NAHB certifies first 'green' development

The Village in Burns Harbor earned NAHB green certification.

Village in Burns Harbor, the first community in the nation to be certified under the National Green Standard by the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), is taking shape on 60 acres of old parking lots, abandoned gas stations and unused farm land in northwest Indiana.

The 60-acre neighborhood in a once-dying steel town about an hour from Chicago is designed to include a mix of 265 single-family, semi-detached and multifamily homes priced between $180,000 and $350,000. Located next to the town center, the planned community being developed by Cliff Fleming received a three-star rating out of four possible stars from NAHB.

The goal for the neighborhood was not to garner green building awards, but rather to recall the tight-kint urban communities of Fleming's youth. "I wanted to do urban and a by-product of urban is green," he says.

The NAHB certification—released just two months ago—turned out to be a good fit for the development Fleming has been working for five years. Many of the elements, such as higher density development, multiple access points, pedestrian-oriented streets, lower parking ratios and proximity to mass transit options, included in Village in Burns Harbor are also recognized by NAHB's Green Standard.

Additionally, the cost and challenges of completing NAHB's certification process were much less than those associated with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) process, which made it more attractive to Fleming, he says.

"LEED was difficult to sell in a residential environment, while it's almost mandated in a commercial and retail one," Fleming says. "I think this country is learning to accept green but not yet willing to pay the price for LEED."

The decision to opt for the less-expensive NAHB certification seems to have been a sound one because the value of the property is greater, Fleming says. He notes residents of the town who have refinanced recently experienced no loss of value on their homes.