Reaching New Heights

Project: Helensview Heights, Portland, Ore., Size: 3.96 acres; 52 units (40 detached, 12 condos) from 925 to 1,600 square feet (detached only), Price range: $186,000–$244,000, Certifications: LEED-ND; LEED-H Silver (anticipated), Developer: HOST Development, Portland, Architect: Peck Smiley Ettlin, Portland, Builder: R&R Energy Resources, Portland, Consultants: Green Building Services, Portland (LEED-ND AP); Earth Advantage (LEED-H AP); Brian Clopton Excavating, Sherwood, Ore. (site development); AKS Engineering & Forestry, Sherwood (civil engineer)

Credit: David Papazian Photography

The development meets the highest standards of LEED-Neighborhood Design (achieving a Gold rating in the pilot phase of the program), and the homes are expected to achieve Silver under LEED for Homes. But these designations are secondary attractions to the residents, who will enjoy lower monthly utility rates; reduced maintenance, repair, and replacement costs; improved indoor air; and probably higher resale value. Perhaps even more so is the long-term value of building on a greyfield parcel within the city’s urban growth boundary to create a perpetually owner-occupied housing option to buyers otherwise priced out to the suburbs.

That scenario, sans the LEED accolades, is nothing new for the locally culled project team headed by HOST Development. The Portland-based not-for-profit entity counts (and keeps tabs on) 375 affordable homes in the metro area, leveraging low-interest financing and other funding from several sources to satisfy its mission.

Throughout its 20-year history, HOST has championed energy efficiency as a tenet of low-income housing. “There’s a better chance that low-income owners will stay in their homes if it doesn’t cost as much to operate,” says executive director John Miller, who leveraged a local utility’s energy-saving program more than a decade ago to help reduce operating costs for HOST’s homeowners.

For Helensview Heights, the project team followed the USGBC’s LEED for Homes rating system thanks to grants from the Enterprise Community Foundation’s Green Communities program and The Home Depot Foundation.

A series of design charrettes paid for by the Enterprise grant revealed how close HOST’s standard specs were to achieving LEED certification, and how a few tweaks—including the use of heat recovery ventilators and heating fireplaces—would further reduce monthly operating costs and aid the company’s marketing effort. The grant also helped pay for a few of those upgrades, which the project team has since integrated into the pro forma to ensure the efficiencies continue through build-out without adding costs.

The cost to add heat recovery ventilators, for instance, was tied up mostly in their installation; once the builder found the ideal spot for the units and streamlined the process, the premium went away.

In fact, a coordinated effort among members of the design/build team prior to groundbreaking and during the build afforded cost efficiencies that enabled the project to remain within budget and its target price point. “Everyone was looking at it, asking what we could do to keep costs down,” says Brianna Conrow, construction project manager at HOST.

She also credits the builder, Bill Lenz at R&R Energy Resources in Portland, for his use of in-house crews (instead of subcontractors), a long track record of building high-performance housing, and the ability to negotiate volume discounts with its suppliers. “He’s able to control costs and the schedule,” says Conrow, which effectively translates to maintaining HOST’s affordability mission.

The Home Depot money, meanwhile, is underwriting the $1,500 cost to gain LEED certification once each home is completed. “Without that [grant], we’d have to look at whether certification was worth the cost,” says Miller, who admits that home prices trump anything else among Helensview’s potential buyers, though they do (and would still, without the certificate) appreciate the longer-term benefits of HOST’s efforts, specifically lower utility bills and healthier indoor air.

In fact, to maintain a price point that would enable buyers within 70% to 100% of the area’s median family income to purchase homes in Helensview, per the developer’s mission, the project team diligently whittled down a wish list of green building options to settle on those that benefited buyers and the community the most, remained within budget, and, lastly, qualified under LEED for Homes standards.

