As we build the Grow Community we will be chronicling our progress. This is the place for updates!

Grow Community earns Built Green Hammer award for PHC Construction

We already knew Grow Community sets a new standard for sustainable construction. Earning a Green Hammer award just pounds that message home.

Our builder PHC Construction is being honored with a 2014 Built Green Hammer award by the Master Builders Association, a real mark of excellence among regional projects.

The Built Green program is designed to help buyers find quality, affordable homes that protect the health of their families and the Northwest environment. Built Green homes are designed to provide homeowners with comfortable, durable, environmentally friendly homes that are cost-effective to own and maintain.

Yep, that’s Grow!


“We’re very honored to receive this prestigious recognition,” says PHC’s Marty Sievertson. “Our goal has been to help make Grow Community the healthiest, most environmentally friendly project possible, and to show what’s possible in sustainable construction. This award is a great endorsement of how a sustainable project can be a success.” This company is one of many who are looking to make construction sustainable for the future. By using materials, such as steel, construction can be made into a much more sustainable industry. Nowadays, more and more building sites are looking into using steel for building projects as it is strong and long-lasting. This means that the material will last a long time, lowering the chances of the building materials ever needing replacing. When installing steel to a building, welders are normally called out to make sure the pieces of steel have been cut precisely with Hypertherm powermax models. This ensures that the steel will fit in place. Welders will then use high temperatures to join the materials together, ensuring that they last a long time. This is a more sustainable approach to construction.

Congratulations to PHC Construction for this fine honor!

 

Breaking Ground, Then Making It Better Than Ever

We’ll do our best to keep the dust down, and the noise. But bear with us for a few days, and we think you’ll like what comes next.

Site preparation work gets under way this week at our new Grove and Park neighborhoods, beginning with removal of the old military housing along John Adams Way.

We’ll be recycling as much of the material as we can, although lead paint unfortunately will prevent reuse of some debris. You’ll also see some tree harvesting around the five-acre site being performed by the good craftspeople of Bainbridge Island’s Coyote Wood Shop. These will be milled and repurposed as fine furniture. Maybe even to use in future homes in the Grove!

Next comes the good stuff. As part of site development, we’ll be planting more than 210 new trees.

These healthy new specimens will define and enhance the Grove’s signature green corridors, help neighborhood stormwater retention, and play a big role in carbon sequestration for future generations. In case you missed it, you can read all about Grow Community’s tree plan here.

We expect onsite tree salvage to go through the week, and demolition of old structures to run about a week after that. Watch this site for updates, and then look forward to watching the Grove neighborhood rise up in your midst.

Construction update: All’s super at Cooper

As we begin home presales in Phase 2, we’re rounding out our first neighborhood, the Village, with the Cooper Apartments on the north end of the grounds.

Cooper West is now getting its interior finishes and fixtures. All windows and doors have been installed, and with siding more than 50 percent complete, the exterior look is really taking shape; watch for exterior painting in the next few weeks. The building should be completed and ready for move-in by mid-September.

Cooper East follows right behind, and should be ready for tenants on Oct. 1. Both buildings are fully leased.

Meanwhile, Phase 2: The Grove and the Park neighborhoods have now gone before the city’s Design Review Board, the Planning Commission and the Hearing Examiner, and we’ve earned positive recommendations at every step of the process. Next we submit plat drawings for the subdivision to the City Council for review and approval.

The permit for the site work and the Grove’s underground garage have been submitted and are under review. Once permits are released later this summer, demolition, grading and utility work will begin on the full five acres. Watch our Grow Community news page for further updates.

February Status at Grow Community

What’s Coming Next?

The first neighborhood at Grow Community will come together this summer when the rental homes are finished.  In order to keep moving toward completion of the entire community, we have been working hard to come up with a design that meets all of our criteria and that builds on everything we’ve learned over the past several years.The next two neighborhoods at Grow will continue to meet our One Planet goals, with a focus on truly intergenerational living.  Sixty percent of the homes will be accessible, with aging in community as a design priority.  In addition, a number of the homes are being designed and priced for young families, creating that mix of vibrant and lively interaction that makes Grow such a great place to live.

