The Mountlake Terrace park-and-ride center has received a Green Globes certification for its environmentally friendly features.
The parking garage at the center is fitted with solar panels and efficient lighting and was built with recycled material.
The certification is conferred on commercial and government buildings by the Green Building Initiative, a Portland, Ore.,-based nonprofit group that promotes environmentally sustainable building practices.
The $20 million parking garage, built by Community Transit, opened in 2009. The garage added 652 parking spaces to the 228-space surface lot that opened in 1983, for a total of 880 spaces.
The 32 solar panels generate enough energy to power two energy-efficient homes, according to Community Transit. The panels’ output is displayed on a computer monitor in a kiosk at the garage.
The garage uses energy-efficient lighting fixtures and white painted ceilings to reflect the lighting for maximum effect, according to Community Transit. The Snohomish County Public Utility District estimates that the lighting saves more than $8,000 per year compared to standard lighting. The garage was built with recycled steel.
Also, a seasonal creek on the property that had been enclosed in a culvert was opened to daylight, and native landscaping was added to the site.
The city of Mountlake Terrace recently installed 20 chargers for electric vehicles at the surface lot. The chargers were made available to the public earlier this month.
Other buildings to have received Green Globes certification include the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark.; the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Phoenix, Ariz., and City Center Plaza in Bellevue.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
