Rant: Baltimore's Green Building Loop Hole? Parking lots!
Anyone building or renovating a 10,000 sf building must conform to the City's green building and energy requirements. However, anyone demolishing and constructing a parking lot is not subject to the regulations. It appears that the regulations are encouraging demolition of existing buildings and replacing them with cheap, non-environmentally friendly parking lots.
If we are to encourage sustainable, environmentally-friendly development, we must include at-grade parking in the green legislation.
It is in the City's interest that underutilized buildings and parking lots find their way to become inhabited, revenue producing buildings. The Tower Building (a former landmark building located at Baltimore and Guilford) and the McCormick Spice building (the baseline Marty Milspaugh used for the planning of the Inner Harbor) sites remain at-grade parking to this day after decades of waiting for the right time for development.
A parking lot can be designed to contribute to the environmental quality and energy efficiency of the city. An environmental parking lot might include: pervious paving; internal landscaping; bioretention; bicycle parking; solar recharging for alternative vehicles; assigned parking for alternative vehicles; solar panels to power the lighting; green roofs to treat rainwater prior to its converging with the oil and particulates on the paving reducing the need for underground treatment, and green canopies to reduce the heat island effect and create bio habitats.
If you agree, please add your comment to this blog to be forwarded to City Councilman Jim Kraft. http://rmsarchitecture.posterous.com/rant-green-building-loop-hole-baltimore-city
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