Green Buildings
During 2005, in Maryland’s venerable Eastern Shore seaport town of Crisfield, an ambitious redevelopment project commenced at the City Dock. The Captain’s Galley is a luxury condominium complex consisting of a six-story building with 23 residential units, a heated pool, fitness center, boat slips, and a rooftop restaurant. One notable component of the project specifications called for the construction to result in a “Green Building” that would obtain a “Silver Certification” in accordance with the U. S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, popularly known as LEED standards. In doing so, the developer intended to qualify for more than $600,000 in tax credits.
Captain’s Galley became a memorable project, not only because it was one of the first in Maryland to incorporate the LEED rating into the contract documents, but because it became one of first anywhere to result in litigation arising, in part, from the general contractor’s alleged failure to comply with the environmental design standards. In the suit filed in the Circuit Court for Somerset County, the developer, along with other claims, sought damages for the loss of the tax credits as a consequence of the alleged failure of the building to meet the contractually specified LEED standards. (more…)
