Dallas Considers Green Building Legislation

The Dallas City Council has proposed legislation that would require a number of green building techniques in city construction projects, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News.

Members of the council delayed a vote on March 26 for two weeks to allow developers to further review the proposed legislation, according to the report.

If approved, the ordinance would include two phases. In the first phase, by Oct. 1, 2009, buildings of projects less than 50,000 square feet would have to use 15 percent less energy and 20 percent less water than current Dallas energy conservation code standards require. Larger projects would face less strict but similar requirements.

The second phase would require city construction to be certifiable under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program by Oct. 1, 2011.