By Sophia Khori
Murphy News Service
A St. Olaf College music professor has purchased the first Green Homes North house — an affordable, energy efficient house that’s part of a new initiative to revitalize North Minneapolis.
Green Homes North is a partnership among the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, Family Housing Fund and the Twin Cities Land Bank. The goal of the program is to build 100 green homes on the North Side. To date, 27 homes are either under construction or completely built and 20 more homes are in the works for 2014.
Jay Isenberg is the designer of Robert Smith’s home in the Victory neighborhood. He said he was motivated to get involved in Green Homes North after working on rebuilding projects following the North Minneapolis tornado and the foreclosure crisis.
Isenberg said it’s become industry standard for architects and builders to design houses with energy-saving and sustainable features. What sets this project apart is the location. “These homes are being built in the neighborhoods that have suffered over time from poor design, cheaper materials and a lack of concern for long term sustainability and community stabilization,” he said.
The design process was on a fast track. It took four months for the project to go from land purchase to the final closing.
Green Homes North homes are single-family homes priced from $150,000 to $250,000. They range from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet and typically have three bedrooms and two to three bathrooms.
In his new North Minneapolis home, Smith has three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The design features “loft-like and light filled open plan home that was both contemporary and contextual to the surrounding neighborhood,” Isenberg said.
Smith said that North Minneapolis and the neighborhoods surrounding his new home, only three homes down from his previous home, is a rich place with accessible biking trails and lanes as well as genuine neighbors and historic value.
Smith’s favorite part of the home is the openness and light. The energy efficiency features and sustainable building materials are also impressive and result in lower utility bills, he said.
Smith said egress windows and extra insulation were two green features that encouraged him to invest.
There was also a green approach taken with some of the landscaping features, including native plants for half the lot and a rain barrel to collect water for a variety of purposes.
Smith said that Green Homes North homes are an ideal investment for first-time homebuyers because of their thoughtful construction.
Isenberg said it is great to see young couples and families make the move to North Minneapolis, but encourages new buyers of any background to consider homes in the program.
His parents grew up on the North Side.
“The rich historical and social culture they were part of is embedded in me and a constant source of inspiration,” he said.
Sophia Khori is studying Journalism at the University of Minnesota.
For more information, go to http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cped/housing/GreenHomesNorth.