Belt Line Center PACE-funded Green Roof

Detroit, Detroit (FUA), United States

City population: 4048421

Duration: 2020 – 2020

Implementation status: Completed

Scale: Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)

Project area: 1858 m²

Type of area: Building

Last updated: October 2024

The Belt Line Center building, located in Detroit, Michigan, property of Letts Industries, features a green-blue roof, along with a rain garden, showcasing the benefits of green infrastructure in historic properties. The idea for this retrofit emerged in 2015 after a major renovation, when Chip Letts, CEO of Letts Industries, recognized the potential of green infrastructure for long-term energy efficiency and storm-water management. The initiative gained momentum in 2018, following the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's (DWSD) introduction of new drainage fees, which charged $750 per acre of impermeable surfaces. The DWSD also offered up to 80% discounts for properties implementing green solutions, further incentivizing the project. The project officially began in 2020 after securing PACE funding (Property Assessed Clean Energy funding, a financing mechanism that enables property owners to fund energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects) from CounterpointeSRE (financial institution), marking the first use of commercial PACE financing for a green roof in Michigan. The green roof, covering 17,250 square feet, includes 300 square feet of pedestal pavers and a 2,500 square foot blue roof. These features enhance stormwater management, energy efficiency, and roof longevity; the center also incorporates two beehives to support local biodiversity. These systems work in tandem with the ground-level rain garden to capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff, significantly reducing the impact on Detroit’s stormwater system. The project aligns with the city’s broader sustainability goals, including the Beltline Greenway initiative, which will pass directly behind the property, integrating the building into Detroit’s expanding network of green spaces and bike paths. The Belt Line Center serves as a model for revitalizing historic buildings through innovative financing and sustainable design, enhancing Detroit’s environmental resilience. (Ref.1-5)

2 beehives as part of the green roof design of the Belt Line Center.

Beehives at Belt Line Center

American Hydrotech

Overview

Nature-based solution

Green areas for water management
Rain gardens
Sustainable urban drainage systems
Nature on buildings (external)
Green roofs

Key challenges

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Climate change mitigation
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Real estate development

Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)

Climate-Related Hazards
Urban flooding (stormwater)
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Other

Key priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Creation of green roofs and walls, Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Implementation of green areas for water management (e.g. rain gardens)

Project objectives

To install a green roof to improve the building's insulation, reducing energy consumption and enhancing overall energy efficiency. To integrate a green and blue roof system along with a rain garden to capture, manage, and infiltrate stormwater, significantly reducing runoff and easing the burden on Detroit’s stormwater system. To utilize the green roof to protect the building’s structure, extending its lifespan and reducing long-term maintenance costs. To align the building's infrastructure with Detroit’s broader sustainability goals, including integration with the Beltline Greenway and bike path network. To capitalize on Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's drainage fee discounts and secure PACE financing to fund the project, ensuring cost-effectiveness and financial viability. To improve the building’s marketability by incorporating attractive green amenities, leading to higher occupancy rates and increased tenant satisfaction. To install a large vegetated green roof to enhance urban greenery, helping to lower ambient temperatures, reduce the urban heat island effect in the surrounding area, improve air quality and reduce emissions (Ref. 1, 2, 3, 4)

Implementation activities

In 2020, several key implementation activities were carried out for the Belt Line Center. The project involved collaboration with Inhabitect, LLC, and Environmental Consulting & Technology (ECT) to design the green and blue roofs, as well as the rain garden. The green roof project is being facilitated by Inhabitect, a Traverse City, Michigan based firm that designs, builds and grows such projects nationally. Environmental Consulting and Technology, Inc. (ECT) a Gainesville, Florida based firm is providing ecology-based site civil and landscape design for the green stormwater infrastructure out of their Detroit and Ann Arbor offices. A 17,250-square-foot Hydrotech Garden Roof® Assembly was installed, covering over 80% of the retrofit roof area. This roof was planted with InstaGreen® Carpet and made watertight with Monolithic Membrane 6125®. Additionally, two beehives were added to the green roof to promote cross-pollination in the surrounding area. A 2,500-square-foot blue roof was implemented to enhance stormwater retention and management, while 300 square feet of pedestal pavers were integrated to create accessible rooftop space. A rain garden was constructed to manage stormwater runoff not captured by the roof systems. This rooftop will capture approximately 60% of all rainfall with the additional 40% being managed by the at-grade rain garden. Finally, the project secured an 80% reduction in DWSD drainage fees through the installation of green infrastructure. (Ref. 1-4)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation
Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater

Climate change mitigation:

Install vertical or horizontal artificial surfaces that help with carbon storage and cooling

Main beneficiaries

Private sector/Corporate/Company

Governance

Management set-up

Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Taskforce groups
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Letts Industries, the building owner, initiated the green roof and rain garden installation. CounterpointeSRE provided over $1 million in PACE financing, marking Michigan’s first use of this financing for a green roof, which facilitated the project's financial viability. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD - utility company) supported the project through a grant from its Capital Partnership Program and offered significant drainage fee reductions. Inhabitect was responsible for designing and building the green roof and stormwater features, while Environmental Consulting and Technology, Inc. (ECT) provided ecological and landscape design services for the green stormwater infrastructure. Additionally, Wayne County and Lean & Green Michigan (regional body) enabled the PACE financing through local legislative support and participation in the PACE program. (Ref, 2, 5)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown

... a national policy or strategy? Unknown

... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Capital Improvement Program (1), part of city's strategy to increase acres managed by green stormwater infrastructure)

Type of enablers

Change agents (individual with major role influence on launching), Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)

Financing

Total cost

€500,000 - €2,000,000

Source(s) of funding

Public local authority budget
Corporate investment

Type of funding

Earmarked public budget
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution

Provision of land

Who provided the non-financial contribution?

Private sector (businesses, financial institution)

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Expected lowered local temperature
Reduced emissions
Achieved reduced emissions
Energy efficiency improvements
Achieved energy efficiency improvements
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Expected improved air quality
Water management and blue areas
Improved stormwater management
Achieved improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Achieved increased green space area
Enhanced support of pollination
Achieved enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

Reduce financial cost for urban management
Achieved reduce financial cost for urban management
Attraction of business and investment
Achieved attraction of business and investment

Socio-cultural impacts

Unknown

Type of reported impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Unknown

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

No evidence in public records

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs

Unknown

References

Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate (2020). CASE STUDY: LETTS INDUSTRIES BUILDING. Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];

Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate (2020). Detroit Becomes Home to Michigan’s First PACE-financed Green Roof with C-PACE from CounterpointeSRE. Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];

Inhabitect LLC (n.d.). Belt Line Center. Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];

Schneider, K. (2021). Water could make the Great Lakes a climate refuge. Are we prepared?. Bridge Michigan, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];

American Hydrotech (n.d.). Belt Line Center. Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];

Lean&Green Michigan (2020). Belt Line Center. Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];

Griswold, N. (2024). PACE Financing + Green Roofs – It’s the next BIG thing!. Living Architecture Monitor, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];