Initiated Ordinance 300 is a voter-initiated ballot question on Denver’s ballot this November.
led by Denver resident Brandon Rietheimer, the initiative Denver’s urban “heat island” effect by requiring the roofs of large new buildings to incorporate rooftop gardens or solar panels.
The green-roof requirements — along with new standards — would apply to most new buildings of at least 25,000 square feet, to existing buildings above that threshold when their roofs are replaced, and to existing buildings when additions cause their floor area to reach that threshold. Solar panels or “green roof” components would have to cover at least 20 percent of a roof’s surface, depending on the building’s size.
Denver’s building and commercial real estate industries the measure. They contend it would impose costly mandates that in some cases are unworkable, especially in semi-arid Denver, where plants must be watered more often.
But proponents , which would be among the most stringent in the nation, would improve Denver’s sustainability, encourage urban agriculture and improve the city’s air quality.