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Council Again Pushes For Greener Projects

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2008

Updated: 01/24/2008 11:11 pm

TAMPA - The city administration on Thursday proposed ways for Tampa to be a greener city, but the plan didn't include incentives for developers to build green, in contrast to an earlier proposal from a councilman.

Cyndy Miller, the city's director of growth management and development services, told the council she is reluctant to offer rebates on permit fees because the building services division is trying to become a self-sustaining division within the next few years, meaning it will rely on fees rather than property tax dollars. Waiving permit fees on some projects, Miller said, could hurt that effort, but she said she would reconsider it in a few years.

That's a different approach than one pitched a few weeks ago by Councilman John Dingfelder. He proposed a plan that would offer incentives to developers who meet certain environmental standards with their building designs.

Dingfelder had suggested offering developers of single-family homes a 50 percent rebate on permit fees and expedited rezoning and permit review. He suggested similar incentives for developers of multifamily and commercial projects.

Miller did say the city could consider density bonuses in some areas, meaning developers would be able to build more units than the existing zoning allows.

Dingfelder also wants to refund a portion of sewer and water connection fees and reduce stormwater fees. Miller said the city was reluctant to do so. For example, if water fees were refunded to some developers, other customers might have to make up the difference, an approach she doesn't recommend.

During a break in the meeting, Dingfelder said the city probably could find a compromise. He suggests, for example, allowing the city to waive up to $50,000 or $100,000 a year in permit fees. Developers would be eligible on a first-come, first-served basis.

Also, several council members complained the administration is dragging its feet on encouraging environmentally friendly building standards.

Councilwoman Mary Mulhern didn't like the timeline Miller presented to the council.

"None of those are actually action," Mulhern said. "It's just more study. I don't think we need to do all this review."

"There is no reason we need to keep studying," Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena said. "We need to get going. I want to put caffeine in our water supply and keep going faster."

There were points where the council and administration seemed to agree, including creating an Office of Sustainability and requiring newly built city-owned buildings to be environmentally friendly.

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.

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