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    News

    New Green Roof Legislation is Coming To New York

    December 12th, 2019

    Two laws requiring new property owners to build solar panels or green spaces on their roofs went into effect on Nov. 15 โ€” marking a major step towards Brooklynโ€™s environmental sustainability, according to local green thumbs.

    โ€œItโ€™s important and very valuable,โ€ said environmental activist Pete Sikora from the New York Community for Change, a local nonprofit. โ€œItโ€™s a critical step for New York City to meet the Green New Deal goals.โ€

    New Legislation For Developers

    The legislation โ€” which Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Bedford Stuyvesant) first introduced to the City Council in July of 2018 โ€” requires developers to install either solar panels, greenery, or a combination of the two on all new roofs.

    The mandate exempts very slanted roofs and roofs that already contain structures, such as water towers, greenhouses and other equipment, according to a representative from the Mayorโ€™s Office of Sustainability. Low-rise residential buildings with less than 100 square feet of available space and other types of buildings with less than 200 square feet will also be exempt, and the sustainable measures wonโ€™t take the place of recreational spaces that are integral to the buildingโ€™s use, such as playgrounds on school roofs or terraces on apartment buildings.

    Not Limited To New Roofs

    The laws also apply to property owners seeking to renovate their roofs, including the owners of historic buildings โ€” who will have to take their green roof plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission before obtaining a construction permit from the Department of Buildings.

    Environmental officials say that property owners will be in charge of funding and maintaining solar panels โ€” which is no cheap task. The average solar panel array costs about $30,000, but since the panels power the building, the electricity generator eventually pays for itself, according to the executive of a solar panel company.

    โ€œAny time youโ€™re not buying power from Con Ed, youโ€™re saving money,โ€ said TR Ludwig, the CEO of Brooklyn Solarworks, who said that it usually takes homeowners four to eight years to pay off the price of the panels before they have free energy.

    Significant Tax Incentives Available

    Building owners will also receive significant tax incentives for the solar panels, getting back 20% of the equipment costs in the form of a property tax abatement, and receiving a $5,000 tax credit, among other pluses, Ludwig said.

    Greenery, which helps reduce flooding and provides better building insulation, is significantly cheaper, costing between $10 and $40 to install per square foot, the New York Times reported. The gardens require some maintenance, like periodic weeding, although they donโ€™t need to be watered frequently.

    To read the full article, please visit the Brooklyn Paper website by clicking here.

    Wallbarn