All buildings in the PCD district are encouraged to achieve certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for green building design, sponsored by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Broadly speaking, green building design goals include reduced energy and water use, use of sustainable, renewable, non-toxic and locally-produced materials; improved indoor air quality; environmentally-conscious site planning; and a location in a central, developed area with existing services and resources. The USGBC has developed a variety of standards for evaluating green building design in several categories, including LEED-NC (for New Construction).

Rooftop areas in each building should be developed to reduce the heat island effect according to the definition in LEED-NC's Sustainable Sites Credit 7.2: Heat Island Effect Roof, or the definition in LEED-ND's Green Construction and Technology Credit 10, Heat Island Reduction, Option 2 Roof.

All outdoor lighting, including street lamps and accent lighting, should comply with "dark sky" standards intended to reduce light pollution. Dark sky standards require that lighting is downcast, illuminates only the intended areas, and does not cause disabling glare that affects driver safety and reduces the visibility of starry night skies. Bright, stadium-style lighting is prohibited.

The LEED/green design standards in this subsection shall be considered voluntary rather than mandatory.