As the White House puts its influence–and billions of dollars — behind energy-efficient living for all Americans, opportunities abound for developers, entrepreneurs, and consumers to contribute to healthier, eco-friendly living. Several green housing developments have cropped up across the nation in urban and inner-city areas where companies and organizations have found a way to not only revive communities and their inhabitants, but help preserve the planet.
One such development is the R-Street Apartments in Washington D.C. The District’s newest green community, R-Street was purchased by residents through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, and underwent nearly $8 million in renovations to preserve and green 130 apartments.
In New Orleans, the Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corp. is turning a historic African American neighborhood that was left destitute after Hurricane Katrina into a community of 350 LEED-certified, flood-elevated homes. The organization is helping to provide tax credits, grants, and other incentives that will allow elderly homeowners to repurchase their homes at a significant discount.
In the Bronx, New York, the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDCo), an organization that works with families who struggle with poverty, has turned a dilapidated urban lot into a 128-unit high-rise for low-income and formerly homeless families. Intervale Green has energy-efficient elements and aesthetic additions that are not only keen on the eye but eco-friendly.
Here’s a look at each of these communities and their renewal:
Pontchartrain Park
New Orleans, LA
In the 1950s, the Pontchartrain Park residential subdivision in New Orleans was built as a state-of-the-art housing development targeted for New Orleans’ African American citizens. Although housing segregation was eventually outlawed, Pontchartrain Park remained 97% black and became home to several prominent citizens of New Orleans including the city’s first black mayor, Ernest N. Morial and his son National Urban League CEO and also a former New Orleans mayor, Marc Morial, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson.
Now, with only 46% of residents returning after Hurricane Katrina, Pontchartrain Park is a storm-battered shell of its former self — but not for long if actor Wendell Pierce has his way. The star of HBO’s “The Wire†and local resident founded the Pontchartrain Park Development Corp. (PPDC), and is trying to turn the neighborhood into the sustainable answer to the energy problem.
The PPDC seeks to assist displaced residents–60% of whom were elderly–return home after Hurricane Katrina. With the help of black businesses including SRP Development, an Ohio-based construction company, the group will demolish 300 water-logged, wind-damaged homes, and build 350 LEED-certified homes.
The residences will be built to withstand 60 mph winds and will feature flood elevation and geothermal heating and cooling. They will also be given a Home Energy Rating, a guideline that measures energy efficiency. It is expected that all of the homes will be complete in five to six years and will cost $115 million.
“It makes so much sense to build a green home, especially in neighborhoods that are not high income, because after you build the home the house just keeps on giving back through energy efficiency, lower water and lower energy bills,†says Jackson, the first black director of the EPA, who spent her childhood and adolescent years in the community.
For more information about Pontchartrain Park, visit its Website.
— Marcia Wade Talbert
R-Street Apartments
Washington, D.C.
When the former owners put the R-Street Apartments up for sale, residents banded together and reached out to the National Housing Trust-Enterprise Preservation Corp. and Hampstead Development Group for help to purchase and renovate the buildings. The two organizations financed the $24.5 million acquisition and renovation with a combination of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits and federal low-income tax credit equity.
To help finance renovations, the D.C. Housing Finance Agency also played a significant role, issuing more than $12.3 million in tax-exempt bonds to help subsidize the renovation and construction and supported the long-term financing of the project. The housing authority managed the property’s transition to the income-based Enhanced Housing Choice Voucher program.
The development, which was unveiled in April, features solar roof panels that help reduce energy consumption. Kitchens and bathrooms include Energy Star-qualified appliances and low-flow water fixtures; a new energy-efficient HVAC system (above) provides a more efficient means for cooling the building; and rain barrels are positioned to harvest water. Open spaces were also created throughout the property for community projects, services, and meetings.
Affordable housing residents must be eligible for Section 8 vouchers or a government-aided housing program. Through Section 8, residents pay 30% of the monthly rent, which ranges from $970 for an efficiency to $1,360 for a three-bedroom apartment. Market rate rents for the same apartments start at $1,450 for an efficiency, and reach $2,500 for a three-bedroom. Of the 130 apartments, six are market rate.
For more information about future vacancies and the application process, e-mail the National Housing Trust at kfrank@nhtinc.org.
— Renita Burns
Intervale Green
Bronx, N.Y.
What was once an abandoned lot in the South Bronx that reflected the urban blight
of the borough is now the site of renewal and vibrancy. The area, visited by former President Jimmy Carter in 1978, and described by him as America’s “worst slum,†is now home to a $46 million housing complex with 173 moderately priced, green apartments.Intervale Green, which was developed by the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corp. (WHEDCo), a New York-based nonprofit organization, is built from nontoxic materials to help maintain clean air in a borough that has one of the highest asthma rates in New York. All of the apartments are rented to tenants earning below 60% of the area median income (AMI), which for a family of four in metropolitan New York City is $59,700. Monthly rent ranges from $782 for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,089 for a three-bedroom apartment.
The apartments feature Energy Star-qualified lighting fixtures and appliances, flooring and tile made from recycled materials, two green roofs with a vegetable garden accessible to residents, 35 new trees along the street, and a half acre of new vegetation on the grounds.
Funded through Low Income Housing Tax Credits, government bonds, city funds, and other programs, the property also features sculptures created by Bronx-based artists that use re-purposed materials such as old steel beams, electrical conduits, and recycled car parts.
“For people who are struggling financially, there’s nothing better you can do than reduce energy costs,†says Nancy Biberman, founder and president of WHEDCo. “With the energy efficient features of the building, tenants will be able to save almost a 1/3 of their utility costs.â€
For more information on Intervale Green, visit WHEDCo’s Website.
— Janell Hazelwood
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