The City of Santa Monica is offering financial incentives for buildings registered for certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System™, a nationally recognized certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Effective immediately, any project that registers for LEED certification and provides proper documentation will be given first priority for plan checks in Santa Monica.
Priority plan checks potentially shave weeks from the approval process. Buildings eligible for expedited permits are also eligible for grants of $20,000 to $35,000 (depending on the level of LEED certification).
The city expects the combined incentives along with the demonstrated demand for green buildings in Santa Monica will increase the number of green buildings in the private sector.
“While there have been a number of green buildings built in the city,” said green building advisor Greg Reitz, “We have seen little activity in the for-profit development community. We expect that to change as we make it easier for developers to make the commitment.”For more information about the City of Santa Monica’s Green Building Program, please go to www.smgreen.org/mainpages/whatsnew.htm or call (310) 458-8549. For more information about US Green Building Council or LEED, refer to www.usgbc.org.
