Sustainability and green design are key to the redevelopment of brownfields within the City of Chicago. It is not enough to redevelop properties using standard architectural design and construction practices which do nothing to provide healthier environments, reduce operating costs, or conserve energy and resources.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has energized greener and more sustainable building and development practices through a unique combination of mayoral commitments, policy development and implementation, and incentives. All of these are incorporated into redevelopment and associated new construction on Chicago brownfield sites.

Practices for sustainable site development include selecting sites that are not environmentally sensitive; designing a building with a minimal footprint to minimize site disruption; maintaining natural stormwater flows by promoting infiltration; using vegetated surfaces and open-grid paving or high-reflecting materials to reduce heat absorption; and selecting a site and providing amenities that encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation.

Requirements
In 2004, Chicago adopted a new set of construction standards for public buildings. The Chicago Standard is based on selected points from the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System that are reasonable and appropriate for Chicago. Adoption of the standard will result in LEED Certified buildings that save 15 to 20 percent in energy costs annually, conserve water and other natural resources, and provide healthier, more productive indoor environments.

The city, in its Environmental Action Agenda, has committed that all of its new buildings will be LEED certified in 2010. To date, the city has registered 22 buildings for LEED certification for new construction of schools, libraries, police and fire stations.

Private Development
Such initiatives are easily translated from public to private redevelopment through municipal legislation. Often, when the city provides financial incentives to promote brownfield redevelopment, it will require sustainable practices. When public assistance is requested, such as negotiated sales with a land write-down or tax increment financing (TIF), developers are required to incorporate storm water best management practices, and a combination of green roofs, the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star Certification or LEED building certification.

In planned developments requiring the review and approval of the city’s Department of Planning and Development, a developer will be required to install 10 to 100 percent new green roofs.

It is easy to mandate changes to developers seeking financial assistance and zoning approval, but the city has also created ways to benefit and reward the incorporation of sustainable practices.

For example, the Green Permit Program is an incentive that was introduced in the summer of 2005 through the Department of Construction and Permits (DCAP). It provides owners and developers with incentives to build green by streamlining the permitting process. Projects can receive permits in less than 30 business days or in as few as 15 business days, depending on the number of green elements included in the plans and project complexity. Applicants that demonstrate an extraordinary level of green strategy implementation may have a portion of review fees waived, with potential cost savings of $5,000 to $25,000. Admission into DCAP’s Green Permit Program is based on a series of requirements that qualify the project for different levels of green building certification.

Commercial projects are required to meet various levels of certification within LEED and smaller residential projects must meet or exceed Energy Star requirements.

Green Roof Improvement Fund (GRIF)
The purpose of this program is to encourage the use of TIF to install green roofs on existing buildings in Chicago’s downtown central business district. The GRIF program provides a 50 percent match for the costs to engineer, design and construct green projects, to a maximum match of $100,000. Priority is given to projects that provide more than a 50 percent match; cover more that 50 percent of a roof with vegetation; include plants that are drought resistant, minimize the need for irrigation and are highly visible from neighboring buildings.

Many challenges to brownfield redevelopment in Chicago have been successfully tackled. Yet, the city understands that it must push the limit further to incorporate sustainability and improve the environment.

Chicago is leading by example.

More information on Chicago policy and incentives can be obtained online at www.egov.cityofchicago.org.

Dave Graham, P.G., is Project Manager with the Department of Environment, City of Chicago; Michael Berkshire, LEED AP, is Green Projects Administrator, Department of Planning and Development, City of Chicago.