Living at the Grow Community is an experience. Learn about what the Grow homes are like, and then check out the section about our community.

BioRegional Launch a Major New Sustainable Consumption and Production Report

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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?

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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.

Grow Solar

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This month A&R Solar is installing solar arrays on more homes at Grow.  Our community is on its way to being the largest solar neighborhood in Washington State, proving that solar really does work in our cloudy state!

As a One Planet Community, Grow is intended to achieve Net Zero Carbon from buildings by 2020.  We have been monitoring one of the occupied homes in the community since January of this year and it looks like the numbers are coming out positive – the solar is providing more than enough energy to power the house over the year!  This not only reduces the owners’ carbon footprint, it also saves them a whole lot in power bills.

Here are a few reasons why you might also want to consider solar for your home:

  • Receive Washington State renewable energy incentives
  • Get a 30% federal tax credit
  • Reduce your electric bills forever
  • Support your local economy
  • Increase your homes resale value
  • Reduce your carbon footprint

 

Incentives offered to build green, affordable housing – KITSAP BIZ JOURNAL

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September 6, 2013 @ 11:11am | Tim Kelly ~ KPBJ Editor

The aim of the Housing Design Demonstration Project on Bainbridge Island was to create incentives for developers to build subdivisions that offer green and/or affordable housing. Four projects taking advantage of incentives such as “bonus density” offered by the ordinance are in different stages of development. Ferncliff Village has completed 24 homes that are now mostly occupied, and the first homeowners are moving into the GROW Community, which will be the largest of the four, as it works toward completion of its first phase.

Ferncliff Village
Meanwhile, the HDDP, which was adopted in 2009, is set to expire at the end of this year, but a committee has been working on revisions that will be presented soon to the City Council, and a reworked ordinance could be extended for a few more years or made permanent.

“The HDDP’s intent is to allow for clustered housing and preserving open spaces,” said Mark Blatter, executive director of the nonprofit Housing Resources Board, which developed Ferncliff Village.

Community land trust
Ferncliff’s first phase showcases that concept, with the two dozen cottage-style houses on small lots, with a community garden and an open grassy area in the center of the development. Besides being shared recreational space for residents, the grassy area also handles stormwater runoff.

The six-acre site – off Ferncliff Avenue half a mile north of Winslow Way – was donated to the Housing Resources Board by former City Council member Lois Curtis. The HRB developed Ferncliff as a community land trust, which means the nonprofit builds and sells the houses but retains ownership of the land, with homeowners paying a low-cost, long-term land lease.

“That’s part of the way we make it work as affordable housing,” Blatter said.

The two – and three-bedroom houses range from 846 to 1,138 square feet, and are priced from $195,000 to $220,000. The Ferncliff Village website says the home prices are more than $50,000 below market value. Blatter said qualified buyers are those with 80 percent to 120 percent of the area median income in King County, and additional subsidies are available for potential Ferncliff homebuyers with incomes below that range.

It’s the only one of the four HDDP developments that meets the affordability goal of the ordinance.

Charlie Wenzlau, a local architect who is Housing Resources Board chairman and also helped develop the HDDP for the city, explained that the ordinance has development standards structured in tiers on either a green building track or an affordability track, though they’re not mutually exclusive. “When you go with the affordability track, the green building requirements are still there but not as onerous,” he said.

So even though Ferncliff put more emphasis on providing affordable homes, Blatter said the houses also include various energy-efficiency elements such as ductless heat pumps, Energy Star appliances and triple-glazed windows.

“We think these houses are going to live comfortably and large, even though they are fairly compact,” Blatter said.

Architect Jonathan Davis designed the first phase of GROW Community and is buying a house there. Although Davis is unlikely to need one, some buyers may want to look into fast bridging loans as a way of affording one of the homes.

Changes at GROW
The GROW Community, located at the corner of Wyatt Way and Grow Avenue just a couple blocks from downtown Winslow, is on the green track and has incorporated more extensive sustainability measures, such as rooftop solar panels and a charging station for a shared electric vehicle available for residents to use.

