Green and affordable
By Aubrey Cohen
June 06, 2008
Broadway Crossing put 44 affordable apartments above a Walgreens store and underground parking at the corner of Broadway and East Pine Street.
The original redevelopment plan for the site was a single-story Walgreens with a parking lot. But developer S.E. Grainger partnered with Capitol Hill Housing after area residents called for a more intense urban project.
Green features of the building include large windows that allow in lots of light, low-flow water fixtures, a high-efficiency elevator, drought-tolerant landscaping, formaldehyde-free cabinets and low-fume paints, sealants, adhesives and carpet. Every resident gets a handbook that describes the green features and includes non-toxic cleaning recipes.
For-profit developers will take green development seriously when buyers demand it, Cooper said. "A lot of market-rate developers don't really care about it because their customers don't care about it."