Actually, I believe it was something more like $5 million. I, along with several others, urged City Council to wait to build this thing until a publicly-vetted decision was made about what would go on top so that the footings could be customized for that purpose instead of built generically for any scenario (including a building taller than zoning now allows).

Then there are the other costs, like the construction for the elevator and stair lobbies and other features on the top that may only be temporary. And what about the actual construction of anything on top? Will the structure need to be closed while the steel is erected or other large items are hoisted above, costing revenue and inconvenience?

Waiting to build the structure until there was a definite project for the top, whether it was a public plaza or a convention center would have saved millions any way you look at it.

Wonder what the answers were, actually?

This is the problem. ‘Green’ should be a concept like politeness; something that should not be compared from one person to another, or from one event to another. We are each held accountable to a degree of politeness based on our specific circumstances and our ability to be so. And, as we all know, sometimes the most polite thing to do is nothing.

New buildings are said to be ‘green’ without acknowledging that had no building been built it would have been ‘greener’. But then maybe a building was necessary. The decision to build, or not to build, is therefore the greenest decision; but not building will not win you a pat on the back.

Take the underground parking lot, for example. It received praise for sustainable design while at the same time being grossly over-designed to support an unknown and un-designed building on top of it; that may never be built. It has been reported that, “Because the site is designed for a potential future development, the garage has massive mat foundations up to 10 feet thick in some places.” I suspect that well over a million dollars was thrown into that hole to allow for a building on top. That’s over a million dollars of energy and resources that could have been used elsewhere, or not spent at all. Nevertheless this building is considered an example of green building.

Conversely, the city is now angling, possibly, to demolish the 415 West Washington building; a perfectly viable structure that already exists and is completely compatible with all of the plans for the site, and the area. 415 West Washington is being demolished by neglect, right now, while people ignore it and pat themselves on the back for other things. Greenness should be considered in the aggregate.