Green Building

The Howard County Council is considering this month a bill to authorize property tax credits for homeowners whose property meets environmental design standards, a measure that would make the county one of the few local governments to give such breaks. Under the bill, owners of newly built homes that meet the "silver" standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED certification, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, could receive up to a 25 percent discount on their county property tax bill, while homes with the highest LEED rating could earn a 75 percent discount the first year.

Almost 11 million square feet of building space in Maryland was designated last year as environmentally friendly, making it one of the top-ranking states for such certifications in 2012. Only five states other than Maryland had more space per capita stamped with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) seal last year, according to a recent statement by the U.S. Green Building Council. Washington, D.C., Virginia, Colorado, Massachusetts and Illinois were the handful of jurisdictions that surpassed Maryland in the standings, which take into account commercial and institutional buildings.

An old farmhouse turned lumberyard on Route 175 in Jessup soon will become a local showcase for environmental friendliness and an incubator for green company start-ups, if Stanley Sersen has his way. The president of Architectural Support Group Inc., a Glen Burnie company that helps builders incorporate solar panels and windmills to condominiums and apartments, plans to transform the aged brown and yellow eyesore into an office, resource center, incubator...

The Howard County Council is considering this month a bill to authorize property tax credits for homeowners whose property meets environmental design standards, a measure that would make the county one of the few local governments to give such breaks. Under the bill, owners of newly built homes that meet the "silver" standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED certification, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, could receive up to a 25 percent discount on their county property tax bill, while homes with the highest LEED rating could earn a 75 percent discount the first year.

HGTV is building its first "Green Home" near Hilton Head Island, S.C., for a nationwide giveaway. The Jasper House -- a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home being built to stringent environmental standards -- is in Tradition Hilton Head, a 5,300-acre, 9,500-home development in Hardeeville, S.C. Builders of the house are following LEED standards, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Developed by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED Green Building Rating System is one of the leading national benchmarks for green building.

When people hear the term "green building," most think of homes covered with solar panels, bamboo floors and metal exteriors that make them look like spaceships. In other words, homes that most people wouldn't want to live in. At The Home Depot Foundation, our definition of a "green building" is different. For us, a "green building" is simply one built with environmentally friendly materials such as nontoxic insulation, caulk and paint and that uses water-saving faucets and energy-efficient appliances.

A green building tax credit for businesses that construct or renovate their commercial or industrial properties with environmentally friendly features could be included in the legislative package the Carroll County commissioners ask state legislators to pass during the next General Assembly session. Carroll County's proposal comes as several area jurisdictions, including Howard, Montgomery and Baltimore City and County, are enacting green building standards. While Howard County will require that any proposed commercial building of 50,000 square feet or more obtain certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, Carroll officials said they would keep these environmental goals optional.

From the recycled carpeting on the floors to the hardy plants thriving on the rooftop, Schilling Green in Hunt Valley is living up to its name and earning significant property tax credits for its environmentally sound reconstruction. Schilling Green, a rebuilt office center, and KCI Technologies' new headquarters in Sparks are Baltimore County's latest green buildings, a designation earned for the sustainable features incorporated into their construction. Officials toured the buildings last week to highlight the energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning systems, monitored lighting, self-metering water faucets and drought-resistant landscaping.

Exelon Corp., which has agreed to acquire Constellation Energy Group in a $7.9 billion deal, is seeking information on available commercial space in downtown Baltimore that could house the combined company's competitive power and "green" energy businesses if the transaction goes through. Chicago-based Exelon has hired Studley, a commercial real estate services firm in Washington, to obtain general specifications of available space from local commercial developers and brokers, according to a request for information document sent by Studley in recent days and obtained by The Baltimore Sun. "It's early in the process, and we're looking forward to gathering as much information and input as possible," Exelon spokeswoman Judith Rader said Thursday.

The National Association of Home Builders recently named Silo Point, the grain elevator in Locust Point being renovated into condos, a community of the year among its Nationals awards, recognizing work in residential real estate sales, marketing and design. Silo Point's awards include gold-level honors for best urban sales center, best brochure for a community over $1 million and attached community of the year; and silver for graphic continuity, advertising campaign and Web site for an urban community.

Exelon Corp., which has agreed to acquire Constellation Energy Group in a $7.9 billion deal, is seeking information on available commercial space in downtown Baltimore that could house the combined company's competitive power and "green" energy businesses if the transaction goes through. Chicago-based Exelon has hired Studley, a commercial real estate services firm in Washington, to obtain general specifications of available space from local commercial developers and brokers, according to a request for information document sent by Studley in recent days and obtained by The Baltimore Sun. "It's early in the process, and we're looking forward to gathering as much information and input as possible," Exelon spokeswoman Judith Rader said Thursday.

On May 23, the City Council of Aberdeen passed a budget that increased spending over last year and while cutting property taxes, raised our water and sewer rates. At this meeting, Mayor Michael Bennett said that he chooses not to use the constant yield, the rate that would cut the property tax further to keep spending at last year's level, because if the city isn't spending more money, then "nothing exciting is happening" in Aberdeen. On June 13, the council will vote on a tax break for buildings that pass green building or "LEED" certification.

Ten redevelopment projects around Maryland will receive more than $11.1 million in state grants to move to the construction stage under a program intended to encourage historic preservation and "green" building practices. Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Friday that the funds are coming from the Sustainable Communities Tax Credit program, successor to the state's old Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. Despite its name, the program was structured for 2011 to give outright grants, not tax credits.

When people hear the term "green building," most think of homes covered with solar panels, bamboo floors and metal exteriors that make them look like spaceships. In other words, homes that most people wouldn't want to live in. At The Home Depot Foundation, our definition of a "green building" is different. For us, a "green building" is simply one built with environmentally friendly materials such as nontoxic insulation, caulk and paint and that uses water-saving faucets and energy-efficient appliances.

Baltimore's green building law, considered one of the most sweeping in the nation, lingers in a legal limbo of sorts more than seven months after it supposedly took effect. The city has yet to publish regulations to carry out the law, which requires most private as well as public buildings to be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly in their design and construction. Though promised by the end of 2009, the rules and a set of home-grown green building standards are still being tinkered with by city officials.

When the owners of Baltimore's Black Olive restaurant began formulating plans to build an inn one block away, the word "green" still referred to a color more than an environmental movement. But in the 10 years that the project has been under development, builders have learned plenty about "eco-friendly" design, including which green features are mostly marketing gimmicks and which really can have a lasting impact. When it opens next year, the $6 million Inn at the Black Olive won't be the first local hotel and marketplace with a green roof or bamboo woodwork.

When Judith Lennox began renovating her "green" home in Roland Park, she had a double-barreled goal: She wanted to lessen her footprint on the environment, but also demonstrate that living in an Earth-friendly home was not a pie-in-the-sky dream. "I wanted to do something that would make the people around me realize that `going green' is doable," she said. "It's not just a hippie thing." Lennox spent a year searching for the right house before settling on a 90-year-old bungalow-style home for $356,000 in September 2003.

A Columbia-based national affordable-housing financier intends to funnel $4 billion in the next five years toward building and retrofitting homes that aren't just affordable, but also green. Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit that raises money from corporations, foundations and government agencies, said Wednesday that it believes that investment can build or renovate 75,000 homes and apartments. At the same time, it challenged builders across the country to go green on all projects aimed at lower- and moderate-income residents.