Rooftop Gardens - Impervious Tax

So I'm moving to Chicago - never lived in a very densely populated city, so I'm excited. Living in Logan Square.

I think I'd like to do something like a rooftop garden, mostly to beautify.

But this DC landlord in this interview said one of her reasons was to combat a tax on impervious surfaces. Wha?! Ever heard of this?

I guess I'd be for it, but I've lived in rural Midwest all my life and have never heard of such a thing.

link to article: http://pushinggreen.com/news/video-go-green-with-rooftop-gardens-3

Thoughts?

dburkart wrote:
But this DC landlord in this interview said one of her reasons was to combat a tax on impervious surfaces. Wha?! Ever heard of this?

Taxes on impervious surfaces (aka "rain tax") are taxes to be used to upgrade and repair storm sewer systems.  Rain that lands on an impervious surface such as a tarred roof or a parking lot is water that is diverted almost directly into the city's storm sewers and must be treated before it can be released into a river.  Rainwater that lands on soil is water that doesn't reach the storm sewers.

So this is sort of a "use tax" -- the more green on your property, the less water will go from your property into the sewer, and so the lower your "rain tax" will be.

Hmmm, very interesting. Probably fairly effective for both citizens and the gov.

EDIT: Thanks!

just remember they call it Crook county for a reason so be careful up there