When a new Target store opens on the Northwest Side next year, its roof will be lined with green.
Target is set to become the first major retailer in Chicago adding an environmentally correct "green roof" to its design plans, Chicago Planning and Development Commissioner Alicia Mazur Berg said Thursday.
Rooftop gardens, popular in parts of Europe, are designed to absorb air pollution, cool rooftop temperatures and, ultimately, cut energy costs.
Mayor Richard Daley became the city's biggest proponent of rooftop gardens following a trip to Germany several years ago. He facilitated placement of a rooftop garden at City Hall in 2000 and has encouraged other landlords to follow suit.
"We couldn't be more thrilled that Target is showing how progressive they are," Berg said.
Target Corp. officials, through a Chicago-based attorney, declined comment.
According to a proposal approved by the Chicago Plan Commission on Thursday, Target will redevelop the old Montgomery Ward & Co. department store at 2939 W. Addison St. and add 50,000 square feet of interior space.
Target's green roof will span a half acre, according to preliminary plans.
Unlike City Hall's rooftop garden, which mimics an Illinois prairie with its native grass and plants, Target's green roof will be made with sedum, a low-maintenance plant material that grows in just a few inches of soil, Berg said.
Experts say green roofs can lower not only energy costs but also maintenance bills, because the vegetation lowers temperatures in hot weather and helps preserve the roof longer.
Chicago is one of five cities participating in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Urban Heat Island Project, which seeks to reduce pollution by lowering temperatures in highly populated cities.
Berg said employees in her department routinely urge businesses to consider adding a green roof in construction plans.
"We certainly hope more businesses will follow Target's lead," Berg said.
"The public sector should be leading by example, and private businesses should lead as well."
