Nassau County and The Long Island Housing Partnership:
Build their first "Green" Affordable Housing Project
STORY BY MAUREEN TRAXLER
Photo by Miranda Gatewood
With commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility,
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi has challenged his administration
to look beyond energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances toward innovative
ideas. And so, in that “green” spirit and through good old-fashioned
networking, Nassau County and the Long Island Housing Partnership (LIHP)
have entered into a collaboration to build a small
affordable housing “pilot” project that is aiming to achieve the
highest designation in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Green Building Rating System. Achieving the Platinum rating will make this project
a first-of-its-kind in residential development on Long Island.
“Everybody’s concerned about global warming and affordable housing,” notes
Suozzi, who says the project is a “marrying of these two interests” to
which he is “very committed.” He adds, “This one project will
not change the world, but it’s a good symbol of what we can aspire to.” Suozzi’s
environmental leadership has been recognized by the New York League of Conservation
Voters, which recently named him 2008 Environmentalist of the Year, and by the
Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which honored him with its Environmental
Equinox Award.
“LIHP has traditionally built-in measures to bring energy savings to their
developments, and the Long Island Power Authority has donated EnergyStar-rated
appliances,” explains Peter Elkowitz, president of LIHP, who, with Suozzi,
is on the Networking® Magazine 2020:?Guide to Going Green advisory committee.
LIHP?is one of the leading not-for-profit developers providing affordable housing
for families across Long Island. However, he continues, “This will be the
first project for LIHP that will be LEED-rated when complete.” In mid-August,
the design and initial plans were approved by the Village of Hempstead, allowing
the developer to go ahead with the final construction plans.”
“The Long Island Housing Partnership brings tremendous experience to the
table to help navigate the complexities of building affordable housing,” remarks
Suozzi, who adds that the County arranged to give a parcel to LIHP at a fee based
on the sales price when complete.
“This project is a great opportunity,” says Matt Altwicker of AB
Architekten, project architect. Developer James Vilardi of Roosevelt Development
Group, Valley Stream, adds, “This is where sustainability meets affordability.”
Getting the Project Started
Nassau County Planning Federation Director May Newburger, former supervisor
for the Town of North Hempstead, told Networking® magazine recently that her
office has been exploring “green since it came into people’s consciousness” about
three or four years ago. Newburger and her staff were thinking about sponsoring
an architectural competition for a green building, but when that didn’t
work out, Newburger says, “We went to County Executive Suozzi and suggested
the County should do a green building.”
“Mr. Suozzi was very responsive,” adds Newburger. Suozzi says he
replied, “Let’s do the project in the best way we possibly can, so
it’s an example that others can follow.” He directed Newburger to
the Real Estate Division. Deputy Director of Real Estate, Sean Rainey, located
a vacant County parcel in the Village of Hempstead. He adds that Suozzi “brings
every resource available to things like this. He encourages creativity.”
“The site is opposite a park; there’s a bus stop on the corner, and
the houses around are all pleasant. We thought, this is a perfect site,” remarks
Newburger.
Planning Federation staff member, Sarah Meyland, suggested Altwicker,
a LEED-certified architect knowledgeable in green design, who she
knew as
a New York Institute
of Technology assistant professor. Altwicker’s experience includes working
as an architect in Berlin. He notes that “Europe is 15 years ahead of the
U.S. in incorporating green design.”
Newburger next considered how the project would get done. “Of course,” she
remarks, “the answer was the Housing Partnership,” and Elkowitz and
LIHP Vice President Diana Weir were willing to take it on. “LIHP has been
the linchpin,” Newburger adds. “They’re the ones who are making
this project go forward, bringing in the financing.”
LIHP will request funding from the NYS Affordable Housing Corporation,
Nassau County Home Program, NYS Senate Majority Help Funds and
other sources. The
final project will also include federal funding to cut down on
costs associated with
the development of a green building.
Going for Platinum LEED
Design features of the townhouse—located on South Franklin Street and East
Graham Avenue—that will help the project earn the Platinum recognition
include limited site surface paving and landscaping with indigenous plants that
do not require much water. Altwicker explains that the orientation of the structure
to the sun and the use of passive shading devices and cross ventilation will
help homeowners regulate heat gain in the winter and reduce cooling costs in
the summer. The slope of the roof makes it suitable for solar electric (Photovoltaic)
panels, which will generate 75% of the building’s electricity needs. Rainwater
from the roof will be collected and stored in cisterns. This recycled water can
be used for outdoor tasks such as washing cars, and through a grey-water filtration
system to remove contaminants, has the potential to be adapted for indoor use
alleviating stress on the underground aquifer system. While this parcel would
typically accommodate one single-family home, the design calls for 6 units, increasing
the density per acre, a “sustainable” feature that earns points in
the LEED rating system.
