Arlington, VA: Green Building Incentive Policy
Policy Title: Arlington Green Building Incentive Policy (GBIP)
Year Adopted: 1999
City: Arlington, VA
Main Citation: Green Building Incentive Policy
Description:
Created in 1999, the Arlington Green Building Incentive Policy is a voluntary program that awards participating developers with bonus density according to the level of green building they achieve. This program has led to the creation of over 40 LEED certified developments, saving millions of kilowatt–hours of energy and millions of gallons of water each year. Over the years, the program has expanded to include residential and mixed-use buildings, adjusted Green Building Fund contributions from $0.03 to $0.045 per square foot for non-participants, and updated to include greenhouse gas reduction goals in Arlington’s Community Energy Plan. The policy has most recently been updated in December of 2020, establishing LEED Gold as the minimum level of green building certification and a number of additional baseline prerequisites to receive bonus density through the program. These include addressing specific energy measures, including EV charging and energy and water efficient appliances, and other sustainability priorities like emphasizing human interaction with nature (biophilia).
A GBIP Engagement Summary from November 2024 concerning the policy update details the proposed four incentive pathways. The LEED oriented pathway that the program has operated with previously will be renamed to the Traditional Pathway to distinguish it from the new pathways. These include:
The Climate Adaptation Pathway, which requires green infrastructure, tree canopy equity, bird-friendly construction, light pollution reduction, and achievement of the Passive House International U.S. (PHIUS) performance-based certification
The Adaptive Reuse Pathway, which incentivises the conversion of office buildings to housing
The Existing Buildings Pathway, which incentivises building owners to undertake energy and carbon-saving retrofits
Fifty-eight percent of greenhouse gas emissions are from buildings–the GBIP is the primary tool in Arlington to help the county reduce these effects. Given the success of the program thus far, these new pathways and updates to the program will likely bring an even greater positive impact, helping Arlington move towards achieving its Carbon Neutral Community goals by 2050.
Impact:
In the 2006-2016 Highlights of Green Building in Arlington report, data shows that this policy has contributed to an overall decrease in energy and water usage over the years:
Annual Energy Savings (2016): 107,000 Mbtu or around 1,600 Homes off the grid
Annual Water Savings (2016): 40 million gallons or around two million showers
Further, Arlington’s GBIP has inspired its neighbors to implement similar policies. These include green building policies in Fairfax County, Virginia, Washington D.C., and in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Additional Resources:
2024 GBIP Update Engagement Summary