James City County, VA Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

Section 24-273.7 caps net density in the Residential Redevelopment (RR) district at four units per acre, but only if the developer racks up density bonus points through a master plan, proffers or another document approved by the county attorney: more than 2.5 units per acre needs three points, more than 3 needs four, and more than 3.5 needs five. Green building certification is one of thirteen bonus-item options on that table, worth a single point (item E), the same weight as dedicating a public-use site, building a greenway trail, or exceeding pedestrian accommodation requirements.

By comparison, affordable and workforce housing can earn up to four points and a Better Site Design stormwater plan earns 1.5. Section 24-2 separately defines "green building" as a structure addressing efficient energy and water management, material and waste management, environmental and indoor air quality, and natural-systems integration, and it names EarthCraft and LEED as example accreditation programs, mirroring the § 24-273.7 bonus item's language. Because the incentive lives in the RR density-bonus scheme, it only applies to residential redevelopment projects seeking density above the 2.5-unit-per-acre baseline; the county's building regulations chapter otherwise administers construction solely through the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, which the county's own text does not amend to add a green-building mandate.