Jonathan Davis, the architect who designed the first phase being built on three acres of the eight-acre GROW site, worked with developer Asani to create a project meeting One Planet Community standards of sustainability. BioRegional, the global sustainability organization that founded the One Planet Living program, announced GROW’s endorsement at last year’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The community has a charging station for an electric vehicle that’s available for residents to use.The community has a charging station for an electric vehicle that’s available for residents to use.”We had the land and knew we had to do something interesting with it,” Asani president Marja Preston said. “We came up with this concept for a One Planet intentional community. The HDDP ordinance the city had fit very well with that.”

The GROW Community’s first phase will have 44 housing units, with 24 free-standing single-family homes or duplexes that are currently under construction, plus two buildings each with 10 apartments to rent. A park/play area space will be at the high side of the site near the Wyatt Avenue corner.

Only three houses had residents in August, but Preston said builder PHC Construction is finishing about three each month, and should have all of them done early next year. She and Davis are both buying houses in Phase I.

“Our intent is to create a tight-knit community,” the British-born Davis said. “We created a place for that to happen. We have the potential for community here.”

As for the HDDP, he said it’s “a brilliant ordinance” and “what it allowed us to do that’s most beneficial, is create fee-simple lots for the homes,” so they could be sold as single-family houses instead of condominiums, for which it’s harder to get construction financing.

“Our density is no higher than what could have been built here” as apartments and condos, Davis noted.

While he’ll soon be living in the community, Davis won’t be as involved as the second phase at GROW starts to take shape next year. Asani decided to rework the types of housing and the site plan for the other five acres, and held a community meeting this summer to explain the changes.

Instead of homes built mostly on small but separate lots, many of the new units will be in rows of townhouses on the sides of a large central plaza where a community center will be built.

Davis isn’t critical of the developer’s changes, although he said “I think Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be two very different communities, with a different feel to them, and I think different population types.”

He also said that “supposedly what they’re proposing will be more profitable.”

Preston said the rowhouse-style arrangement was adopted in Phase 2 “so we could make better use of the space, to have more usable public open space.”

There will also be more garden space, she said, and a wider variety of unit types and sizes, including single-level homes that will meet the needs of people interested in an aging-in-place design.

There will be 87 units in Phase 2, the same as in the original design, and the redesigned project will still meet HDDP criteria.

To draw up the new Phase 2 plan, GROW worked with Jim Cutler, a renowned architect whose office is on Eagle Harbor but whose work for much of his career has been on projects in distant places.

“For a number of years I eschewed doing any work on Bainbridge Island,” Cutler said. “The only thing we’ve done was Grace Church.”

The builder he worked with a decade ago on the distinctive church with its high walls of windows was Marty Sievertson, president of Asani partner PHC Construction that’s building the homes at GROW. He suggested bringing in Cutler, who taught a University of Oregon 2012 summer program in Portland focused on environmental stewardship through design.

Cutler said the challenge at GROW was “I had to generate a site plan that fulfills all the requirements for family, and for community.”

With a five-acre site to work with, he wondered, “would it be possible to leave three acres open and still fit 87 houses?”

Click here to read more –>

Grow Community changes design of Phase Two of development project – BAINBRIDGE ISLAND REVIEW

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By CECILIA GARZA
Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer
August 26, 2013 · 2:21 PM

Grow Community architects are setting up a new palette for Phase Two of development.

In a meeting Monday with the Bainbridge Island Design Review Board, architect Jim Cutler described a shift from single-family homes to a model that was more all-of-the-above.

Phase One of construction is already wrapping up, with 20 homes sold and two apartment buildings planned for construction on Wyatt Way.

Previously, the plans for the second phase of construction described a connected block of more single-family residences.

After an owner’s analysis of the plan, however, Cutler and his team saw that the project presented too much financial risk.

“Primarily because they were in very large blocks and very similar pieces,” Cutler said.

“They didn’t have enough diversity in terms of being able to market certain diversity and furthermore, it would not be complete until they completed the whole project.”

With the makeover to the Phase Two plans, Cutler has incorporated some major changes for the project.

