Energy-efficient neighborhood comes to North College

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Slowly but surely, North College Avenue is coming into its own. The latest developments include the North College Marketplace, coming soon to the corner of North College and Willox Lane, and a new housing development that will showcase geothermal energy and other innovative features.

Merten Inc., a Boulder firm, is building the housing development, called Union Place. It will help provide North College with "a new personality of innovation and sustainability," according to president and CEO Donna Merten.

The 10-acre site, located just west of McDonald's Restaurant, will have 89 units when it's built out. The development will be mostly residential, but plans also call for three commercial buildings on Willox with living space on the second floor.

Merten will submit drawings for final review to the Fort Collins Planning Department the first week in August. The company hopes to break ground on the project in late August or early September.

Christina Vincent, URA planner for the city, said Union Place is "an incredible pilot program" and will encourage other developers to think outside the box in terms of sustainability. The developer has formed community partnerships with Colorado State University and others, Vincent added.

On the west side of Union Place, the developer will build a section of the Mason Street corridor. It won't run all the way to downtown Fort Collins, but that will come with future development.

Green and affordable

Union Place will encompass features that are high on Fort Collins' priority list. It will be a green-built development, and at least one-third of its housing units will be considered "affordable." Merten said housing units should range from $110,000 to $250,000.

"We're trying to keep the price really economical," she said.

Habitat for Humanity will build four to eight homes in the neighborhood, and local builder Mike Jensen plans to "recycle" several homes that will be moved to Union Place. Merten expects to see a variety of sizes and architectural styles of homes.

Merten Inc. is known for its energy-efficient developments, and Union Place will be no exception. The entire development will have geothermal heating/cooling systems, which will save both energy and money. Homeowners will save at least 50 percent on their heating and cooling bills, and homes will qualify for a 30 percent federal energy tax credit.

The Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority approved the Merten project, and that means additional savings for the developer, builders and future homeowners. Merton Inc. will receive $2.2 million from the authority in tax-increment financing, funds that will help pay for the development's infrastructure and public improvements. That infusion of capital will help keep lots affordable, Merten said.

Tax-increment financing works like this: City officials figure out how much property taxes will increase once the property is developed. About half of that projected increase stays with the authority, and half goes to the developer as an incentive to build in the area. The TIF plan for Union Place goes out 20 years, to 2029.

The North College corridor is "a great place to live, because it's so close to downtown," Merten said.

Until the URA was formed, however, there were lots of impediments to development. North College has grown in a haphazard fashion, so it lacks infrastructure features like a storm drainage system, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and bike lanes.

Even the sewer system is undersized for the area, according to Vincent. With URA funding, it's possible for developers to spend the necessary money to overcome these obstacles.

Merten is using several innovative techniques to solve the storm drainage problem on the property. First, there will be a pond for stormwater detention. Second, pervious concrete - a special mix that allows rainwater to pass through instead of running off - will be used in some areas of the development. Other features will be "rain gardens," or trenches around trees that collect rainwater; and "bioswells," mini-ditches that retain stormwater until it can be absorbed into the ground.

With these solutions in place, there will be no storm drainage pipes leaving Union Place. In addition, the water-collection features will reduce irrigation costs for future homeowners.

Geothermal energy

A geothermal heating/cooling system is expensive for just one home, but the economy of scale will make the system quite affordable at Union Place, Merten said. All 89 units will benefit from geothermal systems, which will pump air into buildings at 55 degrees. This type of system is five times more efficient than a gas furnace, Merten stated.

No gas lines will go into the development. Homes will be heated and cooled with the geothermal systems, and there will be back-up electric heat for extremely cold weather.

The entire neighborhood will be built for energy efficiency, with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification required for all buildings.

Union Place "will be a template for sustainable practices" in future developments, Merten said. Even the streetlights will be green, using new-generation metal halide lamps. To help spread the word about sustainable development, educational kiosks will be placed around the neighborhood.

Union Place is "providing the redevelopment that's needed for the northern gateway to the city," Vincent said.