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ANOTHER 2010 AFFORDABLE HOUSING WINNER!

PASEO SENTER at Coyote Creek, an affordable housing development, won an Award of Excellence in Design from the American Institute of Architects and HUD (Housing and Urban Development). The 218 unit project is home to single-parent households, formerly homeless tenants, and victims of domestic violence. The development features high density for a mainly suburban area: 44 units per acre. In keeping with the City’s green building focus, we are proud to say that Paseo Senter exceeds Title 24, California’s strict energy-efficiency standards, by 15%. Energy use is very low, reducing the utility costs to low-income residents. To learn more, click here.

Green Building Ordinance

On June 23, 2009, the City of San Jose adopted a Green Building Ordinance for New Private Sector Construction. The Ordinance implements the Green Building Policy adopted by City Council on October 7, 2008. The new ordinance establishes the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED and Build it Green’s Green Point Rated rating systems as the mandatory green building standards for the City. A refundable deposit is required at the time of building permit issuance to ensure compliance with the green building requirements. The Ordinance states that affordable housing projects receiving funding from the City shall be subject to the green building requirements but will not be required to pay the deposit which can reach a maximum of $30,000. The Housing Department will ensure that all provisions of the ordinance are met. In the event conditions are not met, the Housing Department is required to pay the deposit as a fee. The Ordinance will become effective as of September 1, 2009.