Council News Release

Councilmember Richard Conlin

Seattle Deep Green Pilot Program gives Stone34 green light
Project will be new headquarters of Brooks Sports, Inc.

SEATTLE - The City Council today voted unanimously to approve an ordinance to amend the Living Building Pilot Project in order to facilitate and encourage developments that strive to meet the highest level of sustainable design. 

The Living Building Challenge Pilot Program was established in 2009 to permit the development of up to 12 projects meeting the prerequisites of the Living Building Challenge.™  The approved amendments create another tier, the Seattle Deep Green Pilot Program. This tier is reserved for projects actively participating in the Pilot Program that will meet sixty percent of the imperatives of the Living Building Challenge. 

To qualify for the program, buildings must consume less than 25 percent of the energy and water used by comparable buildings, and capture at least 50 percent of stormwater used on site. There are additional regulations for building design, construction materials and community integration that go beyond current Design Review guidelines.

The vote helps to move Stone34, a proposed deep green building in Fremont, closer to construction. The building will be located across the street from the Burke-Gilman trail and will serve as the new headquarters for Brooks Sports, Inc. Additionally, Stone34 is pre-certified LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council.

"This is a win for both the environment and Seattle's economy. These changes will make it possible for the Stone34 project to bring more than 300 jobs to Seattle and to raise the bar for future green building projects," said Councilmember Richard Conlin, Chair of the Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability Committee. "We must take our commitment to carbon neutrality seriously. Our goal is to change the world and that means building buildings that are deep green and that make business sense. We can't ask the private sector to build the greenest buildings possible without providing incentives to do so."

"We are excited to move into this vibrant Seattle neighborhood and inspired to participate in the Seattle Deep Green Pilot Program," said Jim Weber, President and CEO of Brooks Sports. "This program isn't just about transforming building design and performance, it's about changing behavior. For Brooks that means doing our part to protect great outdoor spaces for the long run and connecting with the community in meaningful ways."

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