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MassDevelopment In The News
Housing Plans Get Green Look
February 3, 2008: The Republican, by Nancy H. Gonter
NORTHAMPTON - The 33 single-family homes and townhouses that Wright Builders plans to construct at Village Hill Northampton will be some of the greenest homes in the city.
Jonathan A. Wright, president of Wright Builders of 48 Bates St., said that construction of the homes will follow the exacting standards required to get the so-called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification which was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for environmentally sustainable construction.
Construction to the "LEED" standard requires documenting during the construction process that less waste was sent to landfills, miles driven for the project are limited and that soil on the site is conserved, Wright said. There are a series of other standards that must also be followed, he said.
The 11 single-family homes, which will have an asking price starting at more than $500,000, and the 12 townhouses, which will cost more than $200,000, are already being marketed by Goggins Real Estate, and buyers are showing interest, Wright said.
Work on the first phase of the project, which was approved by the Planning Board last week, should begin in April, Wright said.
The land where the two projects, known as Morningside and Eastview, is part of the land where the former Northampton State Hospital was located. It is now owned by the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, which selected Wright Builders to construct the first "market-rate" homes, Wright said. The property will be sold to Wright Builders.
Village Hill Northampton will eventually include more than 200 units, more than 50 percent of which will be affordable, according to City Planner Wayne M. Feiden. Already, two former nurses' quarters have been renovated into apartments and some roads have been constructed.
Wright said his company is pleased to be a part of the project because of the historic nature of the land as well as its beauty. In addition, the project is environmentally friendly, he said.
"It's a place where development is desirable. It doesn't use up farmland. The property is close to public transportation, to existing services and to Smith College. It's got great views," Wright said.
Each house is pre-designed in either a Victorian or Craftsman style so the two projects, which are across the street from each other, will be in harmony, Wright said.
According to plans submitted to the Planning Board for Morningside, the single-family houses are clustered together along a new street called Olander Drive, each on less than a quarter-acre lot. The units have shared driveways and will have between 2,300 to 2,900 square feet of living space.
Each unit will have four parking spaces, two indoors and two outdoors. Nine of the houses will have two bedrooms and three will have three bedrooms, while three or four will be built so they can easily modified to be handicapped-accessible.
Eastview will include 12 units in three buildings with four units each. It also has two separate buildings of detached garages. The townhouses and garages are clustered around a green landscaped area.
Each unit will have 1,100 to 1,500 of living space and will have one garage parking space and one outdoors.
© Copyright 2008 The Republican.
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