'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.

If Portland’s proposed “feebate” program is instituted, ultra-green projects like the LEED Platinum Casey condominiums would receive a rebate of up to $17.30/sf.

Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Those that achieve LEED Gold, LEED Platinum, or the Living Building Challenge, would receive rebates of $1.73–17.30/sf, depending on certification level.

Based on the same requirements, multifamily residential properties, 5,000 sf or larger, would also be eligible for rebates of $0.51–5.15/sf. Multifamily projects, 50,000 sf or larger, that receive city funding must meet LEED Silver standards.

For new single-family residential construction, the proposed program sets performance targets for the percentage of homes certified through either LEED for Homes or Earth Advantage. These targets increase from 20% in 2009 to 40% in 2011. If the targets aren't met at any point, the city of Portland will set up a feebate structure similar to that used for commercial buildings.

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