They have transformed what was a V-shape arrangement of the units to clusters of dwellings with substantial green common space between the structures. This has given Cutler’s team the ability to incorporate a mix of homes in the community. They will now offer apartments, condominiums and townhomes in addition to single-family homes.

The new mixture of homes at Grow will also come with sheltered garages.

With the ground fall between each side of Wyatt Way, Cutler’s design has managed to keep the structures level enough to allow for garages underneath the homes. This will create a two-story out of a one-story and a three-story home out of two story home.

The underground parking will make way for more green space for all the amenities the community envisions, including numerous community and personal gardens, a community center and plenty of play area for children.

Contact Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer Cecilia Garza at cgarza@bainbridgereview.com or 206-842-6613.

Building a Healthy Community from the Inside Out

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Premier Builder Magazine
July/August 2013

Two years ago, the Asani/PHC team of architects, builders and developers set out to design a Net Zero energy home using local and sustainable materials, all with a construction budget under $150/square foot.  These homes are part of the new One Planet Community (one of 8 in the world) on Bainbridge Island – a Zero Carbon neighborhood of homes that is affordable to young families and baby boomers alike.

The new homes at Grow Community are not just net zero energy homes, they are part of a neighborhood where residents will be able to reduce their overall carbon footprint – that is, the impact from buildings, transportation, and food to name a few.  The homes are part of a One Planet Neighborhood, homes where it is easy, fun and affordable to live a lifestyle where our impact on the planet is a little lighter.

One Planet is a framework to guide design of Zero Carbon neighborhoods.  The program focuses not just on environmental impacts, but also on economic and social sustainability, creating communities where neighbors interact and where ecological footprints are reduced.  Grow Community has used the ten sustainability principles of the One Planet framework to create a neighborhood that is unlike any other in the United States.

The homes are beautifully designed, light filled spaces located in small clusters with the community, all surrounding vegetable gardens.  Most homeowners today prefer to have their home interiors light and breezy with plenty of sunlight, rather than heavy and cluttered. Minimalistic and open space designs are increasingly being preferred, with interior designers like Helen Coulston too gravitating towards more simple yet elegant designs, not to mention sustainable ones, of course!  The neighborhood is made up of equal numbers of single-family homes for sale and multifamily homes for rent, providing different financial options for residents to live in the community.  The floorplans are designed for families, for couples, for aging in place, a mix that has resulted in a truly intergenerational community.

When we first started to design the Grow home, we weren’t sure if we could meet the net zero challenge with the given budget, but with a little determination and a dedicated team, we’ve shown it can be done.  Each home and multifamily building is designed as a Net Zero home – the solar panels on the roof are enough to provide all the power needed throughout the year.  At first, we were also considering secondary sources of power and heating such as propane—consulting with companies like Kelly Propane and Fuel, LLC made it seem like a viable option too.   But, in the end, solar energy seemed sufficient as well as cost-effective for the whole project.   The cost of construction of each of the homes is both reasonable and replicable.

The One Planet framework was used to balance design and material choices against each of the sustainability principles.  We designed an energy efficient building envelope, using local and sustainable materials wherever possible, and choose finishes that would ultimately create a comfortable and healthy home.

Health and Happiness is the foremost One Planet principle driving design decisions both for the individual homes and for the community as a whole.  Each house is built using the highest quality materials to create a healthy indoor living environment, including:

•    Marvin Integrity word/fiberglass windows avoid the use of PVC in the homes;
•    Cork or local sustainably harvested wood floors with non-toxic finishes create local and healthy flooring options;
•    Silent and highly efficient mini-split heat pumps to maintain comfortable temperatures;
•    Cabinets with no added formaldehyde, recycled content countertops and induction cooktops for sustainable and well-appointed kitchens; and
•    Optional whole house water filters.

The community itself is designed around numerous vegetable gardens, with native plants and vegetation throughout to create natural and inviting places for children and adults to enjoy.  The neighborhood is located just a short walk from urban amenities, enabling residents to walk or ride, incorporating exercise into their daily lives.  A community center will provide a space for yoga classes, cooking demonstrations, and community events.

