Summary
Twenty-five years after King County committed to green building practices, nearly 7,500 families live in affordable green homes and critical infrastructure is better prepared for climate impacts.
News
King County is celebrating 25 years of green building practices that have produced thousands of healthy, energy-efficient affordable housing units and built critical infrastructure prepared for climate impacts.
Nearly 7,500 families live in affordable green homes as a result of the Executive Order establishing green building practices that King County adopted in 2001, later codified as the Green Building Ordinance in 2005. King County also finances affordable housing developed by nonprofit and community partners. County-financed housing projects are among the capital investments subject to King County’s green building requirements, helping extend the benefits of healthier, more energy-efficient buildings to people and families living on lower incomes.
All capital projects owned by King County – wastewater treatment facilities, Metro Transit facilities, upgrades at the County Courthouse, Harborview Medical Center, and King County International Airport, recycling and transfer stations, fish passage restorations, park and trail construction, roads and sidewalks, flood-risk reduction projects, and the Pier 50 terminal built for the King County Water Taxi among many others – applied the principles of the Green Building Ordinance.
Willowcrest in Renton is the first permanently affordable development of its size built with features that significantly reduce utilities costs and climate impacts. 
The project transforming the 120-year-old Wilburton Trestle into a 1,000-foot-long trail bridge for Eastrail is being built and designed to adhere to the Green Building Ordinance. 
The Green Building Ordinance applies to all King County capital projects, including design and construction of King County Parks’ Lake to Sound Trail. 
A rooftop solar array provides more than half the power needed to operate the South County Recycling and Transfer Station, which the Solid Waste Division opened in September. 
King County’s Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station features solar panels, skylights, and a green roof. 
King County’s Fall City Floodplain Restoration Project on the Snoqualmie River followed the design and construction principles established by the Green Building Ordinance. 
The structure that houses the new raw sewage pumps recently installed at West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle features a large solar array.
“King County’s longstanding commitment to both equity and green buildings have made it possible for thousands of families to comfortably live in affordable homes that are healthy and cost less to heat, cool, and maintain,” said Executive Zahilay. “We’ve also built critical infrastructure designed to withstand climate impacts, promoting a sustainable future for generations to come.”
King County’s Green Building Ordinance guides the building process, not just the finished product. As a result, all county-led or financed capital projects are designed and constructed with green building and sustainable development features. That can include sustainable, cost-effective development that minimizes environmental impact, reduces energy and water consumption, diverts construction materials from landfills, integrates equity opportunities, improves ecological habitat, provides open space, alternative transportation options, community amenities, promotes resiliency, and improves air quality.
Green building practices contribute to King County’s commitment to equity and social justice. For affordable housing residents, investments can support healthier indoor environments and reduce energy costs. For affordable housing providers, energy- and water-efficient buildings can reduce operating costs over the life of a property.
One goal of King County’s broader green building efforts is to increase participation in county projects, apprenticeship and training, increased contracts with local companies, integrate design and service priorities from the community, and increase representation of diverse communities, culture, and history.
King County’s longstanding commitment to green building practices has made access to healthy homes and workplaces that cost less to heat, cool, and maintain while also improving air quality. It’s also better prepared the region’s infrastructure and habitat restoration projects for increased flood risks and other climate impacts.
King County’s Green Building Team developed resources that help capital project teams meet the requirements of the ordinance, assisting with planning design, construction, remodeling, renovation, maintenance, and operations. Applying green practices have increased energy efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and water use, and improved stormwater management.
The Solid Waste Division’s Construction and Demolition Program aligns with the Green Building Ordinance while promoting equitable access to green jobs that offer living-wage salaries. One example is a workforce training program that promotes deconstruction, an alternative to traditional demolition that can reduce the amount of valuable material that ends up in the landfill by up to 90%.
The anniversary celebration organized by the Solid Waste Division was hosted at the new White Center HUB and Canopy Apartments, a community-led development that brings together 76 affordable homes with health and dental care, youth and family services, and community gathering spaces.
The development incorporates healthier, more resilient building practices, including non-toxic materials, fossil-fuel-free systems, solar panels, EV charging, and on-site stormwater treatment. Mature trees were also preserved to reduce heat impacts
King County invested more than $16.1 million in the development between 2022 and 2023, including affordable housing investments through the Department of Community and Human Services’ Housing and Finance Program. Canopy Apartments serves households earning between 30% and 60% area median income, with 24 homes reserved for large families.
Lower energy costs and greater reliability throughout King County
Infrastructure throughout King County is far more energy efficient today than it was before the ordinance went into effect.
Solar panels cover 74% of the rooftop at the new South County Recycling and Transfer Station, providing more than half of the energy required to operate the 84,000-square-foot facility. The Vashon Recycling and Transfer Station is Zero Energy Certified, meaning the solar array generates more renewable energy each year than the facility consumes from the power grid.
The first-of-its-kind battery system installed at West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle has proven to be effective at keeping critical pumps operating during disruptions that can occur during intense storms, which are happening more often due to climate change.
King County also applies green building practices at projects on natural landscapes. Floodplain restoration projects – including the largest in King County’s history – have improved salmon habitat and reduced flood risks.
Multiple divisions at the Department of Natural Resources and Parks have earned Salmon-Safe certification this decade. King County Parks is the largest park agency in the nation to be certified for its maintenance and operations. The Solid Waste Division’s new recycling and transfer station in Algona will be the first facility of its kind when it achieves certification. A major sewer upgrade in Bellevue is the first of its kind to be certified, simultaneously modernizing infrastructure and improving habitat.
King County’s Solid Waste Division is where the county’s green building work first started. The Green Building Ordinance was ultimately borne from a Solid Waste GreenTools’ initiative to manage construction and demolition waste from county capital projects. The GreenTools team continues to steward the ordinance today, providing resources to update and implement the ordinance to ensure all county divisions utilize the best and highest green building standards that contribute to responsible development in the community.
Multimedia
- PHOTO GALLERY: Images of King County green building projects
- PHOTO GALLERY: 2026 Green Building Award winners
- TRACKS: An interactive map of environmental stewardship in King County
Related
- Green Building Ordinance and Resources
- Strategic Climate Action Plan
- King County Solid Waste Division
Contact
Joe Basile, Solid Waste Division, 206-848-0496
Doug Williams, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, 206-477-4543
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