Private real estate developers in Jersey City, NJ may soon have an extra incentive to go green if Mayor Jerramiah Healy has his way.

The Mayor has proposed several ordinances which include an incentive for private developers. Developers of new construction or retrofitting/upgrading existing structures would be eligible to apply for the incentive which includes offering partial refunds on building permit application fees ranging from 10% - 25%. The refund amount depends on which level of LEED certification is achieved by the developer. 10% refunds would be available for the minimum "LEED Certified" and 25% would be available for the highest level of certification, "LEED Platinum".

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the U.S. Green Building Council's certification system for rating commercial green buildings.