Committee supports next steps on green-roof incentives, urges outreach and municipal pilots

The City of Miami Beach Land Use and Sustainability Committee continued on Oct. 16 work on potential incentives for green roofs and asked staff to return in January 2026 with recommendations and possible pilot projects on municipal properties.

Commissioner Bond introduced the item and asked staff to consider incentive approaches other than additional building height or FAR. Staff summarized options in a memo, including fee waivers tied to green roofs or living walls, use of the private-property adaptation program as a matching-reimbursement pathway (the memo cited up to $17,500 for green-roof reimbursement), outreach and education campaigns, and the possibility of recommending green roofs as a stormwater-management option where feasible.

Tom (planning staff) said structural constraints and rooftop competition for mechanical equipment or amenities can pose challenges, and commissioners discussed a range of implementation choices from education and voluntary incentive packages to mandatory minimum roof-area requirements for new construction. Commissioner Bond said she opposes using additional height and FAR as incentives but urged a strong outreach campaign and partnerships with local institutions, including the botanical garden and the American Institute of Architects, to develop practical designs and maintenance guidance.

Several members pushed for the city to lead by example. Commissioner Fernandez and others urged the administration to explore requiring a portion of municipal rooftop area to be green and to strengthen protections for mature trees on public property. Amy Knowles, the city’s chief resilience officer, noted the city already has a tree-preservation ordinance that protects trees above a size threshold and said staff would evaluate whether additional protections or stricter enforcement are warranted.

Mitch Novick, a building owner who said he already operates a large rooftop solar array, cautioned that vegetative roof systems require accessible roof protection and maintenance and that buildings need to accommodate repair access to avoid leak-related hazards.

The committee continued the item to January for staff to return with further analysis and recommended pilot projects on city property; it did not adopt an ordinance or change code at the Oct. 16 meeting.