Clark County accepting projects to green building pilot program
The Board of County Commissioners has approved an ordinance (July 28, 2010) that establishes a pilot program for residential, commercial and mixed-use projects pursuing the Living Building Challenge, one of the world’s most rigorous green building performance standards. The Sustainable Communities Ordinance allows some projects to bypass more traditional local codes and regulations to pursue the use of advanced green-building strategies.
Clark County is now accepting projects to the Sustainable Communities Ordinance pilot program. Enrollment will be open for five years, or until a total of six projects are accepted. Potential exceptions could include reductions in allotted space for parking, alternatives to impervious surfaces, reduced setbacks for rainwater harvesting cisterns or the inclusion of composting toilets.
The interest and need is increasing for projects that meet sustainability goals such as increased water efficiency, use of renewable energy, and less toxic alternatives to conventional building materials. One of the challenges to building sustainable, affordable residential developments (SARD) is the current regulatory process.
To encourage such projects, Vancouver and Clark County evaluated their building, land use, and development codes to identify and remove barriers. View the results and potential costs and benefits of barrier removal >
Additional work is now underway with a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology to expand the look at barrier removal countywide.
For more information, contact:
Pete DuBois
Clark County Environmental Services
(360) 397-6118 ext. 4961
pete.dubois@clark.wa.gov
The initial SARD study completed in June 2009 was funded by a grant from the Washington Department of Commerce (formerly Community, Trade, and Economic Development). The Cascadia Region Green Building Council was the consultant on the project.
