Playbook for Green Buildings + Neighborhoods | Act | Buildings | Leading Actions

Zoning changes for height & density bonus.

Zoning changes create a height and density bonus for the downtown neighborhood. The bonus allows for an increase in height and/or density for projects that contribute to the city’s affordable housing stock and provide other public amenities.

Projects are required to achieve a LEED Silver certification. A penalty is assessed for failure to comply with the LEED requirement.

The City of New York's GHG inventory revealed that over 60% of the city’s government emissions were from municipal buildings and 79% of the emissions citywide were related to operation of buildings.(New York City Mayor’s Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability, 2007)