Boynton Beach committed to green initiatives throughout the city

Energy-efficient rentals propped with public cash

Boynton Beach expects to pay out $2 million over 10 years

By Ben Wolford, Sun Sentinel

April 25, 2012

BOYNTON BEACH —

Seabourn Cove, an apartment community nearing completion, has been an expensive, painstaking effort to build, involving special windows and lights, car chargers in every garage and a double ceiling, so air-conditioning ducts never pass through a hot attic.
"Go to any other construction site, you'll never see that," said project manager Rick Lococo, a development partner with Gulfstream Gardens LLC, as he toured the top floor of an unfinished rental unit Tuesday.

When it's done, the 456-unit Seabourn Cove will be the largest sustainable-energy residential development in the country, developers said.


But the Tampa-based company wouldn't have bothered if not for an infusion of millions in public money from the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. An arm of city government, the CRA agreed to rebate about $2 million over 10 years from the tax revenue the complex generates.
The project, at 3501 S. Federal Highway, sits on what was vacant property, city officials said. By mid-July, when the first residents could move in, Seabourn Cove will be a poster project in an effort to brand Boynton Beach as a leader in sustainable energy, developers say.
"The county has looked at our city as a model for other cities," said Boynton Beach Commissioner Marlene Ross, who led an effort two years ago to create a "climate action plan" for the city. At the time, it called for reducing the city's greenhouse-gas emissions 18 percent by 2035.
Gulfstream Gardens will pay about $2.7 million up front to outfit Seabourn Cove, which occupies almost 23 acres, with energy-saving technology.
In March, the CRA agreed to pay 50 percent of new tax revenue generated by the project to Gulfstream Gardens.
If revenue projections pan out, Gulfstream would get almost $2 million. If the revenue comes in under, the city still is on the hook only for 50 percent.
Chris Barry, a land planner with West Palm Beach-based Jon E. Schmidt and Associates, called the incentive a creative way to spark development because it dodges a big up-front cost to the city.
"It does take a decent amount of the risk out of it," Barry said.
The builders took much into account, installing extra insulation and sealing off cracks where heat or cold can escape. The toilets use less water. And the high-efficiency light bulbs last more than 14 times longer than traditional incandescents.
"Every light in here is a special type of light bulb," Lococo said. "You can't buy this at Home Depot. This is next generation."
Tenants are signing up faster than they can build the units, Lococo said.
After all 456 apartments are complete, it will be the largest project loaded with this much energy efficiency, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
The rentals, which range from one-bedroom to three-bedroom units with balconies, go for about $1,100 to $1,700 monthly, Lococo said. But developers estimate residents will save 40 percent on electric bills and 20 to 25 percent on water.

 

Green and affordable: Fort Lauderdale hosts first Eco-centric high-rise

The first residential high-rise certified eco-friendly by the Florida Green Building Coalition is now home to low-income renters in Fort Lauderdale. 

 By Doreen Hemlock, Sun Sentinel

 "Some green features aren't more expensive ... and with rentals, you're not asking a buyer to take in any extra cost ([rom green features] all in one pass," said Jeff Shetterly, real estate development manager for the foundation. "Green just makes the building better long-term, so it's a no-brainer."


Progresso Point, at 619 N. Andrews Ave., offers 76 studio and one-bedroom apartments with energy- and water-saving features often found only in deluxe buildings: tankless heaters, dual-flush toilets and energy-star appliances. Those features make special sense for affordable housing because they keep utility costs down for renters, Shetterley said.
By using more durable materials, green buildings also cut maintenance costs, keeping homes affordable, said Suzanne Cooke, executive director of the Florida Green Building Coalition.
"And with improved indoor air quality, hopefully they reduce spending on health problems such as asthma or respiratory ailments," Cooke said.


Certifying the high-rise as eco-friendly is an 11-year-old nonprofit group based in Tallahassee that uses standards similar to those of the U.S. Green Building Council and its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system. But the coalition's system is specifically tailored to Florida's hot and humid climate — for example, prioritizing windows that keep heat out, not in. It also addresses problems common in the subtropics, such as mold, termites, hurricanes and floods, Cooke said.

Shetterly said certification from the Florida group makes financial sense, too: It's cheaper than LEED.
Cooke said costs to build green homes used to run 3 percent to 5 percent more than traditional construction but have been falling for two main reasons. More builders are familiar with green practices and can perform procedures more efficiently, and more green materials are available, driving down their costs.
Three other high-rise buildings are in line for coalition certification, she said.

Broward authorities say the Progresso Point building in Flagler Village cost $20.9 million to develop. Sixteen units are set aside for households earning less than $16,044 a year, with rents of $302 and $326 a month. Sixty units are for those earning less than $34,380, with rents of $725 and $779 a month.
One tenant already benefiting is Aaron Dames, 18, who aged out of the foster care system and now lives independently. His first electric bill was $24.63 for one month, probably less than half what it might cost for a similar apartment without the energy-saving features.