It is our home that this One Planet neighborhood will change the way we approach urban design.  We created the project to demonstrate how developers might design projects that have a net positive impact, not only on the environment, but on the way people live, creating healthier and more satisfying lifestyles in urban areas.  The Grow Community homes are not just good for the environment, they are a place for people to live healthy and affordable lives, to connect with their neighbors, their community and nature.
Visit www.growbainbridge.com

Going solar at Grow is easier than you think

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Choosing the solar option.
Grow is a One Planet Community with a goal to achieve Net Zero Carbon from buildings by 2020. To achieve this we have designed each house to be powered entirely by solar. Each homeowner can choose to add the solar option at the time their house is constructed or at a later date. The system has been designed to provide all the power you will need for your house, reducing not only your carbon footprint, but reducing the money you spend on power over time.
Solar Package.
All homes at Grow are solar-ready and are wired for easy installation of solar panels at any time. Grow is able to provide a solar package at an incredible price because we install a large volume of panels throughout the project. We have negotiated a price for solar with A&R Solar based on bulk installation. This price includes installation, permitting, Manufactured in Washington photovoltaic panels and micro-inverters, as well as a racking system supplied by a Washington-based company.
Solar Financing.
Home buyers interested in financing their solar array have the option of unsecured solar loans through Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union or Umpqua Bank. Interest rates range from 4.5%-7.99%. There are no loan fees or closing costs and preliminary approval often occurs in 24 hours or less. The annual incentives available in Washington State, for Washington-made equipment can be applied to cover much of the principal and interest on the loan.
The current federal tax credit, the extension of the sales tax exemption, as well as the annual incentives available from Washington State, make solar an easy financial choice. We encourage you to choose the solar option and will assist you in making this possible.

 

the Everett Becomes Part of NEEA’s Pilot Project: Next Step Homes

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The Everett model home was selected to be part of NEEA‘s (Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance) pilot project: Next Step Homes.  We at Grow Community are excited to have a home that will help set this new standard of efficiency. The purpose of this pilot – partnering with a select group of builders across the Northwest – is to determine the most cost-effective ways to build homes that will achieve the greatest energy savings.

NEEA plans to use the findings from the pilot to set the next level of high performance home efficiency standards for the Northwest region.  The Everett has been selected as one of ten homes in the four-state region, including Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and will be monitored for efficiency performance for 13 months to determine if the home operates as designed once occupied.

NEEA works in collaboration with its stakeholders and strategic market partners to accelerate the sustained market adoption of energy efficient products, technologies and practices. Its mission is to mobilize the Northwest to become increasingly energy efficient for a sustainable future.  Grow Community is proud to partner with NEEA, leading the way towards a more sustainable future of home-building.

Bainbridge Island architect earns Earth-friendly accolades

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By RICHARD D. OXLEY
Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer
June 8, 2013 · Updated 1:11 PM

Innovators behind one of Bainbridge’s newest communities has been recognized for its Earth-friendly efforts, helping Winslow become a more sustainable corner of the island.

Island architect Jonathan Davis and his company, Davis Studio Architecture + Design, have been awarded the Environmental Innovator award by the Association of Washington Business.

The honor is part of the association’s 2013 Environmental Excellence Awards. It’s the 21st year the association has bestowed the honor.

Davis’ company has recently been known as the architectural force behind Winslow’s Grow Community, currently emerging onto a stretch of Grow Avenue near Wyatt Way.

“Our award focused around the Grow Community and the work we’ve done to get that endorsed as a One Planet Community,” Davis said. “It’s the first community in the United States to get that endorsement.”

The One Planet Community is a global program that aims to create healthier places to live.

“The purpose of One Planet communities is to create places that are sustainable,” Davis said. “The current U.S. footprint is a five-planet footprint, which is clearly not sustainable.”

In a community like Grow, people can live on a level that the Earth can sustain, according to builders of the new neighborhood.

The community is within walking distance to major public transportation hubs. It also has a bike-share program, as well as a car-share program. Homes have one parking space and have no garages, which Davis notes is more commonly used as storage space.

Instead, the Grow development will have a fleet of community cars for residents to use.

“The first of those cars is a Nissan Leaf, which is charged at a charger that is solar-powered,” Davis said. “So it’s a zero carbon car.”

