These articles increase awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roofs, walls and other forms of living architecture.
We also offer The Living Architecture Academy, an online professional development platform which is dedicated to bringing you the best, most up to date professional training information on design, installation and maintenance practices. The LAA offers courses for both new and old professionals, such as: Green Roof Professional Training, Introduction to Green Walls, Biodiverse Green Roof Maintenance, and more.
We also offer the Green Pages: Industry Green Roof and Wall Directory which is designed to support you with your living architecture projects by providing a list of trusted manufacturers, suppliers of accessories, green walls, nurseries, and certified Green Roof Professionals (GRPs). From small-scale residential projects to large commercial installations, this directory has everything you need to create a sustainable and beautiful living space.
Join us for our 20th Anniversary of CitiesAlive in Toronto in November, 2024! We are currently accepting Call for Proposals, seeking practical, cutting edge presentations or research papers on green roofs, and living walls.
From the Living Architecture Monitor