Community Green Spaces PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

Wed. March 5: 6.30-8.30pm

Three out of the five acres in the next neighborhood will be community green space. These spaces will include gardens, native forest, and play areas for young and old alike.  We would like to share with you the preliminary designs and hear your thoughts.  Please join us at a March 5th evening Open House at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, to share in the conversation about how we can create the green spaces in a manner that enhances community.All are invited.
Location: Bainbridge Island Museum of Art – 550 Winslow Way East
Click here to download the event flier

 

Status on the Construction Site

 After mid-March only one home remains to be built in the first neighborhood.

Construction on the Cooper Apartments is well underway. As the single-family homes are completed the attention will be turned to the apartments through mid summer to get them finished up.

The landscaping, pathways and  community bulletin  boards are all getting finished up in time for spring, and residents are enthusiastically planning the community garden spaces in their pocket neighborhoods.

Solar installations have continued on homes over the last several months and several more are expected in March/April.  We have enjoyed seeing our solar garden grow!

BioRegional Launch a Major New Sustainable Consumption and Production Report

BioRegional, creators of the One Planet concept, have recently launched a major report about Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP).  The report is a significant NGO contribution to the UN debate on a set of sustainable development goals due to succeed the well-known Millennium Development Goals (to be fulfilled by 2015). BioRegional CEO Sue Riddlestone was recently given the opportunity to present this report to representatives of several dozen governments of countries around the world gathered at the United Nations in New York.

Major new report, authored by BioRegional, on sustainable consumption and production:

  • This published paper makes the case for why sustainable consumption and production (SCP) should be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda, as well as setting out practical proposals for what SCP-related targets might be, divided among the likely themes for post-2015 goals.
  • It is evidence-based, drawing on the latest literature and evidence to explain why achieving sustainable development demands a decisive, global shift to sustainable consumption and production. The paper aims to increase collaboration within civil society and with other actors on this agenda.
  • It calls for nations to adopt 28 different targets related to SCP, organised under five key themes for sustainable development goals and covering the period 2015-2030. One or more indicators is given for each target.
  • The report was produced by BioRegional, as they are the Beyond 2015 focal point on Sustainable Production and Consumption, with input from the following organizations: WWF-UK;Christian Aid; Bond; Save the Children; Progressio; Practical Action; Friends of the Earth; Cafod; Tearfund; Population Institute; One Earth; Tellus Institute; Integrative Strategies Forum; Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.

Click here to read the report here.

What to Expect in the Next Grow Neighborhood?

Grow Community will not be complete until all three neighborhoods are constructed.  While the first neighborhood is finishing up, the Grow Team has been busy redesigning the next two neighborhoods.  These next phases will complete the trail system, add a building for community gathering and even more gardens and open space.  A fun fact: out of the 5 acres that make up the next two neighborhoods, 3 acres will be green space.  More places to run, play, garden and connect!

We anticipate beginning construction on the second neighborhood this next summer.  Stay tuned for more opportunities to participate in the design of open spaces in early 2014.

Click here to read the recent article in the Bainbridge Island Review about this next phase.

First neighborhood at Grow Community is sold out. More Homes COMING SOON!

We are excited to announce that all homes in the first neighborhood are now sold out. Rentals will become available in Spring 2014. Additional homes in the next neighborhood will become available in 2015. Stay tuned for more exciting details about that. To get on our interest list and receive information on upcoming opportunities, please click here and as always feel free to contact us directly for a chat about all things Grow, we’d love to connect with you.

Grow Community October Newsletter

First Neighborhood Sold Out!  Residents Moving In.

Ok, its official.  We are excited to announce the single family homes in the first 3-acre neighborhood at Grow Community are sold out.  Eight families have now moved into their homes and more are soon to come.  By February the neighborhood should be full and construction almost complete.

Rentals Still Available.

We will be starting construction very soon on the Cooper rentals.  While many rentals have already been reserved, some are still available. Click here for more information or contact our sales office if you are interested in renting in our Zero Carbon community.  Click here to download our flier.

