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Development News

LEED building practices helping turn around Covington neighborhood

Two new homes in Covington have been awarded LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for their green home building and design. The two homes become some of the first LEED certified homes in Kentucky, with the home at 520 Thomas Street being the first home to achieve LEED Gold.

The home was built by the Center for Great Neighborhoods (CGN), with assistance from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky and the City of Covington, and incorporates a variety of sustainable design features that include low-flow plumbing, low-e windows, EnergyStar-rated appliances, high efficiency HVAC systems, recycled construction materials, bamboo flooring, sustainably-harvested wood moldings and more. In total, the green building features of the new home scored the project 78.5 out of 136 total points possible in the LEED for Homes certification – Gold status projects must score between 70.5 and 85.5).

“As a LEED certified home, 520 Thomas Street serves as a model of greener living for the entire community,” said Nate Kredich, Vice President of Residential Market Development for the U.S. Green Building Council. “The home is at the national forefront of quality; and their example can help us all to live better by reducing our environmental footprint, cutting our utility bills, and coming home to a healthier place to live.”

The new homes are part of a larger revitalization wave happening in the Austinburg neighborhood of Covington which is bordered by the Licking River and the proposed Licking River Levee Walk.

“The Center for Great Neighborhoods aims to make Covington a place where people choose to live, work, and play,” Rachel Hastings, Director of Neighborhood & Housing Initiatives with CGN, described. “We built homes on a formerly vacant lot in Covington’s Austinburg neighborhood at the request of the Austinburg Neighborhood Association in an attempt to increase home ownership and remove blight.”

Hastings explained that the CGN uses its housing development program in a targeted effort to increase property values, reduce blight and increase high-quality affordable market-rate home ownership. She is also excited about the positive impact the Seneca Place development is having on the neighborhood which is seeing its first new construction in over 50 years.

“When neighbors saw the new homes being built, it helped restore their confidence in their neighborhood and encouraged them to make improvements on their home because they saw that they could get a return on their investment,” explained Hastings. “The homes also show that, for a reasonable price, you can build LEED Gold homes that are easy for the average homeowner to maintain.”

The new homes also mean an addition to Covington’s tax base and new residents populating Covington’s urban core. The success is planned to continue as CGN owns additional lots in the Austinburg neighborhood where it plans to construct an additional eight homes, and invest another estimated $1.6 million into the immediate area.

520 Thomas Street construction photograph provided.

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Development News

Cincinnati hospital achieves LEED for Existing Buildings certification

The Christ Hospital has been recognized as the nation’s first hospital to achieve LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This certification has been verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).

The announcement comes as the Cincinnati region continues to position itself as a green building leader in the Midwest and even nationally. The recently completed Christ Hospital Imaging Center received LEED Silver certification for Commercial Interiors due to its lighting systems, heating and air systems, low-flow water fixtures and Energy Star-rated appliances among other things.

“Our employees have been incredibly supportive of efforts to bring green concepts and technology into our hospital, and it is an honor to be a national leader among hospitals for LEED certification,” said Susan Croushore, President and CEO, The Christ Hospital. “By reducing our costs on energy, water and other resources, we are able to better serve the healthcare needs of our patients, their families and the entire community.”

The 555-bed hospital in Uptown achieved the certification for its energy use, lighting, water and material use in addition to other sustainable efforts. The sustainability measures are seen as more than a gain for the environment, but also an economic gain for the families, businesses, workers, taxpayers and community involved.

“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, The Christ Hospital is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.”

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News

This Week in Soapbox – 3/30

This Week in Soapbox, UrbanCincy has the following five stories to check out. Read about Cincinnati’s newest food truck, home builders’ shift to urban projects, Wake Nation’s new practice pond, a new Hispanic business initiative, and a feature story about the Cincinnati’s burgeoning fashion scene.

If you’re interested in staying in touch with some of the latest development news in Cincinnati please check out this week’s stories and sign up for the weekly E-Zine sent out by Soapbox Cincinnati. Also be sure to become a fan of Soapbox on Facebook!

TWIS 3/30/10:

  • Taco Azul to hit Cincinnati’s streets in late April – full article
  • CitiRama sells first home, installs innovative geothermal system – full article
  • Wake Nation breaks ground on expanded facility – full article
  • Hispanic 100 initiative helps Latino professionals branch out – full article
  • Cincinnati Gets Fashionable (feature story) – full article
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News

Building Value manager explains environmentally sensitive deconstruction process

Dave Hunt, De-Construction Manager with Building Value, explains the process of deconstructing a building in a way that salvages the valuable resources enclosed for a later use in a different building construction project. Dave is joined by Alyson Moritz, Planner with the City of Wyoming, who discusses the value the Wyoming community sees in the environmentally sensitive deconstruction process.

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News

Roebling Suspension Bridge gets fresh coat, impacts nearby neighborhood

The Roebling Point Planning Committee for the City of Covington is meeting tonight from 6pm to 8pm to discuss design, land use, economic conditions and potential public improvements in the Roebling Point area of Covington. The Committee hopes to take the information gathered at this meeting and use it to formulate plans and recommendations for changes that might be made in the area.

Meanwhile the Roebling Suspension Bridge, connecting downtown Covington with downtown Cincinnati, is getting a fresh coat of paint. The new coat will help protect the 144-year-old river span designed by German immigrant John A. Roebling who later gave the world New York City’s famed Brooklyn Bridge.

Work continues on the bridge’s new paint job – photos by Jake Mecklenborg.

Specifically, the paint will protect the suspension cables from rust and corrosion, and thus extend the serviceable life of the bridge. In 2007, the Roebling Suspension Bridge had a new 11-ton weight limit put in place by the state of Kentucky that prohibited large vehicles, most notably TANK buses, from crossing the span to help preserve the bridge’s functionality for automobiles and pedestrians.

The $16.2 million paint job is ongoing and will continue for another eight months before the bridge will finally be reopened to automobile traffic in November 2010. During that time, project officials state that pedestrians will still be able to cross on the bridges walkways as they normally would.

The Roebling Point Committee meeting is being held at the Commission Chambers at Covington City Hall (map). Those driving to the meeting are instructed to park in the City Center Garage adjacent to Covington City Hall, and bring their parking receipts for validation.