As the summer heat creeps into Phoenix, one company is building homes with the hope owners can avoid cranking up the air-conditioning and racking up high electric bills.
Greenroof Development Co. strives to create homes that are good for the environment and for buyers’ wallets with a focus on moderately priced residential units near downtown Phoenix. The first project, PRD 845, is at Eighth Avenue and Roosevelt and is nearing completion, with 10 of its 12 units sold. The second, Viridian, will break ground this summer just across the street, with completion of its 42 condos expected in fall 2008. Prices will range from about $300,000 to $350,000.
PRD 845 is a menagerie of environmentally friendly goodies. The exteriors of the industrial-style buildings are slathered in a layer of corrugated-fiber cement board, which helps deflect heat and moisture. The dual-paned windows face the north and south, so direct sunlight doesn’t bombard the inside. These features help keep homes cooler and cut down on the need for air conditioning, company officials said. Outside, the landscaping contains only native desert plants, which use much less water than Phoenix’s ubiquitous palm trees.
The Viridian project will have its own communal 10-kilowatt solar panel, and individual homeowners can tap into that power source directly through upgrades to their units.
Greenroof offers these amenities to help conserve energy and water in an era when global warming threatens the planet, said Jenny Kramer, one of the developer’s principals.
"The desert is a really fragile ecosystem," Kramer said. "Phoenix is growing so much. We need to consider the lifestyle choices we’re making today to plan for the future."
For this same reason, buyers are slowly turning toward green homes as a way to do their part in helping the environment, said Daniel Glenn, director of the Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family at Arizona State University.
Green residences typically cost about 5 percent more than typical homes. But for homeowners, the long-term energy and water bill savings far outweigh the initial investments, Glenn added.
Until now, green building practices have mostly been seen in city and commercial office projects.
Many developers try to certify their eco-friendly structures through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program, established by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The program lays out a series of benchmarks for builders to meet.
The Phoenix City Council created a subcommittee that has looked at encouraging green development.
The council requires that any building constructed with bond money meet basic LEED standards, but hasn’t extended that mandate any further.
"We’re been waiting for the private sector to respond to the demand for cleaner buildings, which appears to be happening," said Cynthia Seelhammer, deputy city manager.
Greenroof will try to make its Viridian project eligible for LEED certification, Kramer, the developer’s principal said.
The key is outfitting the development with as many green amenities as possible while pricing the homes at a level that doesn’t lock out potential buyers.
Most of those who have purchased units at PRD 845 are professionals in their 30s and 40s who work downtown.
"We have to balance our choices of what amenities we can offer," she said. "We can’t provide every green feature."
Grayson Steinberg
Arizona Business Gazette