The result are homes priced $186,000 to $244,000—25% to 42% less than comparably sized detached units within the urban growth boundary. And these are far from shacks; HOST’s commitment to high-performance housing ensures the homes are durable and will remain efficient, but providing eight different floor plans, a thoughtful mix of contemporary and more traditional housing to integrate with existing buildings on different street frontages, and a high level of finishes inside and out—including fiber-cement lap siding and solid-wood cabinet fronts—goes far beyond the call of most affordable housing. The credit, says Conrow, goes to the upfront and ongoing effort to value-engineer the project.

It’s a comprehensive formula that has enabled HOST to sell 13 of the first phase of 20 detached units at Helensview Heights since opening in early 2008 (and four within a six-week span earlier this year) and, more important, establish the foundation of a sustainable, stable neighborhood.

While the homes (and specifically their prices) account for the bulk of that sales success, the stability of Helensview Heights also is rooted in its neighborhood. Not much had to be done to achieve a LEED-ND rating for the urban infill site, thanks to existing and nearby public transportation options (which allowed the project team to eliminate garages in favor of street parking), schools, and other public services. Park space within the plat and the high density and small footprints of the housing also scored points.

“If you have the right location, which we did, there’s not much effort to gain certification,” says Terry Miller, senior consultant for Green Building Resources in Portland, which served as the LEED-AP for the neighborhood development effort. “We made no significant changes to comply, and the synergy with building to LEED for Homes standards also helped.”

In addition to income thresholds, HOST targets families (particularly minority and single-parent households) and works to convert renters within the existing neighborhood into buyers so that they aren’t victims of gentrification. The developer also makes sure that its homes are always owner-occupied, a perpetual deed requirement that also maintains stability and housing values.

It’s an effort that HOST homeowners help watchdog and that the community around Helensview embraced by allowing the project to sail through the approvals process.

“Our mission is based on the belief that strong, healthy communities are created and stabilized when homeowners have a stake in their neighborhoods,” says Miller, quoting HOST gospel. “We look for opportunities in which the community is interested in improving and sustaining itself.”

Rich Binsacca is a freelance writer in Boise, Idaho.

Credit: David Papazian Photography

A Portland native, John Miller has witnessed the migration of the Rose City’s workforce residents from the urban core to the suburbs and beyond, the flipside of a growth boundary established in the late 1970s to stem sprawl and encourage high-density housing that instead resulted in higher land costs and housing prices.

Ironically, his not-for-profit development company, Home Ownership a Street at a Time (HOST), is using the growth boundary legislation to finance and build housing that keeps low-income workers close to their jobs while maintaining urban vitality. “We work in neighborhoods that are in transition,” he says, and under a mission that encourages existing residents to remain (and thrive) as homeowners rather than be displaced by gentrification.

In addition to developing infill parcels near existing public transit, building communities with interesting streetscapes, and targeting existing families, HOST is able to secure low-interest, long-term financing from community reinvestment tax credits.

He and his team also seek out in-kind and pro bono services and corporate foundation support to supplement loans; though HOST avoids direct government financing, it does help buyers navigate the public funding matrix for mortgage loans.

The result of HOST’s 20-year history is a portfolio of nearly 400 homes purchased by folks with incomes as low as 70% of the market’s median. “We’re seen as a welcome addition to an active neighborhood’s existing revitalization efforts,” says Miller. “We enjoy strong support because of our mission.”

Prevail wood-look laminate flooring from Shaw features the VersaLock application system that requires no adhesives, thus reducing indoor air pollutants; the product also is prefinished to eliminate off-gassing from stains and/or sealant coatings. The 8-inch-wide planks provide a warm, solid flooring alternative at an affordable price, while its laminate construction and prefinished surface lessen maintenance. 800.441.7429. www.shawfloors.com

Credit: David Papazian Photography

 Laminate Flooring

Prevail wood-look laminate flooring from Shaw features the VersaLock application system that requires no adhesives, thus reducing indoor air pollutants; the product also is prefinished to eliminate off-gassing from stains and/or sealant coatings. The 8-inch-wide planks provide a warm, solid flooring alternative at an affordable price, while its laminate construction and prefinished surface lessen maintenance. 800.441.7429. www.shawfloors.com

