Boston mandates green building, but passes on LEED
Boston is expected to become the first major US city to require developers to adhere to a strict set of so-called green-building standards, officials said today, for all projects of 50,000 square feet or more.
The Boston standards would not require that the buildings be certified under LEED. “The LEED process can be lengthy, onerous in documentation, and costly,” said James W. Hunt III, chief of environmental and energy services for the city. “Also, we don’t want to rely on a third party to do the certification process.”
Boston’s certification process will be simpler, though the environmental standards will be almost the same as with LEED. Boston’s list includes additional ways developers can choose to help qualify buildings for certification, including using cleaner diesel construction vehicles, recharging groundwater, and establishing transportation plans for future building users.