This is very encouraging news to have a local standard for green roofs. It's something I've had on the radar for a while and while it wouldn't make sense for any of our current projects, there's certainly opportunities for it in the future. There's a house that I've had my eye on (not giving the address, thank you very much) which, if I did buy, I would definitely consider a green roof, provided, of course, the cost is not prohibited.--------
Posted: January 12, 2011 - 3:18am | Updated: January 12, 2011 - 7:17am
By Mary Landers
Already known for its lush canopy of trees, Savannah is poised to nurture a previously overlooked garden space: Rooftops.
City Council will vote Thursday on a green roof ordinance that standardizes the design, installation and maintenance of roofs covered or partially covered with plants. The practice, widely accepted in Europe and more recently popular in Chicago (where City Hall sports a green roof) and Portland, Ore., is making steady inroads in Atlanta. Along with their aesthetics, green roofs can reduce heating and cooling bills, decrease stormwater runoff, improve that runoff water's quality and decrease a city's heat island effect.
Savannah is contemplating the ordinance in part because it already gave builders a reason to try green roofs. When City Council amended the Historic District Ordinance in late 2009, changes included an incentive in which incorporating a green roof into a building could qualify the structure for an additional story of height.
But city staffers saw a catch: Green roofs weren't well defined enough in the ordinance to make sure they'd thrive.
"We were concerned that a permanent incentive for something could be a fleeting amenity," said Pete Shonka, head of the development services department.
The ordinance would give detailed requirements for green roofs and provide for fines of up to $1,000 a day if they're not properly installed or maintained.
Even before the incentive was in place several local attempts at green roofs failed, most notably at the downtown Frog Town development and the southside Abercorn Commons shopping center.
It was likely poor soil that contributed to those failures, said Laura Walker, environmental administrator for the water and sewer bureau. Green roofs can be tricky to get started, said Walker, who researched the ordinance along with Shonka. They've developed an educational guide for citizens interested in green roofs.
Bill Hodgins, environmental administrator for the city's stormwater department, is interested in green roofs because they could help builders meet new stormwater regulations expected in 2012, he said. Those regulations will require that new developments (or redevelopments) with footprints larger than 5,000 square feet keep the first 2 inches of a rainfall contained on their own property.
Hodgins set up a demonstration green roof outside his office at Laurel Grove Cemetery North. Using a commercially available modular tray system, he planted several species of sedum, a succulent plant, in the brick ruins of the cemetery's hothouses, where flowers for nearby graves once grew. The sedum's fat leaves grow close to the ground, creating a carpet-like effect. A gravel path down the middle provides access for weeding and irrigation, though these plants are drought tolerant and haven't required much watering.
The demonstration roof provides easy access because it's not actually on a roof - no climbing or ladders are required to take a look. But plants from the same lot are also thriving in a similar system atop the bathrooms on Ellis Square, Hodgins said.
View original article here: http://savannahnow.com/news/2011-01-12/defining-moment-green-roofs-savannah
Blogger Matthew Allan is a specialist in Savannah Real Estate, focusing on Savannah's downtown historic districts, including the Landmark Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Thomas Square Historic District, Starland Historic District, Baldwin Park, and Ardsley Park Historic District.
