Helensview, a green HOST Development community

HOST Development, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping first-time homebuyers, is demonstrating that green homes aren’t just for wealthy neighborhoods.  When they acquired 4 acres in the middle of Portland in 2006, group leaders knew they had a chance to raise the stakes.  HOST originally planned to build more than 50 homes and condos to LEED for Homes standards, but when the USGBC’s neighborhood development pilot came along, they took matters a step further, planning green infrastructure, efficient water usage and adding mass transit and an on-site ride-sharing program called Flexcar.  The first homes went on sale in January, and assistant project manager Devin Culbertson expects the community could be complete by year’s end.  “Energy savings and indoor air quality for healthier kids really resonate with people,” he says.

Note: I found the above interesting article in the April issue of “Angie’s List”, Portland Edition.