“Green design is a concept,” notes Vilardi, who has worked with LIHP
on other projects. “It uses different materials and different methodology,
and is viewed as a whole.”
Indoor air quality for the health of occupants, he says,
is an important element of the rating system. The project
will
use
EnergyStar-rated windows, courtyard
ventilation, passive design strategies for light, and mold
resistant sheetrock. High efficiency boilers and plumbing
fixtures, as
well as low volatile
organic compound (VOC) paints and vertical grain bamboo
flooring, will be incorporated.
Construction and operations are taken into account for
LEED certification, and Vilardi notes that “green” framing methodology uses less wood to
avoid waste. Materials are purchased locally to reduce trucking and the burning
of fossil fuels. The disposal of debris is also a consideration.
A LEED-certified home adds 20 to 25% to construction costs,
but Vilardi confirms that independent reports have shown
above average
construction
and materials
are used.
Elkowitz adds, “A home built to LEED standards will be less costly to operate
over the long term and is a great step forward to helping our environment. Helping
families save on ever-rising energy bills is also a major factor in keeping them
in their homes.”
Altwicker says that LEED criteria includes an education
component, and his firm will be offering a homeowners’ education manual and walk-through. He’ll
work with LIHP on a training session to help homeowners better understand the
advantages and operations of their new “green” homes.
Prospective
homeowners will initially be selected by lottery,
and then the Housing Partnership will continue to take names on a first-come,
first-served basis. The homes will
be sold to persons or families earning at or below
80% of the Area Median Income, currently $77,700 for a family.
Rounding out the project’s contributors are the Nassau County Office of
Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs, Nassau County Department of Planning,
Nassau County’s Environmental Division and the Village of Hempstead Community
Development Agency. “Any new development of this magnitude and size requires
everyone’s cooperation,” notes Elkowitz.
LIHP Celebrates 20 Years
Established in 1988, the Long Island Housing
Partnership provides affordable housing opportunities
to moderate-income,
first-time
homebuyers who,
for various reasons, would not have been able
to enjoy ownership of safe, modest
homes
or apartments. LIHP helps individuals by providing
mortgage counseling, home budgeting,
down-payment assistance grants, and other aspects
of the home-buying process, as well as an employer-assisted
housing
program. In
its two decades, LIHP
has completed over 40 different affordable
housing developments consisting of hundreds
of units and estimates that it has helped tens
of thousands
of Long Islanders and their families take pride
in home ownership. In 2008,
LIHP projects
that it will help nearly 1,800 Long Islanders
move into their own homes.
LIHP assists community based not-for-profits,
as well as for-profit developers in creating
affordable
rental
and
ownership opportunities.
They provide
education and mortgage counseling seminars,
grant and administrative assistance, direction
in finding financing opportunities, pre-screen
applications and conduct lotteries, and give
advice on negotiating
through the
development process from permits
to construction.
In drafting recent legislation aimed at boosting
the region’s supply of
affordable housing, the state legislature recognized the Housing Partnership’s
mission and accomplishments. Last month,
Governor David Paterson signed the Long
Island Workforce Housing Act, which gives
municipalities direction in allowing developers
to build affordable housing as part of
their project on site or on
another parcel. Municipalities can also
allow builders to put the equivalent in
cash into a fund. If that money is not
used within three years, it can be
given to the Long Island Housing Partnership
for housing and down payment assistance.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) Green Building Rating System
recognizes performance in five key areas
of human and
environmental health: sustainable site
development, water savings, energy efficiency,
materials
selection,
and indoor environmental quality.
The
points necessary for the different ratings are
as
follows: Certified – 34; Silver – 51; Gold – 66; Platinum – 81.
Architect
Matt Altwicker shares his roadmap to Platinum.
Innovation and design process – 8 points
Integrated team plus inspections, solar/shading
strategies, courtyard ventilation
and light
Location and linkages – 9 points
Site selection, existing water/sewer,
infill site, community resources,
open space access
Sustainable site – 15 points
Limit turf, drought tolerant plants,
permeable sites, storm water drain,
compact development
Water efficiency – 9 points
Landscape architect, rainwater harvesting,
greywater reuse, energy efficient
fixtures
Energy and atmosphere – 23.5
points
Insulation and air infiltration,
EnergyStar windows and appliances,
indirect tank
water heating,
energy efficient
lighting fixtures,
renewable solar
energy
Materials and resources – 9
points
Material efficient farming, environmentally
preferable products, waste management
Indoor environmental quality – 10
points
Combustion venting, cross ventilation,
contaminant control, garage pollutant
protection
Awareness and education – 2
points
Public awareness, homeowner training
Total:
85.5 points
