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Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability is getting significant pushback to a proposed rule that would require developers to register to pursue an environmental certification.

The Central City 2035 Plan, as proposed, would require registration for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating for some projects. The rule proposed by BPS also would require a detailed checklist showing which LEED credits project backers will pursue.

Some stakeholders in the development community say the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification process is expensive, and that money can be better spent elsewhere.

鈥淚’ve talked to some developers who are essentially choosing not to get LEED, unless their clients require that,鈥� said Timm Locke, director of forest products for the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. 鈥淭hey find the value of the plaque isn’t necessarily worth it. They want to invest the dollars in areas that will actually have a positive impact on the environmental performance of the building.鈥�

The proposed rule would apply only in the Central City, and only to new buildings or additions of at least 50,000 square feet.

The proposed rule would not actually require developers to obtain a LEED gold rating, because state law bars municipalities from demanding better performance than the state building code. However, BPS officials hope to encourage follow-through for a large percentage of new construction.

鈥淲e are just requiring registration with the intent that projects will certify,鈥� said Alisa Kane, the city’s green building manager for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

鈥淯ltimately the goal is to reduce carbon emissions in the built environment.鈥�

Most buildings constructed in Portland’s Central City 鈥� an area including downtown and the close-in east side 鈥� already have achieved some type of LEED rating. From 2008 to 2014, 87 percent of buildings of at least 5,000 square feet achieved LEED gold or better.

During that period, 16 projects were rated LEED platinum, 12 were rated LEED gold and nine were rated LEED silver.

鈥淲e were already hitting most of these marks,鈥� Kane said. 鈥淲e wanted to make sure that whatever we did next is better.鈥�

In a sense, the proposed standard illustrates how far green building has come in Portland and nationwide. Modern buildings are far more efficient than those built in decades past, making a LEED gold rating relatively achievable.

鈥淚 actually like it,鈥� said Greg Goodman, co-president of Downtown Development Group. 鈥淲hen we build, we’re trying to go to at least LEED gold, LEED platinum. It’s good for our city. It probably pushes costs up a bit, but if the building’s going to be there for a long time, you want to make it efficient.鈥�

The U.S. Green Building Council charges a $900 registration fee. After that, a precertification review starts at $3,250, with expedited service available for $5,000. Other fees are added throughout the LEED review and certification process.

The city estimates that obtaining a LEED gold rating would increase a developer’s costs anywhere from 0 to 5 percent, Kane said.

LEED’s critics argue modern buildings are so efficient that obtaining environmental certification results in little real-world gains.

鈥淭here’s just not a lot more room for improvement,鈥� Locke said. 鈥淔orty years ago, there was a whole lot of room for improvement, and that’s happened. And now’s there’s not much more.鈥�

Recent buildings built to LEED platinum standards include Park Avenue West, Indigo at Twelve West and the three buildings at Hassalo on Eighth. Indigo at Twelve West has gained a rating, whereas ratings for the other two projects are pending.

In public comments, industry representatives pushed for more flexibility in the city rules. Some of those professionals have lobbied for Green Globes certification to be considered as an option.

The arguments appear to have made some headway with city officials. An upcoming draft of the Central City 2035 Plan, to be released in early fall, may provide more flexibility.

鈥淲e have heard through public outreach people want more options,鈥� Kane said. 鈥淲e are already considering in the next draft putting out more variety of program.鈥�

Green Globes, a program of the Green Building Initiative, is a rival to the more established LEED program. Green Globes is regarded by some observers as more friendly to the timber industry than LEED.

LEED remains the more popular standard. The program gives projects categorical credits rewarding energy efficiency, low water use, recyclable materials and good air quality. Platinum is the highest rating, followed by gold, silver and certified.

Several speakers last week protested the LEED gold requirement at the first public hearing for the Central City 2035 Plan before the Planning and Sustainability Commission.

Tim Atkinson, vice president of sales at Portland-based Stimson Lumber Co., said the LEED standards put renewable wood products at a disadvantage. LEED encourages the use of wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council 鈥� a relatively small portion of the overall lumber market.

Public comments have also flooded in via written testimony. Several people criticized the city’s move to favor LEED certification.

鈥淎t a time when the city is in the midst of an affordability crisis, now is not the time to adopt a policy that picks winners/losers and drives up the cost of development, unintentionally impacting housing affordability,鈥� Paul Grove, associate director of government affairs for the Home Builders Association of Metro Portland, said in one written comment.

David Wark, chairman of the Portland Design Commission, wrote on the commission’s behalf that a third-party program such as LEED is likely to be revised and expanded over time, making its applicability to the Central City 2035 goals uncertain. Wark also advocated for allowing developers more flexibility than LEED alone.

鈥淚f a third-party standard is necessary, the commission would like to see more than one accepted standard,鈥� he said.

Portland would not be the first municipality to require LEED registration. Washington, D.C., has required LEED certification for buildings of 50,000 square feet and larger since 2012. Other local governments, including Philadelphia and Arlington County, Virginia, reward LEED buildings with greater density allowances, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

Proposed Central City zoning code

33.510.244 B. New buildings with a net building area of at least 50,000 square feet, and alterations to existing buildings that increase net building area by at least 50,000 square feet must provide a letter from the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability that verifies that the project has registered to earn LEED gold level certification and prepared a preliminary LEED project checklist showing which LEED credits will be pursued for the building.