Presents Funding Awards to Six ‘Green’ Affordable Developments

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today joined Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) Director Evelyn Friedman in announcing the City’s Green Affordable Housing Program, the latest in the City’s effort to support and encourage sustainable development throughout Boston’s neighborhoods. The Mayor also announced the six recipients of $2 million in funding made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC). The funding will support a number of energy-saving construction techniques and sustainable design standards throughout each of the projects, including solar photovoltaic panels.

“I want to congratulate the awardees today because, although the projects differ in size and scope, they all have two fundamental things in common: they will all be healthy and affordable. And that’s what is important,” Mayor Menino said. “Making Boston a more sustainable and healthier city takes teamwork. And we are fortunate to have some great partners.  From renewable energy to green design – we can all do our part to make Boston more sustainable.”

Above, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announces the City's Green Affordable Housing Program. Below, the Mayor and city representatives pose with representatives of six affordable housing projects that received a combined $2 million in grant funding from DND, made possible by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

The City’s Green Affordable Housing Program (GAHP) is designed to develop affordable housing that, through the use of green technologies and materials, not only results in low maintenance and energy costs for renters and homeowners, but also promotes the health and well-being of residents. The program also seeks to minimize the environmental impacts of development by conserving water, energy, and other resources, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

The event took place just days after Mayor Menino announced the City’s Food and Fuel Campaign, an initiative designed to help Boston residents deal with the rising cost of groceries and heat for their homes this winter.

In January of 2007, Mayor Menino made Boston the first major city in the nation to require adherence to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified standard as part of the private development review process when the City's Zoning Commission adopted a new Green Building article into the Zoning Code.  In an effort to promote energy efficiency, green building techniques, and healthy homes strategies, DND has adopted new design standards which require developers to adhere to a level of LEED Silver, Energy Star compliance, and a number of green design guidelines. 

Mayor Menino announced the program and funding awards at the site of Viet Aid’s ‘1460 House,’ located at 1460 Dorchester Avenue in Fields Corner, which is one of the first of the six awarded projects to begin construction under the new program.

Viet Aid’s 4-story mixed-use project will create 43 permanently affordable housing units (12, one-bedroom units and 31 studios) including a manager’s unit and more than 6,000 square feet of commercial space. In addition, the project is directly across the street from the Fields Corner MBTA station, which serves the Red Line and area buses, making it a prototype “transit-oriented development” (TOD) site.

Through the funding made possible by the MTC grant, DND’s Neighborhood Housing Development (NHD) division has awarded a total of $1,847,000 to six affordable developments around Boston. The additional $153,000 will be used for DND administration of the program. In addition to ‘1460 House,’ the developments are:

• Mount Pleasant Home – Mount Pleasant Home, 60 elderly rental units in Jamaica Plain.
•  Guild Row- Madison Park Development Corporation, 37 mixed income condominiums in Roxbury.
• Blessed Sacrament - Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and New
• Atlantic Development, 16 affordable rental units in Jamaica Plain.
•  7 Sussex Street, a single-family rehab developed through the efforts of the Homeowner Services division of DND in Roxbury.
•  Franklin Hill (Phase 1)- BHA and Trinity Financial, 90 affordable rental units in Dorchester.

The application process by the City of Boston for the MTC grant was a team approach that involved DND, the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC), the Mayor’s Office, and the Environmental and Energy Services Department.

About Green Building
Green Building involves a comprehensive, integrated approach to constructing and renovating buildings that prioritizes human health and environmental protection, energy performance, aesthetics, comfort, and performance.

Green design can positively influence indoor air quality and occupant health, reduce depletion of natural resources, stimulate demand for environmentally responsible building materials, and help reduce global warming by reducing carbon emissions. 

Green building benefits building occupants, the environment, and the Massachusetts economy. 

About the DND’s Green and Energy Efficiency Design Guidelines
The Department of Neighborhood Development now requires that development projects meet both the LEED Silver Standard and the Energy Star Standard. Information regarding these two standards is detailed below. 

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance buildings.  DND has chosen LEED Silver as the foundation for the City’s new affordable housing design standard.   The LEED system promotes a whole building approach to sustainability by measuring performance in five key areas: sustainable sites, water conservation, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

Depending on the size, a project must either meet the LEED-Homes or LEED-New Construction Silver standards. DND will assist the project team in determining the appropriate rating system. Like the City’s new Article 80 requirements, homes must be LEED certifiable (as opposed to certified). 

Energy Star DND requires that affordable housing developments meet the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR for Qualified Homes standard, or its equivalent. The ENERGY STAR standard applies only to new construction (or total gut rehab) three stories in height and below.

More information about the City’s Green Affordable Housing Program can be found on the DND website, at www.cityofboston.gov/dnd/D_green_housing.asp