By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
DOWNTOWN — The law firm WilmerHale became the first company to sign a "green lease" Tuesday as it announced its plans to take over more than 200,000 square feet of office space in developer Larry Silverstein's 7 World Trade Center tower.
One of the challenges of getting building owners to invest in making their buildings more energy-efficient is that its the tenants that typically pay for energy use — meaning owners don't benefit from the cost savings, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference on the tower's 48th floor Tuesday.
Under what he described as a "transformational" agreement between Silverstein and WilmerHale, the law firm will pay toward the green costs every month just like they pay their rent. Once the investment is fully paid off, the firm will reap the full cost-savings.
"It's really is a win-win," said Bloomberg, adding that nearly 80 percent of city emissions comes from buildings.
That same language will also now be incorporated into all new leases in which the city is a tenant, he said.
At Tuesday's press conference, Silverstein also weighed in on his decision to force the city to rent hundreds of thousands of feet of pricey office space in the new Tower 4 under an agreement negotiated in 2006. The agreement was intended to spur development by assuring developers that they wouldn't be left high and dry if companies turned a cold shoulder to leasing at the site.
"It's total conceivable that with time the city's obligation may not prove necessary," Silverstein said. "Only time will tell."
Seven World Trade Center is now 90 percent leased, he said.
