Incentives for Green Development

Creating Houston's Green Development Incentives is the first step toward achieving a robust green infrastructure program, which includes municipal and private projects.

Through funding from Houston Endowment, the City’s Chief Recovery Office commissioned a one-year study to identify and recommend incentives to encourage the use of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in private land development, leading to economic, social, and environmental benefits as well as resilience.

Green infrastructure strives to mimic how rain falls on undeveloped, green landscape.  Typical design elements include green roofs, rain garden bio-retention systems, permeable pavements, rainwater harvesting, urban forests, constructed wetlands and other strategies to manage rainwater. It improves the performance of drainage systems and can make real estate projects safer and more attractive to buyers.

After interviews with cities with GSI programs, external stakeholders, and city leadership, and analysis of costs and benefits, the following incentive programs are recommended:

• Integrated GSI Development Rules
• Property Tax Abatements
• Award and Recognition Program
• Increased Permitting Process Certainty and Speed

Please see the documents below for more information.

Proposed GSI Tax Abatement Program

The City of Houston is moving forward with the implementation of the GSI Incentives and seeking public comment for the proposed new GSI tax abatement program. Through this program, a developer or business can incorporate GSI in exchange for a tax abatement. For more information on the program, please refer to the presentation and draft Code Amendment below. Please submit public comments to laura.patino@houstontx.gov no later than December 9th, 2020 by close of business.

• Houston City Council Approves New Green Stormwater Infrastructure Tax Abatement Program and Updates Existing LEED Tax Abatement Program to Improve Houston's Climate Resilience and Sustainability (12.16.2020 Mayor's Office Press Release)
• Proposed Green Stormwater Infrastructure Tax Abatement Program & Updates to the LEED Tax Abatement Program (.pptx, November 2020)
• GSI Tax Abatement Ch. 44 Code Amendment Council Committee and Public Comment Blackline Draft (.pdf, November 2020)

Click graphic above to read the IGD Report (.pdf). These incentives will be further developed through extensive stakeholder engagement and fully implemented in phases over the timeline proposed in the report.