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Supervisor Wiener introduces bill letting developers meet rooftop solar mandate with larger green roofs
Summary
Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced a follow-up to San Francisco's rooftop-solar mandate that would allow building owners to meet the rule by installing larger green roofs instead of solar panels.
Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced legislation on Sept. 6 that would give developers an alternative to San Francisco’s rooftop solar mandate by allowing green roofs to satisfy the requirement.
Wiener told the Board of Supervisors the city’s earlier rule requires that buildings between one and 10 stories cover 15 percent of rooftop space with solar panels. The legislation he filed would permit owners, as an alternative, to cover 30 percent of rooftop area with a green roof instead of placing solar panels.
“Green rooftops are an incredibly important piece of an environmentally sustainable future in San Francisco and beyond,” Wiener said during his remarks, naming the Department of the Environment, the Planning Department and stakeholder group SPUR as collaborators on the measure. He said the change was intended to let developers combine solar and green roofs where appropriate.
Wiener said green roofs provide multiple benefits, including absorbing stormwater and reducing runoff into combined sewers, improving building energy efficiency and providing amenities for residents or workers. He thanked his office staff, including Andres Power, for work on the measure.
The ordinance was introduced at the supervisors’ meeting; Wiener did not seek a vote on final passage the same day. The board did not take a recorded vote on the item during the Sept. 6 session. Next steps for the proposal — committee referral, hearings or amendments — were not recorded in the meeting transcript.
