Vulcan, Amazon partner with Bellevue to launch continent's newest 2030 District
The Bellevue 2030 District is a group of 85 buildings in downtown Bellevue and the Factoria neighborhood that are committed to reducing their environmental impact.
Bellevue, the 24th city to join the program 12 years after Seattle was the first to host a District 2030, has joined the program that aims to reduce energy, water, and transportation emissions 50% by 2030.
The program, which is a public-private partnership, covers commercial buildings from Philadelphia to Victoria in British Columbia.
Kiki Gram announced Wednesday the launch of Bellevue 2030 district. She is a senior manager in Vulcan Real Estate.
The Bellevue 2030 District, with support from Vulcan Real Estate Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and the City of Bellevue represents more than 10 million square foot of real estate in 85 buildings located downtown and around the Factoria district.
Many owners are having difficulty filling vacant positions. New state and local building codes are increasing pressure on owners to reduce the environmental impact of their buildings.
Seattle 2030 District provides education, policy recommendations, and building performance analyses for 140 members that own or manage more than 250 buildings in the area between Lower Queen Anne and Sodo, Capitol and First Hills, and Sodo, Sodo, and waterfront.
According to the website of the 2030 Districts Network, Seattle has committed 59 million square foot to the program. It is third in the nation behind Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Daniel Poppe, executive director of Seattle's district, will lead the new Bellevue District. Daniel Poppe will continue to be Seattle's executive Director.
According to Seattle District 2030, a little more than a third (or a little under two-thirds) of Seattle's emissions are from the energy used in buildings, and slightly less than two-thirds from transportation.
Seattle's district has set goals to reduce energy and water consumption in existing buildings by half by 2030, and by 70% for new buildings in the same time period. The district aims to reduce emissions by 50% in transportation.
Seattle's greenhouse gas inventory for 2020 found that transportation emissions dropped by over 24 percent between 2018 and 2020. Waste emissions also decreased over 12%, and emissions from commercial and residential building fell 5%.
The city stated that the majority of decreases are likely temporary, and can be attributed primarily to Covid-19 lockdowns.
Last fall, the 2020 greenhouse gas inventories were published.