§ 3-21. City of Stamford Sustainable Development Design Standards.

A.

The city hereby adopts the "City of Stamford Sustainable Development Design Standards," to encourage environmentally sensitive construction practices based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED ^TM ) certification process.

B.

All new city buildings over five thousand (5,000) square feet in size shall be designed, contracted and built to achieve, at a minimum, the LEED ^TM Silver certification level. A building shall be deemed to be covered by this section if it is owned by the city or, if owned by another entity, at least fifty (50) percent of the capital dollars in connection with the building project have been provided by the city.

C.

The Mayor may grant exemptions from the requirements of this section, provided that no such exemption shall be effective unless and until the Mayor submits to the Board of Representatives a written finding that such exemption is in the public interest and the reasons therefor.

D.

No building permit for any building covered by this section shall be issued until an architect or designer has certified that the LEED ^TM standards are being addressed in the plans or specifications. The certification shall be submitted to the Building Department and Land Use Bureau for verification.

E.

This section shall not apply to capital projects that have received city capital dollars before July 1, 2007.