The Sustainable Urban Revitalization project in North Charleston, SC, brought together public, private and non-governmental organizations to help revitalize the city impacted by the closure of the Charleston Naval Base. The project has rejuvenated the East Montague Business District, which includes the first LEED Platinum building in South Carolina; created the Oak Terrace Preserve, a green housing development; and several new public schools including the LEED-certified North Charleston Elementary School and Charleston County’s School for the Arts.  North Charleston’s project has benefitted the community through increased economic development projects, new sustainable neighborhoods and the restoration of historic buildings and streetscapes.

Full press release here

Come out to the FREE event for food, fun, games and more.  Meet our green home builders and take a tour of OTP.  All of the details are right here:

WWW.OTPBLOCKPARTY.COM

…and 2009.  Thanks to the Charleston City Paper for honoring Oak Terrace Preserve for two years back-to-back.  From the City Paper, “Oak Terrace won this honor last year, too, and North Charleston’s new signature community is still growing and getting recognition for green practices.”

Full story here.

“The Builder of the Year award recognizes an EarthCraft House builder that constructs projects above and beyond standard code-built homes and establishes best-building practices to decrease energy consumption in a new home. A team of EarthCraft Project Managers reviews many projects from throughout the Southeast Region to select the nominees and winners.”

Read the entire press release here.

WATCH THE AWARD VIDEO HERE

The Foundation sent a team of experts to over 30 cities around the country to judge on these criteria:

Overarching Sustainability:

• Demonstrates superior strategic thinking about goals and outcomes of the neighborhood project/initiative as it relates to the city’s overall Sustainability Plan
• Demonstrates success in public-private partnership in which leadership is shared
• Quantifies positive impact on livability and economic viability of the community
• Achieves sustained and varied involvement by diverse members of the community

Environmental Sustainability:

• Utilizes sustainable design and construction practices in the production/preservation of the built environment with a particular focus on affordable housing and resident health
• Quantifies how the project reduces the environmental footprint of the community
• Enhances walk-ability, bicycling and mass transit access for the community
• Reduces waste significantly and demonstrates leadership in recycling practices

Green Infrastructure:

• Effectively demonstrates the economic, social, health and recreational value of green spaces and trees
• Restores the overall local ecosystem health through remediation measures (i.e. stormwater management, reduction in heat island effect, habitat creation, etc.)
• Demonstrates leadership in the use of emerging green infrastructure know-how and technology
• Serves as a source of ongoing outreach, community-building and education

The Charleston City Paper story read, “Green is in, and few neighborhoods are as green as Oak Terrace (Preserve) in Park Circle. Each home in the still-growing hood is EarthCraft® certified”.

“The ‘Best Of’ honor shows how far Oak Terrace Preserve has come over the last two years,” injects Elias Deeb, Project Manager for OTP. “This is special in that the readers of the Charleston City Paper select the winners, not a panel of industry professionals. So, that shows that the development’s concept as a green community is growing in local popularity.”

Oak Terrace Preserve is a 55-acre, wholly green built neighborhood located in North Charleston’s Historic Park Circle. The neighborhood development is owned by the City of North Charleston, and managed by The Noisette Company, LLC. The development is projected to have 374 homes and town homes upon completion.

Currently, Oak Terrace Preserve has 36 homes completed and occupied, with 10 sales under contract and an additional 16 homes for sale. Each home at OTP must meet EarthCraft® certification standards of the Southface Energy Institute of Atlanta, GA.

Last December, Oak Terrace Preserve was honored as the only neighborhood in the nation, named by Cincinnati, Ohio-based Green Builder magazine, as one of the leading green developments.

The recognition is a high honor for the City of Northe Charleston and the Noisette Company.  The vision of a sustainable and prosperous future for this corner of the lowcountry has inspired other developers to think green build differently.  The artcle quotes the community’s project manager Elias Deeb, “People are recognizing the value of a green neighborhood.  When you drive in Oak Terrace Preserve, you understand why it’s important to save trees and have sidewalks without vehicle traffic, and homes performing more efficiently at a comparable price.  It really is a value proposition.”

Check out the magazine’s website.

The “Living Green” episodes were made possible when earlier this year, Charleston County and Project Impact was awarded an EPA grant to establish the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) Program.  CARE’s purpose is to increase awareness within Charleston County about air and water pollution sources that affect our environment and our health. CARE is helping to educate and assist citizens in taking action to reduce pollution.

In a partnership with local TV station WTAT Fox 24, CARE has established television programs that will inform Charleston County of the environmental issues facing the Lowcountry.  The monthly 30 minute program, “Living Green”, invites guests from local groups to discuss a topic chosen for each show.  

The Sustainability institute is also kicking off a capital campaign to help in the expansion of their efforts. Visit their website or the “Green House” to see how you can help!

Read the full article in the Charleston Magazine or follow the link.