When most people picture an "environmental" house, they see a spacious natural setting with trees, hills and lots of green. However, most people live in urban areas, where green is not the dominant color. Nevertheless, homes with certified environmental credentials are springing up in cities around the country.
Portland, Oregon, is a metropolitan area known for environmental concern that shows in its land use regulations. For more than 20 years, local governments have promoted higher population density as a way to make more efficient use of expensive urban services, such as roads, sewers and mass transit. Those goals are getting a boost from Portland General Electric's Earth Smart Program. In addition to building typical detached single-family homes, Earth Smart is helping make urban living more environmentally friendly. Two unique projects are City Life and the Belmont Dairy.
City Life
Normally a 40,000 sq. ft. parcel in southeast Portland would have been subdivided into eight lots averaging 5,000 sq. ft. with a single-family house on each lot. Instead, a coalition of local groups, including home builders, real estate professionals, architects and a community development group, collaborated on a project that squeezed 18 residential units into the same space. The project is called City Life. Portland General Electric (PGE) sold the site to project developers at 10 percent below market value. Then PGE's Earth Smart program provided technical assistance to improve energy and resource efficiency.
The urban setting puts the project within walking distance of an elementary school, a park and major bus lines. The emphasis on alternative transportation is reflected in the lack of garages. Automobiles are hidden from view behind City Life in an adjacent alley. Without garages, the units tend to be short on storage space, which is one of the few complaints of tenants.
Belmont Dairy
When the Carnation Dairy closed its doors in 1990, schools and homes lost a local source of milk and ice cream. At the same time, the neighborhood gained a post-industrial eyesore. The complex of five buildings--80,000 sq. ft. in all--deteriorated rapidly.
The site now houses 26,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space and 85 Earth Smart apartments. The project is a successful example of mixing residential and retail uses in a densely-packed, inner-city neighborhood.
"What we're building here is the future of urban in-fill housing," says Douglas Obletz, president of The Belmont Partnership. "We're creating higher-density, environmentally friendly housing that enhances the neighborhood."
With the support of PGE staff and consultants, the project also made major strides on the environmental side. Roughly half of the existing buildings were retained, despite the need to reinforce aging brick walls to meet modern seismic requirements. Demolition debris was carefully sorted for recycling. Much of the material, especially brick and massive wood beams, were reused in the Belmont project itself.
The energy use of the residential units meets PGE's Good Cents requirements. In addition to high insulation levels and air tightening, huge windows and open spaces bring natural light into the units.
Sixty-six of the 85 apartments are targeted to people earning 60 percent of the median income. These one- and two-bedroom units rent for $450 to $550. The remaining units are market-rate lofts renting for up to $1,300. The affordable units are made possible with special financing from Fannie Mae, the Network for Affordable Housing and local governments.
Earth Smart
Earth Smart homes can be any size or shape. In fact, most projects are suburban homes typical in today's construction market. To get started, the builder fills out a worksheet to select the house's earth-friendly features. A point system allows flexibility to choose features in three key areas: health, resource efficiency and environmental responsibility. Energy features must meet Good Cents requirements. Program participants receive a printed resource guide and the assistance of consultants to identify techniques and select materials. The program offers blower door testing to promote effective air sealing in the building and ductwork.