What’s Coming Next?

We are finalizing the schematic design for the next two neighborhoods in Grow Community.  This next stage of the project will complete the One Planet project, with a trail system leading directly into town and a beautiful community building for all residents to use.  The redesign has been driven by a focus on intergenerational community and designing for accessibility.  Stay tuned for a release of the design concept next month – we think it’s pretty awesome!

Grow Community homes are 5-Star Built Green!

We are very excited to announce that Grow Community homes have achieved 5-Star Built Green status, the highest rating for Built Green certification. Built Green is designed to help homebuyers find quality, affordable homes that offer opportunities to protect the health of their families and the Northwest environment. This is a great step forward in our efforts to create cost-effective, energy efficient One Planet homes on the cutting-edge of today’s sustainable development practices.

Click here to read Built Green’s case study on Grow Community.

NW Green Home Tour

Saturday, April 27th 2013, 11am-5pm
Grow Model Homes  |  428 Grow Avenue NW, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Come visit our Built Green 5-Star Homes on April 27th! Grow Community will be one of the stops on the NW Green Home Tour. Co-produced by Northwest Eco Building Guild Seattle Chapter and Built Green this tour is a FREE spring event. This will be the 3rd Annual NW Green Home Tour for Seattle, Bainbridge Island + Eastside.

 

To learn more about the tour go to the NW Eco Building Guild website.

 

Construction Update: Trees

The following is a blog post written by Asani President Marja Preston in March 2012 on the subject of trees on the Grow Community construction site. With the second phase of construction beginning, this is again an important subject to explore. Now that construction has begun, we can share more on how we plan on saving and re-using trees on the site.

Protected tree on Grow Community construction site

1. Working with professional arborist Katy Bigelow, we walked through the property to designate significant trees to save and to remove trees that presented a danger to the neighborhood.

2. Several trees that required removal have been used as stream bank restoration for salmon habitat by the Kitsap County Surface and Stormwater Management Program.

3. Much of the cleared material will be re-purposed on-site for construction material, playground sites, and erosion control.

4. We will be replanting more trees (~250) than we remove.

Here is the original blog post:

Part of the careful planning we’ve put in place for this project includes everyday environmental choices that incorporate the beauty of our surroundings. This project is in the R-14 zone, which, under the new land use code, does not require retention of existing trees on the site. The Grow project will meet Built Green 5-Star certification, which requires substantial tree retention. In addition, we are committed to contributing to the long-term tree canopy goal of 50% coverage in Winslow, as outlined in the Bainbridge Island Urban Forest Management Plan.

Lead Architect Johnathan Davis marking trees to be re-utilized in the Grow Community playground.

In order to meet all these goals, our plan is to retain existing vegetation as much as possible. To accomplish this, we continue to work with a professional arborist, Katy Bigelow, to identify the maximum amount of trees that can reasonably be retained with the urban density that is planned. From here, once all trees have been identified, a service such as Gosnell Tree & Landscape or a similar company will be contracted for the removal of the selected trees.

We have focused on retaining trees in clusters and larger areas, for instance, at the corner of Grow Avenue and Wyatt Way, to maintain native vegetation areas, preserving habitat and maintaining existing green corridors. In addition, we are planting more than 250 new trees throughout the site. The new vegetation will enhance the existing green corridors and contribute to stormwater uptake and carbon sequestration, absorbing more than 900 metric tons of carbon over the next 100 years, almost double what the existing trees would have absorbed over that same time period.

As with all projects designed for urban densities, some trees must be removed, as preserving large trees next to new construction rarely works in the long-term. For the trees that do need to be removed or relocated we are taking the utmost care. All trees marked for preservation have been fenced at the dripline and no root systems will be disturbed by heavy equipment. Several Vine Maples have been saved for reuse in the project, a Dogwood is going home with one of our Contractors, several other plants will be going to a local landscaper, and we are working with the Kitsap Conservation District to salvage evergreens for Salmon Restoration projects.