Description
Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) and street trees provide multiple benefits for environmental and public health. However, initiation and maintenance of these projects often face financial and regulatory barriers. King County will seek opportunities to conduct one or more pilot projects to identify and address regulatory and operational challenges to expanding the use of street trees and multi-benefit GSI projects in road rights-of-way and public lands. Work on this action includes securing funding to implement the pilot project(s) and initiating construction. The pilot project(s) will be associated with one or more King County Roads projects in Skyway and/or North Highline where GSI, including tree planting and preservation, would provide clean water, reduce localized flooding, and provide extreme heat mitigation co-benefits by helping to increase the number of street trees. Insights gained from this work will inform updates to the King County Roads Standards and other policies, standards, and regulations, as needed, that may currently limit the use of street trees and GSI in new or retrofit capital projects. Implementation of this action will prioritize areas in urban, unincorporated King County most lacking in canopy cover.