Woodlawn Mixed-Use Affordable Housing Development Earns EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Certification for Superior Energy Efficiency
CHICAGO – (RealEstateRama) — Woodlawn Station, a mixed-use, transit-oriented building at South Cottage Grove Ave and 63rd Street developed by Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification. The building contains 70 mixed-income apartments and ground-floor commercial space that will host Daley’s Restaurant, an iconic historic Chicago diner.
The ENERGY STAR label identifies apartments and condo units in multifamily buildings that are designed to be at least 15% more energy efficient than typical new construction. Throughout the construction process, independent testing and inspections are performed to confirm that the building meets the strict requirements set by the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. Once this verification is completed, the units in the building can earn the ENERGY STAR label.
“POAH has been committed to building sustainable, energy-efficient housing on the South Side of Chicago for a decade – first with the LEED family and senior apartment buildings we built a block away – and now with Woodlawn Station,” said Konrad Schlater, Vice President POAH Chicago.
ENERGY STAR certified apartments provide durable, high-quality, and comfortable living spaces with third-party inspected energy-saving features like high performance windows, tight construction and ducts, high performance heating and cooling equipment, and efficient lighting and appliances.
Woodlawn Station previously received a ComEd Energy Efficiency grant for providing a solar thermal water heating system, low energy LED lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, significantly enhanced roof insulation, and energy efficient windows. In addition to pursuing the ENERGY STAR certification, POAH implemented other sustainability measures by taking advantage of a new city ordinance to reduce on-site parking by 50% and introducing a car-share program, interior bike storage, and a transit information screen to monitor train and bus arrivals.
“Developers who partner with ENERGY STAR offer new apartments and condo units that are designed and built to standards well above most others on the market today,” said Jonathan Passe, Director of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Residential Branch. “ENERGY STAR certified units are built with a comprehensive design, construction, and verification process to ensure that these living spaces will offer real energy efficiency, comfort, durability, and value for years to come.”
Woodlawn Station continues POAH’s commitment to the revitalization of this South Side neighborhood into a vibrant, bustling hub of activity where people want to live, work, study, and enjoy community activities. Woodlawn Station opens at a pivotal time with the siting of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park to the east and other institutions making investments in the community. “We are proud to add yet another sustainable, environmentally-friendly building to our Chicago portfolio,” said Schlater. Next week, Woodlawn Station will receive the “Best Urban Development” award in the Readers’ Choice competition from Affordable Housing Finance magazine at the AHF Live conference in Chicago
