What's Next
The project was completed on June 30, 2009. The Board of County Commissioners indicated at a May 20, 2009 work session that any code changes should be folded in with proposed changes to the county’s development code, CCC Title 40.
Additional work is being undertaken with a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology to expand the look at barrier removal county-wide. For more information on that effort, contact Pete Dubois, Clark County Public Works, at (360) 397-6118, x4961, pete.dubois@clark.wa.gov.
Project Summary
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 projects is the current regulatory process. As a first step toward encouraging and facilitating such projects, Vancouver and Clark County have evaluated their building, land use, and development codes to identify regulatory and institutional barriers. The work 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.
In the first phase of the project, barriers to sustainable development were identified. In the second phase of the project, short-term and long-term recommendations were developed on which barriers to remove. The results of both phases can be found in reports available at www.cityofvancovuer.us/envplan, as well as information on the potential costs and benefits of barrier removal.
Project Contact:
Gordy Euler, Clark County Community Planning
(360) 397-2280 ext. 4968
gordon.euler@clark.wa.gov
