Build It Green, Get More House?

WEST CAPE MAY — Want to build a bigger house on your lot here than current regulations allow?
Make your home more energy efficient and the borough could allow you to build as much as an extra 250 square feet on your new house.
Borough Commission discussed such a possibility at an Aug. 13 meeting.
In March 2007, Borough Commission passed an ordinance regulating floor area ratio (FAR), which is defined, as the sum of the gross floor area of a house compared to the lot size. The motivation for the FAR ordinance was to reduce the incentive for folks to buy bungalows and tear them down to construct “McMansions.”
Deputy Mayor Dick Rigby described a system of points earned for building a “green” new house that would allow up to 250 additional square feet if 250 points were scored.
“This is a lot of common sense stuff,” he said. “I’ve identified 124 and a half potential points.”
The point system is based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, which is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
Some suggested items that would each earn on point: not building a garage or building a detached garage, orient house to accept solar design, build near or within existing community, build where served by existing infrastructure, provide plants that provide shade over 50 percent of sidewalks and patios, build on a previously developed lot, insulate pipes and purchase an Energy Star refrigerator.
A rainwater harvesting and storage system would be worth four points and reducing irrigation demands earns seven points or as many as 10 points if watering needs are reduced by 60 percent.
High efficiency plumbing fixtures such as showers and toilets could earn three points. High efficiency heating and air conditioning would earn two points.
Building with environmentally preferable products could earn up to eight points. Construction waste reduction could earn three points.
Drought resistant turf could earn two points and a solar energy system could earn 10 points.
Rigby said the borough’s Zoning Official would inspect new homes that chose to participate.
Mayor Pamela Kaithern suggested a sliding scale of points such as being able to add 100-square feet to a house when the design earns 10 points. She said the borough must have the ability to monitor and enforce the points.
Mike Bean, a member of Taxpayers Association of West Cape May, said the borough’s Planning Board has made a recommendation FAR be increased from 45 percent to 50 percent.
A number of residents don’t want FAR increased, said Kaithern.
“We are looking at how we many be able to compromise to be able to meet your objective as well as meeting the objectives of some of the other people,” she said.
Kaithern said Borough Commission was looking to greater good of the community rather than the individual that wants to build a bigger house.