But creating sustainable transportation habits is just the beginning.

“Our food footprint really encourages local food,” Davis said. “We have a series of community gardens throughout the project that will run as an urban farm, so we will increase our yield so people can grow and get fresh food.”

“That’s extremely local food,” he added.

Davis has become so entrenched in the Grow cause that he will soon move his family into one of the new homes after it’s finished.

He isn’t alone either. Davis said that the homes at Grow have been very well-received and are selling well at market rates.

The award comes as yet another affirmation of Grow’s success, and Davis’ own.

“To me, the work we have done at Grow is an accumulation of all the work we’ve done over the past 25 years,” Davis said. “To have someone recognize that was a great validation.”

“It’s more of a privilege to get an environmental award than to get an architectural award,” he added. “It encompasses a greater purpose.”

Grow served to inspire Davis so much that he is now looking beyond Grow.

“Grow is a great first step, I look forward to finding other projects that have equally broad-minded views on development,” he said. “We certainly didn’t do everything we could at Grow, so I look forward to finding projects with people who want to create the next generation of Grow.”

Contact Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer Richard D. Oxley at roxley@bainbridgereview.com or (206) 842-6613.

Architect Jonathan Davis will speak at Dwell on Design – Friday June 21

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Prefab Goes Big, Onstage Preview with Jonathan Davis

Prefab is one of our favorite subjects at Dwell on Design, and this year we’re picking up the discussion with a variety of prefab panel discussions. One of them, Prefab Goes Big will feature architect Jonathan Davis of pieceHomes and the exciting new large-scale prefab development Grow, on Bainbridge Island in Washington. Here’s a preview of what we’ll discuss onstage on Friday, June 21st.

For our session we’re talking about prefab at all scales. Your project, Grow on Bainbridge Island, could be very large indeed. Why prefabricate the houses that are a part of Grow?
Prefabrication, in this case panelization, allows for a more efficient construction process, thereby saving time and money.

How many are built now and how many are on the boards?
Three homes have been completed at Grow Community. There are three homes currently being framed, four with completed foundations, and four have foundations being built.  The first three-acre phase will have a total of 24 single family homes and 20 apartment units in two buildings. Construction on these will be completed late this year. There is a five-acre second phase that will have 26 more single family homes and an additional 61 multi-family units.

You’ve got a variety of types of homes at Grow. Can you tell me how they differ from each other? The benefits of each model?
There are actually four different models of homes plus the rowhouse apartment buildings. All of these homes are also available from pieceHomes as modular homes. The single-family homes range from 1,100sf to 1,850sf. They include: the Tallis, has which has two bedrooms and one or two baths. This is available as both a freestanding home and a duplex. The Aria, at 1,540 sf, has two bedrooms, two baths, a mudroom and a large open flexible living space. The Ocean, is our multi-generational home that offers two master suites, one on the ground floor and one upstairs, with a large roof top deck off it. The Everett, is the family house with three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a mudroom off the entry and an office/play area and study. The rowhouse apartment building, also designed to be built modularly, has 450sf studio apartments, 900-square-foot two-bedroom flats and 1,050-square-foot two-story, two-bedroom town homes.  This will also available from pieceHomes later this year.

Is there a scale of development at which prefab wouldn’t work? Or can you just keep making them?
In my mind the larger the development project the more suited it becomes for prefab; as repeatability of the same design is really where you see savings in the cost of construction.  For example, a factory can be more efficient if it can produce 10 of the same home, whether you are building modular or panelized.

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Prefab Goes Big Session Details

Though you’d be forgiven for thinking that prefab design is little more than whatever factory-made box can fit on the back of a flatbed, poky little prefab homes tell only half the story. Thanks to hybridized construction, the endless possibilities of modular building, and an ever-mounting appetite for efficient housing, we’re seeing more and more square footage with a prefabbed roof over its head. In this session we’ll talk with architects Leo Marmol, Whitney Sander, and Jonathan Davis—who will also share images of their recent projects—about how prefab housing is scaling up.

Date:  Friday, June 21
Time:  4:00 pm
Event Type: Stage