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Committee advances 'Better Roofs' ordinance to let green roofs substitute for rooftop solar
Summary
Supervisors advanced an ordinance allowing living (green) roofs to substitute for rooftop solar at a 2:1 area ratio (30% green roof instead of 15% solar) and adopted a technical amendment requiring the planning department to adopt implementing rules after consulting the PUC and Department of the Environment.
The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Thursday forwarded to the full Board an ordinance that would let developers use living (green) roofs as an alternative way to meet the city's rooftop solar requirement.
Supervisor Scott Wiener described the measure as the second piece of the rooftop package labeled "Better Roofs." Under the ordinance, a building owner could meet the existing 15% rooftop solar requirement by installing 30% of rooftop area as a living roof (a 2:1 area substitution) or by using a combination of solar and green roof approaches.
Planning Department staff said the city compiled a living roof manual, reviewed other cities, co‑hosted conferences and produced case studies to guide implementation. Barry Hooper of the Department of the Environment said the 2:1 ratio reflects a first‑cost comparison: green roofs are roughly twice the initial cost of co‑located solar per equivalent area, so a larger green‑roof area approximates cost parity. Hooper also said many living roofs will count toward existing stormwater‑management compliance and that those requirements carry maintenance obligations; the ordinance does not create a separate regular inspection regime beyond existing stormwater enforcement.
The committee adopted a technical amendment changing language from 'may' to 'shall' to require the Planning Department, after consulting the Public Utilities Commission and the Department of the Environment, to adopt rules to coordinate compliance with the stormwater management ordinance. After amendments were adopted, Supervisor Wiener moved to forward the ordinance as amended to the full Board with a positive recommendation; the motion passed without objection.
Supporters at the podium included a landscape firm that installs green roofs and SPUR, which said green roofs offer stormwater, air‑quality and habitat benefits and would spur innovation among architects and developers. The ordinance advances an alternative compliance path to the solar mandate; it leaves permitting, technical standards and final enforcement details to implementing rules.
