Charlottetown Terrace wins LEED Gold

August 10, 2012

– The Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) announced today that Charlottetown Terrace has been awarded LEED Gold established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction, and operation of high performance buildings.

The project goal for Charlottetown Terrace was “to create a sustainable and service-enriched environment to improve the quality of life for Charlottetown Residents.”

“The Charlotte Housing Authority is committed to improving the lives of our residents and using funds to realize cost savings as trustees of the taxpayers’ dollars. Charlottetown Terrace will achieve both by providing residents an amenity rich environment that uses green energy savings strategies that will conserve valuable resources and funds,” comment Joel Ford, Chairman of the Charlotte Housing Authority Board of Directors.

With this LEED Certification, Charlottetown Terrace has accomplished a number of firsts such as the first LEED Gold for a 100% public housing high-rise in the nation, first residential high-rise in North Carolina, and the first certified LEED Gold project for CHA.

Renovation Overview:
The Charlottetown Terrace redevelopment contains 161 affordable units in an eleven-story residential high-rise originally built in 1977. Located between two public parks in Charlotte, North Carolina, the community is 100% public housing and designated for residents with disabilities. The completely modernized community has new residential units including kitchens, bathroom and living areas along with new common and amenity areas. The first and eleventh floors were converted into amenity areas and offices to accommodate and provide supportive services to the residents.

The redevelopment was awarded $6.2 million in stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the pursuit of creating a “green community”. The project was also awarded a $1 million grant from the City of Charlotte’s Housing Trust Fund. An additional investment of $5.66 million was infused by CHA for a total development cost of $12.86 million.

Charlottetown Terrace achieved LEED Gold certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, a LEED certified building saves money for families, businesses, and tax payers; reduces greenhouse gas emissions; and contributes to a healthier environment for residents, workers, and the larger community.

“Charlottetown Terrace’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, US Green Building Council. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Charlottetown Terrace serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”

The LEED Gold certification of Charlottetown Terrace was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include:
• Non-smoking community
• Ongoing green education for residents
• Energy efficient windows
• Energy star appliances
• Energy star compact fluorescent lights (CFL)
• Low-flow toilets, bath aerators, kitchen aerators and shower heads
• Occupancy sensor/daylight harvesting lighting in the common area
• High-efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat pumps throughout the building
• Low-emitting paints, adhesives, and sealants
• Building products containing high-recycled content
• Solar reflecting TPO roof
• Parking lot asphalt “reclaimed” and resurfaced at the site
• Resilient floor tiles and carpet tiles containing high recycled content
• 75% of interior walls preserved and refinished to minimize construction waste
• The maintenance staff only using “green cleaning products”

The energy savings in the construction and the operation of this building include:
48% reduction in water usage
33% reduction in energy usage
80% recycled waste content
27% recycled construction/finish materials

The energy consultant has estimated a total savings of 642,268 kWh/year and 2,313,867 gallons of water resulting in a 37.2% overall consumption improvement.

About the Charlotte Housing Authority
The Charlotte Housing Authority (CHA) is a non-profit public real estate holding company that provides decent, safe, affordable housing to low and moderate-income families while supporting their efforts to achieve self-sufficiency. The Authority has become a national leader in mixed-income developments as demonstrated by the agency’s receipt of over $142 million in HOPE VI grant funding from the federal government. This public investment has spurred hundreds of millions of dollars in additional private and public investment and development in nearly all areas of the city.

About U.S. Green Building Council
The Washington D. C. – based Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through the cost-efficient and energy-saving green building.

With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U. S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption, and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U. S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

LEED
The U. S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of green buildings. Over 100,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED systems, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries.

By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses, and taxpayers; reduces greenhouse gas emissions; and contributes to a healthier environment for residents, workers, and the larger community.

USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, who spent 25 years as a Fortune 500 executive. Under his 15-year leadership, the organization has become the preeminent green building, membership, policy, standards, influential, education and research organization in the nation.

For more information, visit www.usgbc.org

For further information on the Charlotte Housing Authority, please contact Deborah Clark, Director of Research and Communication at 704-336-5823 or dclark@cha-nc.org

About The Charlotte Housing Authority

The Charlotte Housing Authority is a non-profit public real estate holding company that provides decent, safe and affordable housing to low and moderate-income families while supporting their efforts to achieve self-sufficiency. The Authority has become a national leader in mixed-income developments as demonstrated by the agency’s receipt of over $142 million in HOPE VI grant funding from the federal government. This public investment has spurred hundreds of millions of dollars in additional private and public investment and development in nearly all areas of the city.

For more information on the Charlotte Housing Authority, please contact CHA at (704) 336-5183.