|
Green homes fit into LoHiNew five-home development aiming for LEED certification in walkable LoHi neighborhoodKristin Pazulski, DDN Staff WriterFriday, April 16, 2010 |  | | Glen Wood stands in the kitchen of a town home in his new LoHi development. The five town homes were built to be energy efficient and qualify for LEED certification. Denver Daily News photo by Kristin Pazulski. |
If you live green, love to walk and are looking for a new home, head over to the Lower Highlands. Five new townhomes are being developed that fit snuggly in with the green-focused, walkable neighborhood.
The Lower Highlands, or LoHi, has been growing rapidly in the past 10 years, with new residential and commercial developments popping up all over the area.
“This neighborhood has seen an incredible boom, not just residential development but also commercial,” said Kristin Morley, president of the Highland United Neighbors, Inc.
Adding to the boom is Glen Wood, a developer who spends his time between Vail and Denver and is developing five townhomes at 2115 32nd Ave.
Wood has been developing in the Vail Valley for 20 years Ń he has built more than 100 homes and units in the area.
In Denver, he has developed in the Cherry Creek, LoHi and Jefferson Park areas.
“I look for the energy found in urban neighborhoods where the priority is on walkability and a sense of neighborhood,” Wood said.
Wood likes LoHi so much, he’s actually making it his home neighborhood.
“We were living in this neighborhood and moved out, but we’re anxious to get back in,” he said, referring to he and his wife, Margaret Wood.
The five-townhome development will be environmentally responsible, using efficient heating equipment, hardwood floors certified by Forest Stewardship Council, water saver faucets and more.
Wood said he did not want to just add green appliances when he created these homes. He wanted to combine modern architecture with a high-certified green standard, which is why he is aiming for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification, a rating system that judges buildings based on their environmental responsibility.
“There are so many different shades of green. You can call yourself a green building by having a few features, but that doesn’t necessarily get you LEED certification,” said Wood, standing in the Bosch Energy Star standard appliance-filled kitchen.
There are a lot of benefits to buying green, said Liz Richards, the real estate agent for the units. Residents who buy green homes save money on their bills, of course, but there are also financing and tax benefits to buying green buildings.
“There is incentive both now and with savings when you go with a LEED-certified home,” Richards said.
The five units each have two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, with two floors of living space and a one- or two-car garage under the units. Each unit also has a balcony and/or a rooftop deck, which Wood is proud to claim is “the best rooftop deck in town.”
The rooftop decks offer a view of downtown and Coors Field, which should offer perfect views of the summer fireworks at the stadium.
Each home’s square footage runs from 1,027 to 1,172, and the units are available to view every weekend until the end of May.
Wood said one of the best parts of this development is the location. The new homes are within a few blocks of restaurants such as Pasquini’s Pizza, Duo Restaurant, Lohi SteakBar and The Squeaky Bean. The pedestrian bridge to the downtown area is just four blocks away.
One of the homes is already under contract, but the four others are on the market for $379,900 to $410,900. To find out more about the development, contact Liz Richards at 303-956-2962.
|
