New, Different Affordable Housing, Colorado Court, Is Rising In S.M.

Clara Sturak
Associate editor

   A new affordable housing complex is going up in Santa Monica, but this one is different. 
   Colorado Court, located at the corner of Colorado and 5th Streets, will be the first of its kind: a 100% "green" affordable housing project. It's a combined effort of the City of Santa Monica, The Community Corporation of Santa Monica, and Santa Monica architects Pugh Scarpa Kodama. Experts on everything from solar heating to energy-saving strategies, to ecologically appropriate building processes were hired to consult on the project, to assure that it met not only Santa Monica's "green" standards, but the far more rigorous standards set by the U.S. Green Council.
   According to architect Larry Scarpa, "the project originally had different architects. At the time we took over, the City had required that the project be "green," but at that time, green meant using solar panels, and maybe a few other [environmentally friendly] things. We wanted to do much more than that." 
   The building will have 44 "single room occupancy" units, each with its own kitchen and bath. Although the units are small (375 square feet), they have a roomy feel, thanks to high ceilings, and the most efficient use of natural light. Explains Scarpa, "the original schematics for the building were east/west. That is the worst way to orient a building for solar conditions. We changed the orientation to north/south, so it would be more efficient."
   The Community Corp of Santa Monica owns many affordable housing units in the city, some new, some rehabilitated older buildings. This will be the first of their buildings to be so environmentally sound. Says Community Corp Project Director Robin Raida; "I am personally very excited about it. I think it's the direction that new buildings need to go in. As I understand, 50% of energy is consumed by the building industry."
   The complex is built in the fashion of older apartment buildings; which were constructed before air conditioning was widely available. Using a "three bar" breezeway, awnings, and other tricks of the trade, Pugh Scarpa Kodama has designed a building which will best utilize the fair weather in Santa Monica most efficiently, thus reducing the need for both air conditioning and heat. If and when heat is needed, an innovative gas-fired co-generation system, in which a turbine produces electricity and heat on the roof of the building and distributes it to in-unit radiators, is in place.
   Also in place is a system of water reclamation that began as a requirement of the City, but has again taken on bigger proportions. "The city has a demonstration project for stormwater reclamation," explains Scarpa, "and for this building to comply we needed to mitigate at least 20% of the stormwater run-off [created by our structure]." Instead, thanks to an ambitious underground chamber system, and the coincidental fact that Colorado Court is located "at the low end of the alley," Pugh Scarpa Kodama's project director for Colorado Court Angela Brooks estimates that the project will mitigate almost 100% of the entire block's stormwater run-off. (FYI, the water is not recycled for other uses. The stormwater goes into the underground chambers, and is then slowly reabsorbed back into the earth).
   Colorado Court will be entirely powered by 2x5 foot Solar Panels which cover the west facade of the building and wrap onto its roof. However, the building will still be connected to the City's power grid, and in some cases will actually give power back to it. 
   Pugh Scarpa Kodama and the Community Corp have been working with the City of Santa Monica and Southern California Edison to come up with an "incentive-type" plan, which would allot a certain amount of energy to each resident per month, and would award those who did not use the full amount with rebates on their energy bills. However, as of this moment, the idea has proved too difficult to implement. The Community Corp will instead pay for the building's utilities. Says Robin Raida, "it was a matter of not being able to sub-meter the property. Instead we might try to set something up on our own -- it would be nice to have an incentive program [for tenants who conserve energy]." 
   Adds Scarpa, "We've been very ambitious with this project, and it's been a real team effort. The City and Community Corp have been great," but he adds that perhaps the idea of "incentivizing energy use" was a little too ambitious. He hopes, however, that the team can devise some innovative solution for the energy use issue.
   While planning the project, it became a personal goal of Scarpa's to comply with the strict standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, particularly during construction of the building itself. "We've been working with the contractor on even very small technical things, " using the most energy efficient products and methods available. "We want to have the highest LEED rating possible throughout the project," says Scarpa. Construction on the project will be completed in fall of 2001.
   Colorado Court's units will rent for between $316 and $365. They will be available to low-income residents culled from the Community Corp's waiting list, who meet the low-income requirements for this building. Twenty-two units will be rented to people making less than $12,775 yearly, another 22 to those making less than $14,600 yearly (these figures are based on 35 - 40% of the current median income of $36,500). According to Raida, the typical demographic for a building such as Colorado Court would include full time workers earning minimum wage, and people on fixed incomes such as retirees and the disabled.
   The Community Corp's waiting list currently numbers over 1,000 people. It will be taking new applications for the list beginning in January 2001. For more information, call (310) 394-8487.