Colorado Real Estate Journal - April 20, 2016
Denver earned a spot in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s annual list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star-certified buildings. The Top Cities list ranks cities according to how many buildings in their area earned Energy Star certification in 2015. To qualify, a building must outperform 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide by earning a score of 75 or higher on a 1-100 scale. Denver took ninth place on the list, with 215 buildings in the metro area earning the rating in 2015, and the city ranks fifth for total certified square footage per capita. Denver continues to provide building owners and managers with the technical guidance, best practices and training they need to make their buildings more energy efficient, save money and reduce carbon emissions. “We are fully committed to working with our local business leaders to reduce our carbon footprint, spend less on energy and continue to lead the nation toward a more sustainable future,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock. “This work is critical to our own sustainability goals here in Denver, and we’re proud to have that work recognized by being named a top 10 cities for energy efficient buildings.” Energy Star certification in Denver has been bolstered by the Denver City Energy Project, which launched in late 2014 and aims to unlock $1.3 billion in energy savings by encouraging commercial and multifamily building owners and managers to benchmark their buildings’ energy use using Energy Star’s Portfolio Manager tool. “EPA is pleased to recognize Denver among America’s top cities paving the path toward a more energy-efficient economy,” said Jean Lupinacci, chief of the Energy Start Commercial & Industrial program. “Denver and the other top cities continue to demonstrate the economic, public health and environmental benefits of simple, cost-effective reductions in energy use.” To date, the Denver City Energy Project benchmarking program has 109 enrolled buildings representing 21 million square feet of commercial and multifamily space in Denver. However, the city is just beginning to tap into the city’s potential. Current participants still account for only 5.4 percent of the square footage of buildings over 10,000 sf in the city. A list of DCEP enrollees can be found at www.denvergov.org/ cep. Denver Metro BOMA’s Watts to Water program also offers training to building owners and managers on how to use Portfolio Manager and offers updates on the most recent rebates and incentives for energy and water conservation. The Denver 2030 District, an interdisciplinary public-private-nonprofit collaborative, is working to create a high-performance building district in downtown Denver. More than 27,000 buildings across America earned EPA’s Energy Star by the end of last year. These buildings saved more than $3.8 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual electricity use of nearly 2.6 million homes. Commercial buildings that apply must have their performance verified by a professional engineer or a registered architect. Certified buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than typical buildings. Many types of commercial facilities can earn the rating, including office buildings, K-12 schools and retail stores. First Boulder apartment achieves LEED certification Apex 5510, a 231-unit apartment community in Gunbarrel, became the first apartment community in Boulder to achieve LEED status. The announcement came after Apex 5510 received LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council last month. “Sustainability is a focal point for our company, and we know that it is a priority for many of the people who live and work in Boulder County,” said Brad Blash, co-founder and managing partner of Crossbeam Concierge, which partnered with Trammell Crow Residential on the development. “With easy access to bike trails, transportation systems and a station for the popular B-cycle program on site, Apex 5510 provides a great place to live in an environmentally friendly and thoughtful community.” The LEED rating system, developed by USGBC, is a program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. A community can achieve LEED certification after undergoing a technically rigorous process, including the incorporation of green strategies to achieve efficiency and healthy environments, including factors such as sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Apex 5510 met a long list of requirements, including: • Low-flow fixtures, reducing occupant water use and energy bills. • 30 percent energy reduction over baseline (IECC 2006) to reduce energy bills. • Sealed combustion equipment and mechanical ventilation to improve indoor air quality. • Eco-sensitive landscaping including a limited amount of turf, drought-tolerant plants and zoned irrigation for water conservation. • Home energy rating, or HERS, rating of at least 70 for each dwelling unit. “The LEED for Homes program provides a metric by which energy efficiency, indoor air quality and other green measures can be verified by third-party inspectors,” said Mark Bloomfield, principal at Sustainably Built LLC. “The Silver level of certification that Apex 5510 has achieved verifies that the project has implemented a significant number of green measures to reduce energy use, and improve occupant health and quality of life.” Griffis/Blessing announces retail, MF mgmt. contracts Griffis/Blessing recently announced three new management contracts. The company was awarded management of the Monument Plaza Shopping Center by owner Mountain Rock Properties LLC. Home to 14 tenants including Domino’s, American Family Insurance, Dirty Dogs Grooming and Wells Fargo, the 27,754-sf property is located at 481 Highway 105 West in Monument. Suzan Parra, commercial property manager, will head the management team overseeing day-today operations with assistance from Carrie Lanning, management assistant, and Tiffany Koschwitz, property accountant. The company also was selected by the receiver of Fountain Valley Shopping Center to manage the property. Located at U.S. Highway 85/87 in Fountain, the 73,320-sf retail plaza houses 22 tenants, including Cricket Wireless, Schnitzel King, Dollar General, Peak View Windows and La Flor Restaurant. Commercial Portfolio Manager Suzan Parra, with the assistance of Carrie Lanning, management assistant, Josh McFarland, property accountant, and Mark Fox, maintenance technician, will oversee day-to-day operations. And lastly, Griffis/Blessing was selected by the Verde Group LLC to handle the property management at The Gardens at Hidden Creek, formerly Alikar Gardens, located at 1117 Verde Drive in Colorado Springs. The community features 124 remodeled micro, one- and two-bedroom apartments. “We are excited for the opportunity to work with a new Colorado owner,” said Pat Stanforth, CPM, senior vice president of Multifamily Services. “Our experience and success in the multifamily market really speaks for itself as we continue to grow along the Colorado Front Range.” Carmen Azzopardi, CPM, is taking on the assignment as the district manager, and Derek Bylander will be the on-site property manager.