Mount Vernon, NY Building Safety: Green Building Code (2026)

Mount Vernon added the MX-1 Commercial Corridor District to Chapter 267 of its Zoning Code by local law adopted April 30, 2021, and the district's site design standards apply to any new structure and to any facade renovation or replacement covering 35% or more of a building's facade. A(8)(b), 'Use of green building techniques,' tells applicants the development 'shall be eligible to receive' LEED Gold, LEED Silver, Enterprise Green, or a similar level of standards after construction, and requires documentation on certification eligibility to go to both the Building Department and the Planning Board for review.

A developer who wants to use a non-LEED green building standard instead has to demonstrate that the alternative delivers water and energy efficiency equal to or better than LEED and a carbon footprint equal to or smaller than LEED would produce. The Planning Board also holds discretion to modify the eligible certification level below Gold or Silver if the applicant shows that site constraints or financial hardship tied to the project justify the change. Because this is a site design standard, it is reviewed alongside the same application's buffer screening, site lighting, landscaping, and architectural design requirements, all decided by the Planning Board at site plan review and by the Architectural Review Board at certificate-of-appropriateness review for the same MX-1 project.