Los Vecinos offers green, affordable housing
The Daily Transcript
May 18, 2009
CHULA VISTA, Calif. - California is known for being a leader in environmentally friendly practices, and San Diego continues this lifestyle as the first residential LEED Platinum project has been completed in the county.
Los Vecinos is an affordable housing complex in Chula Vista that implements a vast amount of energy efficient and sustainable features such as water-saving landscaping, recycled building materials and solar panels, all of which give it the highest rating for a project by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The three-story building boasts 42 apartments with one, two and three units ranging from 671 to 1,177 square feet and a 15,000-square-foot community center on the ground floor.
Throughout each apartment there are sustainable features that reduce the carbon footprint, like recycled carpet and countertops, along with energy efficient appliances like tankless water heaters and Energy Star washer/dryers.
Los Vecinos also has an extensive solar power system on the roof that will provide nearly 100 percent of the development's electricity, which will almost eliminate electricity costs for residents.
Wakeland Housing and Development Corp., known for building affordable housing units, is the owner of the property, and according to Ken Sauder, president and CEO of Wakeland, having an eco-friendly building makes more sense these days.
"In going green, we committed to minimizing energy and water use, but also to creating durable, energy efficient housing for decades to come," said Sauder. "Many of the choices we made inside the units and around the complex were dictated by a desire to develop a project that will stand up well over time."
Building LEED Platinum does not come without its challenges. It took about 13 months to build, roughly two-and-a-half months longer than what a non-LEED project would take, and cost more money.
"There are more upfront cost and it does take more time to build a project like this because there is a lot more coordination that goes on, but in the end, you get a better project," said Kevin Nagel, project manager of Los Vecinos, for the project's general contractor Wermers Construction Co. He added that it was important to build something that is "more efficient, greener and will save you money down the road."
Rodriguez Associates Architects & Planners Inc. designed the project, which cost $17.6 million to build, but Wakeland will receive rebates and tax credits from the state and federal level for green and sustainable building.
So far, Wakeland has received over $6,000 from San Diego Gas and Electric, and after one year the California Energy Commission will review the complex's efficiency to make sure the project does save energy, and award roughly $40,000 in rebates.
Because the project is a low-income affordable housing complex, renters must make between $16,600 and $58,800 a year to qualify to live at Los Vecinos, and rent will range from $380 to $1,100 per month.
About half the residents have just moved in, and the rest will be in their new homes by the end of May.
Los Vecinos was built on the site of the Tower Lodge motel, which had been closed for years due to crime and illicit activities, according to Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox.
"We're proud to have recycled a community liability into a community asset," she said. "Los Vecinos is now providing quality affordable housing for low-income families at a time when it is needed more than ever."
The project was funded through the Red Capital Markets Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, the city of Chula Vista's Redevelopment Agency, the California Community Reinvestment Corp. and California Energy Commission New Solar Homes Partnership.
May 18, 2009
CHULA VISTA, Calif. - California is known for being a leader in environmentally friendly practices, and San Diego continues this lifestyle as the first residential LEED Platinum project has been completed in the county.
Los Vecinos is an affordable housing complex in Chula Vista that implements a vast amount of energy efficient and sustainable features such as water-saving landscaping, recycled building materials and solar panels, all of which give it the highest rating for a project by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The three-story building boasts 42 apartments with one, two and three units ranging from 671 to 1,177 square feet and a 15,000-square-foot community center on the ground floor.
Throughout each apartment there are sustainable features that reduce the carbon footprint, like recycled carpet and countertops, along with energy efficient appliances like tankless water heaters and Energy Star washer/dryers.
Los Vecinos also has an extensive solar power system on the roof that will provide nearly 100 percent of the development's electricity, which will almost eliminate electricity costs for residents.
Wakeland Housing and Development Corp., known for building affordable housing units, is the owner of the property, and according to Ken Sauder, president and CEO of Wakeland, having an eco-friendly building makes more sense these days.
"In going green, we committed to minimizing energy and water use, but also to creating durable, energy efficient housing for decades to come," said Sauder. "Many of the choices we made inside the units and around the complex were dictated by a desire to develop a project that will stand up well over time."
Building LEED Platinum does not come without its challenges. It took about 13 months to build, roughly two-and-a-half months longer than what a non-LEED project would take, and cost more money.
"There are more upfront cost and it does take more time to build a project like this because there is a lot more coordination that goes on, but in the end, you get a better project," said Kevin Nagel, project manager of Los Vecinos, for the project's general contractor Wermers Construction Co. He added that it was important to build something that is "more efficient, greener and will save you money down the road."
Rodriguez Associates Architects & Planners Inc. designed the project, which cost $17.6 million to build, but Wakeland will receive rebates and tax credits from the state and federal level for green and sustainable building.
So far, Wakeland has received over $6,000 from San Diego Gas and Electric, and after one year the California Energy Commission will review the complex's efficiency to make sure the project does save energy, and award roughly $40,000 in rebates.
Because the project is a low-income affordable housing complex, renters must make between $16,600 and $58,800 a year to qualify to live at Los Vecinos, and rent will range from $380 to $1,100 per month.
About half the residents have just moved in, and the rest will be in their new homes by the end of May.
Los Vecinos was built on the site of the Tower Lodge motel, which had been closed for years due to crime and illicit activities, according to Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox.
"We're proud to have recycled a community liability into a community asset," she said. "Los Vecinos is now providing quality affordable housing for low-income families at a time when it is needed more than ever."
The project was funded through the Red Capital Markets Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, the city of Chula Vista's Redevelopment Agency, the California Community Reinvestment Corp. and California Energy Commission New Solar Homes Partnership.