Paint

Evermore low-VOC (38 g/l) interior and exterior latex paint from Glidden has been reformulated for better scrubability, low odor, and improved coverage and durability of even dramatic and dark colors. The mildew-resistant exterior flat coatings are 100% acrylic latex to protect against UV rays, color fading, and extreme weather conditions. Interior semi-gloss also is formulated for improved mildew resistance to reduce maintenance chores. 800.454.3336. www.glidden.com

Fireplaces

The builder utilizes natural gas fireplaces from Martin, a Custom Fireside brand, as each home’s primary heating source. The zero-clearance, 36-inch units are capable of heating up to 1,200 square feet, burning at 24,000 BTUs and an 80% efficiency. The units feature glowing ceramic fiber logs and embers; optional accessories include firebrick and a 135-CFM blower. 916.331.2423. www.customfireside.com

Credit: David Papazian Photography

Energy Star–qualified refrigerators, dishwashers, and laundry equipment from Kenmore reduce energy and water use to keep monthly utility bills affordable. The top-mount, 18.2-cubic foot refrigerator is EnergyGuide rated to cost just $41 per year to operate, while the built-in, 24-inch dishwasher offers a precision, five-level wash system and heated or no-heat drying cycles to reduce resource use. 888.536.6673. www.kenmore.com

Credit: David Papazian Photography

Carpeting from Mohawk employs the company’s everSTRAND fiber, which uses recycled plastic (PET) bottles to completely offset virgin fiber resources with post-consumer waste material. The use of PET resins delivers a superior grade of synthetic fiber for the carpet to provide inherent stain resistance and color clarity, the firm says, while the cap and label of each bottle are recycled as reusable core material around which the carpet is wrapped. 800.266.4295. www.mohawkflooring.com

Heat Recovery Ventilator

The Constructo 1.5 HRV from Venmar helps improve indoor air quality and reduce excess humidity by delivering a steady flow of fresh outdoor air into the home. The product line is certified by the Home Ventilating Institute to achieve a heat recovery rate of up to 81%. The line is designed specifically for midsize, affordable new homes, with a small housing and easy installation. 819.477.6226. www.venmar.ca

Windows

Energy Star–qualified, Marquee-brand 800 Series vinyl high-performance windows from Philips Products anchor a thermally efficient and energy-saving envelope. Heat-fusion-welded frame and sash corners, interlocking meeting rails, 3/4-inch insulating glass, and narrow profiles combine to optimize daylight while reducing thermal transfer with a U-value of 0.32 and solar heat gain with an SHGC of 0.33. A strong and durable chambered frame delivers a low-maintenance option while a continuous pre-punched mounting fin ensures proper fastening and sealing between the window and the wall. 574.296.0000. www.marqueewindows.com

Siding

HardiePlank fiber-cement lap siding from James Hardie provides a low-maintenance cladding while withstanding a rainy climate. In addition to natural base materials with low toxicity, a proprietary, factory-applied sealer and primer enhance the siding’s performance qualities and provide a surface with superior paint adhesion. 888.542.7343. www.jameshardie.com

Roofing

Cambridge 30 premium architectural shingles from IKO Industries contain at least 40% pre-consumer waste-rock recycled content, as independently verified by Scientific Certification Systems. The heavyweight laminated shingles are composed of a dimensionally stable non-woven glass fiber mat impregnated with stabilized waterproofing bitumen to weather high winds, improve durability, and reduce maintenance and repair. 800.433.2811. www.iko.com

Insulation

The formaldehyde-free line of fiberglass insulation from Johns Manville provides thermal resistance to keep energy costs low while reducing the potential for indoor air pollutants. The material also is SCS certified for recycled content (25%) and provides acoustical performance to enhance indoor comfort and value. The product line is offered as faced and unfaced batts, blown-in loose-fill, poly-encapsulated, and rigid panels to suit any application. 800.654.3103. www.specjm.com