The Redevelopment Agency will encourage — but not require — future developments to pursue LEED certification upon the suggestion of the Environmental Commission.

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During the Feb. 16 Redevelopment Agency regular meeting, Executive Director Robert Landolfi briefed commissioners on a letter from Environmental Commission Chairman Jeffrey Robinson.

The Environmental Commission recommends that the agency “include LEED certification as a key factor in evaluating future redevelopment projects.”

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building rating system for sustainability achievement and leadership. The certification is for “all building types and all building phases including new construction, interior fit outs, operations and maintenance and core and shell.”

Certain buildings may include some level of LEED certification but there is no requirement in Rahway that they do so.  Some agencies require or reward LEED certification which can include tax credits, zoning allowances, reduced fees or expedited permitting, according to Robinson. While the Redevelopment Agency may not want to require redevelopers to attain LEED certification, “we believe that the Redevelopment Agency should at least encourage, reward or offer incentives to developers who build LEED-certified buildings,” he wrote on behalf of the commission.

“LEED-certified buildings incorporate the latest green building technologies which make them more sustainable and energy efficient, often with a higher indoor environmental quality,” Robinson wrote. “Studies have found that for-rent LEED offices and apartment spaces generally have higher rents and occupancy rates and lower capitalization rates.”

Landolfi told commissioners he would like to respond to the Environmental Commission and unless there’s an objection, it’s something  that will be encouraged in future developments.  “Sometimes you do get pushback from developers but I think it’s something we should encourage, to the extent that we can negotiate it in a redevelopment agreement,” Landolfi said.

Commissioner Tim Nash said he could see encouraging developers to pursue LEED certification but not requiring it.

The generally higher rents and higher occupancy rates are great, Commissioner Dorian Timmons said, but questioned whether that’s “a stamp to price out people already here in Rahway.”

On the contrary, Landolfi responded, what developers say is there’s a ceiling on rents and if costs are driven up, they have difficulty “penciling out” their costs. “The points you’re making, I haven’t seen that; it ends up being a ceiling,” he replied.

To achieve LEED certification, a project earns points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address:

• Carbon
• Energy
• Water
• Waste
• Transportation
• Materials
• Health
• Indoor environmental quality

Projects go through a verification and review process by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), which administers LEED, and are awarded points that correspond to a level of LEED certification:

• Certified: 40-49 points
• Silver: 50-59 points
• Gold: 60-79 points
• Platinum: 80+ points

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