afkama
October 21st, 2010, 04:31 PM
Thanks to tax credits and cost cutting, more affordable-housing projects are turning eco-friendly
By ROBBIE WHELAN
Casa Feliz, an apartment building that opened last year in San Jose, Calif., was built with modern finishes and the latest in trendy, environmentally friendly materials: bamboo floors; organic, linseed oil-based linoleum tiles; and ergonomic chairs in the lobby made from sustainably farmed wood.
But in what might come as a surprise to some, no Prius-driving, Dwell magazine-reading, upper-middle-class professionals reside there. The project was built for people who earn less than 35% of San Jose's median income of $103,500 for a family of four, or suffer from developmental disabilities.
Casa Feliz is one of a growing number of affordable-housing projects nationwide that have been built "green"—that is, with nontoxic materials, highly energy-efficient appliances, and features such as green roofs and solar panels. Thanks to tax credits designed to attract private capital and aggressive cost-cutting on other construction features, affordable-housing developers are embracing eco-friendly building features that were once the purview of high-minded designers and wealthy developers with money to spare.
WSJ article here. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703860104575507681418920918.html)
By ROBBIE WHELAN
Casa Feliz, an apartment building that opened last year in San Jose, Calif., was built with modern finishes and the latest in trendy, environmentally friendly materials: bamboo floors; organic, linseed oil-based linoleum tiles; and ergonomic chairs in the lobby made from sustainably farmed wood.
But in what might come as a surprise to some, no Prius-driving, Dwell magazine-reading, upper-middle-class professionals reside there. The project was built for people who earn less than 35% of San Jose's median income of $103,500 for a family of four, or suffer from developmental disabilities.
Casa Feliz is one of a growing number of affordable-housing projects nationwide that have been built "green"—that is, with nontoxic materials, highly energy-efficient appliances, and features such as green roofs and solar panels. Thanks to tax credits designed to attract private capital and aggressive cost-cutting on other construction features, affordable-housing developers are embracing eco-friendly building features that were once the purview of high-minded designers and wealthy developers with money to spare.
WSJ article here. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703860104575507681418920918.html)