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Bill would create center for environmentally sustainable urban design to promote green redevelopment and design competitions
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Summary
House Bill 1742 would create a Center for Environmentally Sustainable Urban Design in the Department of Ecology to fund and promote green redevelopment, design competitions and grants for projects that integrate stormwater, trees and public‑health benefits into urban sites.
House Bill 1742 would establish a Center for Environmentally Sustainable Urban Design at the Department of Ecology to encourage architectural and landscape approaches that promote health and sustainability in the built environment, staff and proponents told the committee.
The center would identify priority projects, coordinate a biennial design competition for a selected priority project and award grants for projects that implement environmentally sustainable urban design. The bill would also create a 10‑member advisory council to advise the center and recommend applicants. The center would establish selection criteria for competitions and consider recommendations of the advisory council. The bill would create an environmentally sustainable urban design account to hold funds for competitions and grants.
Staff testimony from Ecology noted the center would add significant new work to the agency and likely require new position classifications because Ecology does not currently house certain job classes such as civil engineers or dedicated urban‑design planners. Ecology staff recommended a technical fix: define the bill’s reference to "median environmental health disparities," which is not currently statutory language.
Proponents included regional and conservation groups, local governments and architects. Don Gourley of the Puget Sound Partnership told the committee that prioritizing infill and redeveloping brownfields and underused parcels near transit can improve stormwater management, reduce flood risks and produce public‑facing green spaces that improve mental health and calm traffic. Kelsey Hulse of the Washington State Association of Counties said counties support environmentally sustainable design and new approaches to integrate natural infrastructure in redevelopment.
Architect witnesses said design competitions give young firms and recent graduates opportunities to test and demonstrate new ideas and can help seed demonstration projects on prominent parcels. Testimony recommended aligning the center's work with existing urban‑forest and community forestry efforts and expanding eligible cities for pilot projects to include jurisdictions where higher‑density housing changes are allowed.
No vote was taken; proponents and Ecology staff said they will continue to work on funding, position classifications and technical drafting, including a statutory definition of any undefined health‑disparities language.
