WOODWARD- The City of Woodward is now the first in Iowa to receive a ‘green’ certification.
Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Director Debi Durham and City of Woodward officials made the announcement Tuesday about the IEDA Certified Site Program.
The 190-acre Woodward Eco Business Park is a pilot project, the first of its kind designed to meet the unique needs of companies looking to reduce their environmental impact.
“Today’s announcement celebrates not only the first Green site in Iowa, but also the fourth Certified Site in Dallas County,” Gov. Reynolds said. “I admire the community’s commitment to the rigor of certification and for providing another example of how Iowa is leading on issues, like conservation, that matter to our citizens and our businesses.”
The Iowa Certified Site Program began in May 2012 to address the lack of project-ready industrial sites in the state. The independent, third-party certification program uses the national selection site Quest Site Solutions (formerly McCallum Sweeney Consulting) as the certifying agent. IEDA introduced the Green Business Park category to the Certified Site Program in 2015.
The Green Business Park category is designed for multiple users and ancillary park activities and must adhere to the following criteria:
-Due diligence requirements similar to Industrial Certification program
-Preserve natural features of the site, such as wetlands
-Required to adopt covenants that recognize the importance of environmentally sensitive design in both office and industrial development
“Adhering to environmentally friendly principles is becoming increasingly important to business and industry. We designed the Green Certification criteria to meet the needs of companies, gain a competitive advantage as we attract new investment and proactively offer infrastructure that promotes sustainability,” IEDA Director Debi Durham said.
Ten subsequent application rounds have been opened since the program was established, and 16 additional sites are currently working through various phases of the program. Including Tuesday’s announcement, Iowa now has 20 certified sites. The next round of applications will be accepted in January 2019.
For more information about the Iowa Certified Site Program, vist www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/CertifiedSites.
