The commonwealth's nonprofit affordable housing developers are outgreening their market-rate peers, bringing green building up to scale statewide.
For nearly a decade Virginia has offered green-building incentives for developers competing for housing tax credits. The effort has resulted in an increase in green building and innovative design, and as a bonus, developers and tenants are now seeing healthier living environments at reduced operating costs and living expenses.
Seeing green building as a wise investment, Virginia now stipulates tax credit projects receive third-party green-certification. Celia Slater of AHC, Inc., a nonprofit developer, writes in Shelterforce that any additional upfront design and construction costs of green building are smaller than many think, and make enough sense that once Virginia's affordable housing developers try it, they rarely go back.
Thanks to Matthew Brian Hersh
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