In 2017, voters in Denver approved the so-called "Green
Roofs" initiative, which called for buildings over 25,000 ft.
sq. to dedicate a certain portion (between 20% and 60% depending on
building size) of the rooftop to green space. However, just
yesterday the Denver City Council unanimously voted to repeal and
replace the green roof requirement with a more business-friendly
"cool roof" requirement. This new measure requires
buildings over 25,000 ft. sq. (both new buildings and those
existing that replace roofs) to have light-colored, reflective
rooftops. Developers and building owners will also have to
incorporate other environmentally friendly options such as
installing green space, funding green space development elsewhere,
meeting green design standards or installing renewable energy
systems. The City determined that the original measure would have
added nearly 3% to the cost of a five-story office building, but
notes that the new version will cut that increase in
