King County Offering New Green-building Incentives

Commercial and residential developers who want to “build green” in King County, Washington could be eligible to receive financial assistance as well as free technical assistance through a new program from the King County Green Building Program in the county’s Solid Waste Division.

 

The incentives are part of King County's efforts to support more green-building practices, said Katie Spataro, program manager for the Solid Waste Division.

“We are continuing to look for ways to promote and encourage residential builders and commercial developers to design projects in ways that have minimal negative impact on our environment,” Spataro said.

Under the new program, commercial developers across King County (excluding Seattle) could be eligible to receive up to $25,000 in funds to help encourage higher performance green buildings.

In addition, residential developers who want to build green in unincorporated King County are now eligible to receive free project management and expedited permitting review from the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services.

“Green buildings can have lower energy and water consumption rates, and offer occupants excellent comfort and functionality. These new incentives provide terrific opportunities to stimulate and support green building throughout King County,” Spataro said.

Funding is available for developers who are seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED® is a rating system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The grant provides funding of $15,000 to $25,000, depending on the LEED certification level that the project achieves. The funds are intended to help offset the up-front costs of green buildings, such as added early design or modeling costs, plus LEED registration and certification fees.

The LEED rating system is a national standard for developing high-performance, environmentally-friendly buildings. The system assigns credits for satisfying a variety of criteria such as preserving habitat, increasing energy efficiency, reducing potable water use and using recycled-content building materials. Spataro said 31 of the 46 LEED-certified buildings in Washington state are located within Seattle and King County.

Residential projects in King County are also eligible for green building incentives available immediately. For projects in unincorporated King County seeking the highest certification under the Master Builders Association’s Built Green program, incentives include expedited permit review, free project management through permitting and free technical assistance. The incentives are administered by King County’s Department of Development and Environmental Services and the Department of Natural Resources and Parks.