‘Green homes’ coming to Drexel?

As the Town of Drexel pursues a downtown revitalization plan, a developer has offered to purchase two town properties with plans to build as many as 10 energy-efficient homes.

Nicholas Parker, president of Green Street, told the aldermen at their Oct. 6 meeting that his firm specializes in building “pocket neighborhoods” of energy-efficient homes on unusual lots, with houses built around a shared “green space” to encourage community activities.

Green Street has offered $24,000 for the property at 300 Mountain View St. and $36,500 for the property at 206 N. Main St. The Mountain View property would be the site of three homes, while the Main Street location — across from the town’s 100-acre industrial site — would hold six or seven.

Town Manager Bill Carroll said the lots are not easily marketable as traditional home sites due to their shape and size.

The board voted unanimously in favor of entertaining the offer with a resolution for an upset bid process. Under North Carolina law, the town publishes notice of the offer and allows qualifying higher bids. Each qualifying upset bid starts another 10-day period. Once a 10-day period with no upset bids has passed, the winning offer comes before the aldermen for consideration, the resolution said.

Parker said Green Street homes score 45 or lower on the Home Energy Rating System Index, a nationally recognized measure of residential energy efficiency. On the scale, a reference home built to standards based on the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code scores 100, while a home that produces as much energy as it consumes scores zero. Parker said Green Street homes equipped with solar panels could score below zero, meaning they produce more energy than they consume.

The homes are built with wiring already in place for installation of solar panels, Parker said, as well as thick walls, foam insulation, and high-efficiency windows and doors. Any gaps allowing even the smallest escape of air from the homes are sealed during construction. The homes are sold equipped with high-efficiency appliances as well, Parker said.

Depending on the design and add-ons, the homes typically sell for between $200,000 and $400,000, although the average splits the difference at about $300,000, he said.

If approved and built, the homes could play a vital role in Drexel’s upcoming downtown revitalization effort, Carroll told The Paper.

REDEVELOPMENT FIRM CHOSEN

The board also voted unanimously to select WithersRavenel, a large North Carolina-based redevelopment firm, to help create a comprehensive downtown redevelopment plan that town officials say they hope will last generations.

As previously reported, WithersRavenel was competing with a smaller firm, Destination by Design, to create the plan.

The resolution adopted by the board authorizes Carroll to negotiate a price for the plan. Once the price has been negotiated, the board will vote to approve a contract.

Council members agreed during the meeting that they found WithersRavenel’s size, staff experience, and track record of winning more than $1 billion in grants for redevelopment projects more than satisfactory for the town’s purposes.

During discussions with WithersRavenel and Destination by Design at a prior meeting, officials agreed housing was crucial to the revitalization process, and Carroll said the same in an interview after Tuesday’s meeting.

“Ultimately, we know there’s a need for housing in this community,” he said, “especially for housing that is … sustainable and efficient to energize.”

Carroll said it will benefit the town to “utilize publicly owned spaces that we’re not using currently to help build tax base … and partner with people like Nick to bring a product that people want.”

Carroll described the Green Street houses as “interesting and new.”

“I think it’s a good first step in attracting some interesting housing options that will help young people enter a market where they’re currently priced and boxed out,” he said.

As a result, Green Street homes tend to sell quickly, Parker said, and communities where they are built like the finished product.

“They are very well-received,” he said.