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Thinking Outside the Building: Building Sustainable Communities

Thinking Outside the Building: Building Sustainable Communities through Low Impact Development Case Study for Joint CPO Tree Code Group Earth Day, 2010 Sheila Greenlaw-Fink, CPAH. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT. Grassroots CDC, mid 1990’s Portland’s southern suburbs

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Thinking Outside the Building: Building Sustainable Communities

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  1. Thinking Outside the Building: Building Sustainable Communities through Low Impact Development Case Study for Joint CPO Tree Code Group Earth Day, 2010 Sheila Greenlaw-Fink, CPAH

  2. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT • Grassroots CDC, mid 1990’s • Portland’s southern suburbs • 6 permanent staff, 1 VISTA • $450k budget, 228 units of sustainable, service-enriched housing Father Loren Kerkof

  3. CPAH’S PORTFOLIO 2 rehab: Greenburg Oaks & Metzger Park Apts. 3 new: Village @ Washington Square, Oleson Woods, Watershed 3 single family rentals Pipeline: The Knoll at Tigard, Sears Armory, 3 Beaverton properties

  4. CPAH’S PROGRAMS Youth: After School & Summer Programs, School Partnerships Adults: Public Safety, Asset Building, Health Promotion Focus: Site-based service integration through partnerships Facilities: Community Rooms, Computer Centers & Libraries

  5. CPAH’S COMMITMENT TO GREEN BUILDING and GREEN URBANISM • Village @ Washington Square (2002) • Oleson Woods Apartments (2005) • The Watershed @ Hillsdale (LEED) (2007) The Watershed at Hillsdale (2007) Oleson Woods (2005) Village @ Wash. Square (2002)

  6. VILLAGE AT WASHINGTON SQUAREDense Suburban Infill (26 units/1 acre): • high efficiency appliances & water heaters • faucet aerators/low flow shower heads • compact florescent lighting • fiber cement siding • bicycle parking • reduced on-site parking • on-site storm water detention/treatment • design sensitive to solar exposure • fly ash in concrete • engineered lumber • low VOC interior paints • plywood cabinets • recycled content carpets • whole house ventilation • native plants, butterfly garden • non-toxic glues & finishes • job site recycling • near transit/jobs/services

  7. THE WATERSHED AT HILLSDALEDense Urban Infill (51 units/.65 acre)Seniors, Veteran set-aside

  8. THE WATERSHED AT HILLSDALEDense Urban Infill (51 units/.65 acre): • LEED* Silver certification *(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) • vacant brownfield in vibrant town center on 8 buslines • Reduced urban heat island effect (Energy Star roofing/underground parking) • Overhangs, rain screen and canopies prevent moisture / promote durability • Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system; high efficiency central furnaces and heat pumps; 30% more energy efficient & excellent indoor air quality • 95%+ construction waste recycling, local and recycled content materials; low VOC products • Cascading rain gardens filter and detain stormwater; 30% domestic water savings, dual flush toilets and other water saving devices

  9. OLESON WOODS: ONE GREEN SITE! • L-shaped, 3.15 acre site in bustling regional center • Land locked; multifamily west, single family other 3 sides • Zoned: R5-24 w/wildlife habitat overlay on portion • No tree protection ordinance • Neighborhood concerned about stormwater

  10. KEEPING OLESON GREEN • Mantra: “It’s all about the trees” • Balance needs of • plants (35 types) • animals (22 types) • people (100+); neighbors • Stewardship Strategy: • Save key, mature trees • restore non-functioning (“low value”) wetland

  11. ASSEMBLING THE GREEN Team and $$ • Need dedicated/integrated team committed to green goals • Low Interest Perm Loan NOAH $1.4 million • LIHTC/ESIC $3.2 million • HOME Loan of $700k • Community Dev. Block Grant $273k • Oregon Housing Trust Fund $100k • Enterprise Green Communities $32k • Total: $5.8 million

  12. DESIGN GOALS • Buildings accommodated trees • only built on 25% of surface • Activities community-centered • stewardship of woods & wetlands • respect privacy of neighbors • Leadership role in community on stormwater management

  13. OLESON WOODS: DESIGN OVERVIEW Design tucked into trees included: • Community center • 6 residential buildings • Basketball and play area • Woodland path • Restored/expanded wetlands • Stormwater detention pond • Use of existing access roads/ infrastructure

  14. BUILDINGS ACCOMMODATE TREES

  15. COMMUNITY CENTERED

  16. LEADERSHIP ROLE: STORMWATER AND WETLANDS Storm Detention Pond Wetlands

  17. OLESON WOODS: Healthy Housing: External Environment • Impact of nature/green on physical and mental health--studies to determine whether proximity to nature boosts: • cognitive functioning (“attention restoration” and focus) • helps reduce obesity • Nancy Wells, NY State College of Human Ecology, 2000: “profound differences emerged in their attention capacities even when the effects of the improved housing were taken into account” • 1997 study by Swedish researchers foung “green day care” participants had better motor coordination & ability to concentrate • 2001, Taylor and Kuo, Human Environment Research Lab at University of Illinois: found green outdoor spaces foster creative play, enhance access to positive adult interaction, relieve symptoms of ADD…”the greener the setting, the more the relief”…regardless of income level • 2001, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, connection between sprawl and obesity…lack of sidewalks and bike paths

  18. OLESON WOODS: Healthy Housing: External Environment • Green Building meets New Urbanism, Smart Growth, Livable Communities, even Healthy Cities (early 20th century) to become GREEN URBANISM • Popular in Western Europe, focuses on void as well as the built environment, links to thinkers like Jennifer Wolch at University of Southern California, Director of Sustainable Cities Project, who thinks cities can be transformed into natural habitats via land use planning, architectural design and public education (“zoopolis”) • “Eventually, most of us figure out that it’s people, not nature, who create morality, values, ethics—and even the idea that nature itself is something worth preserving. We choose to be shepherds and stewards, or we don’t. We will live wisely…or we won’t, in which case nature will fill the vacuum we leave. She is exquisite, and utterly indifferent.” --Seth Norman

  19. OLESON WOODS: Healthy Environment: Educational Lab • Nature education potential far greater with immediate access (22 birds and mammals on-site, 35 trees and herbs) • One of a series of “Nature Libraries” in our regional center crow goldfinch fox squirrel raccoon towhee scrub jay kestrel Ruby crowned kinglet Screech owl

  20. OLESON WOODS: Green Barriers • Contractors and subs may be unfamiliar with materials and processes, and resistant to change • Materials: cost and availability, both perception and reality in some cases hard to find & expensive (can’t always work with usual suppliers, can take longer lead time) • Post construction consumer behavior (resident & management) can erase green benefits • Sites with habitat or open space prompt management/ owner concerns of legal liability • Consumer preferences / marketability: may prefer more carpets, familiar finishes • Upfront green premium to develop with low-impact; continuing costs (wetlands and woodlands)

  21. CONTACT INFO COMMUNITY PARTNERS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING Sheila Greenlaw-Fink www.cpahinc.org sgfink@cpahinc.org 503/293-4038

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