• Brightwalk is the largest community in North Carolina to be certified in Neighborhood Development
  • Designation recognizes green strategies to achieve efficiency and healthy living
  • Celebration event to be held May 24 at community

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 20, 2016 – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership (DreamKey Partners) announced today that the Brightwalk community has been honored with a LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighborhood Development) certification. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

Seventy acres of Brightwalk qualified for the certification, which is more than double the median size of all neighborhood development projects nationally and internationally. The project is the first in the state to receive this designation outside of the pilot program that launched in 2010. Celadon in Charlotte, designed and built by Origin Development, received a LEED-ND certification through that pilot program.

“Achieving LEED-ND certification is an incredible honor, and we proudly share this achievement with the extensive network of partners who helped us bring this community to fruition,” said Julie Porter, president of DreamKey Partners. “We are truly grateful to all our partners whose vision and commitment is reflected in Brightwalk’s unique and thoughtful design and execution.”

Brightwalk – designed and planned by Shook Kelly and LandDesign and developed by DreamKey Partners under a contract with the City of Charlotte – is a 98-acre planned community of family homes, townhomes and apartments along with new retail, walking trails and crystal clear streams.  Development started in 2009 and is set to be completed in 2018. The neighborhood is located on Statesville Avenue where the once blighted, crime-ridden Double Oaks Apartments once stood.

The community achieved LEED-ND certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in the following areas: smart location and linkage, neighborhood pattern and design, green infrastructure and buildings, innovation in design and regional priority. A few community highlights include:

  • Walkable community in close proximity to public transportation and bicycle lanes added along Statesville Avenue connecting the corridor to Center City.
  • Stream restoration efforts with native plants and brownfield remediation.
  • Natural habitat and space preserved and vegetable garden plots installed.
  • Sustainability and green building practices used throughout.
  • Affordable housing for seniors and working families.
  • Winner of a 2013 ArtPlace grant through the McColl Center for Art+ Innovation for seven installations of environmental art.

“Brightwalk’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Brightwalk is a fundamental driving force in the green building movement.”

A green celebration will be held Tuesday, May 24, at 10 a.m. at the Brightwalk community near the model home (1604 Woodward Avenue). Project representatives and community leaders will play a role in the event including Julie Porter, president of DreamKey Partners, Al Austin, city council district 4 representative, Trevor Fuller, chairman of county commission, Lori Milam with LandDesign and Sacha Soja with USGBC.

LEED is the foremost program for the design construction and operation of green buildings. More than 32,500 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 4.9 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and more than 160 countries. For more information, please visit usgbc.org/leed.

For more information about the Brightwalk community, please visit brightwalkcharlotte.com.

ABOUT DreamKey Partners

DreamKey Partners is a broad-based, private, nonprofit housing development and financial corporation organized in 1988 to expand affordable and well-maintained housing and promote stable neighborhoods for low- and moderate-income families in the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. The agency provides assistance to residents of its properties to more fully enter the economic mainstream and achieve independence.

 

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