A Developing Story

The green movement extends beyond government agencies and nonprofit groups, spurring action among civic-minded leaders, builders and developers.

---

“The most important green features are not the bells and whistles. It’s good insulation. It’s good sealing of leaks. It’s good ventilation of the house.”
– Kathy Grell, developer

---

Reviewing a report on the lack of available housing in Park Rapids led Kathy Grell, a developer and builder of affordable housing in Park Rapids and her husband, Larry, to develop nine acres of land into a neighborhood of 37 affordable homes.

“We didn’t plan to make our houses so green or energy-efficient,” said Grell, a teacher who turned finance manager after receiving her MBA from the University of St. Thomas. “It just seemed to make sense.”

The couple started planning the development in 2000 and built the first home in 2004. Their affordable housing development has been embraced, even during a housing slowdown. Thirty of the thirty-seven lots have been sold. “I think this is a program that can be duplicated,” Grell said.

Larry has completed training in green building techniques while Kathy has shepherded homeowners through the often lengthy home buying process. She has developed relationships with government agencies to provide the programs and financial support to the homebuyers.

“When I hear people say, ‘I never thought I’d own a home,’ or, ‘I never imagined I’d have a home like this,’ it is really rewarding,” Grell said. “It’s common sense”. IQ

Wealth & Wellness

 

Minnesota is leading a revolution in the building industry, proving that green housing is more than a trendy statement. Reduced energy costs and improved health benefits are engineered into many new developments.

“These housing units give priority to both people and the environment,” said Rosemary Dolata, architect and program manager of Aeon, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit housing developer that built Ripley Gardens and 1,700 other affordable units in Minnesota.

The results of the Hollen family’s new living situation became evident at her daughter’s medical appointment shortly after moving into Ripley Gardens. “The doctor asked why we didn’t refill her inhalers,” Hollen said. “I told him it was because she didn’t need them.”

Within six months of living in her two-bedroom unit in Ripley Gardens, Hollen has seen a noticeable difference in her daughter’s health. Her teenage daughter has gone from using her inhaler three times each week to only a few times each year. “My daughter’s asthma has cleared up,” Hollen said. “We’re not spending money on her asthma medication.”

 

The Greening of Minnesota

Five years ago, the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and metro-based partner, Family Housing Fund, set an ambitious goal of making all affordable housing in Minnesota green.

“Most affordable housing in Minnesota was not green four or five years ago,” said Warren Hanson, president of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (GMHF). “Minnesota Housing Finance Agency had high design standards for rental housing, but single-family affordable homes were built to basic building code standards. Homes were not energy efficient. They did not have the best insulation, and the monthly utility bills were often more than people could afford.”

GMHF and the Family Housing Fund responded by creating the Minnesota Green Communities initiative, part of a nationwide effort to promote the creation of affordable, healthier and more energy- efficient housing in both multi-family rental projects and singlefamily homes.

In 2009, the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency adopted the Green Communities criteria as a mandatory requirement for all affordable housing financed with state dollars. “I am proud of the fact that we have been able to build momentum statewide,” said MHFA Commissioner Dan Bartholomay.

---

“The result is good for communities, good for the environment, and good for the economy. We continue to maximize our investments by encouraging people to live near transportation and other community amenities, lowering long-term operating costs and reducing environmental impact.”
- Dan Bartholomay, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency

---

Because of this partnership, Minnesota has become a national model for how to integrate green into affordable housing policy.With more than 3,000 units completed, under construction or in development, Minnesota Green Communities has become the largest green building program in the state.

“We’re the only state that has gone this green,” Hanson said.

The local movement is gaining national attention for model projects that range from Ripley Gardens in Minneapolis to River Rock Townhomes, a rental townhome development for homeless and people with disabilities in Little Falls.

“People are going to look at these homes and once they see them, say I want to live here,” said Matt Becker, an architect with Helenske Design Group, which designed the River Rock development that will be completed in October.

To ensure affordability, energy efficiency is essential in existing homes as well as new developments. In central Minnesota, the Initiative Foundation has partnered with the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) to install solar panels that provide supplementary heating to low-income homes. The panels deliver sun-warmed air that reduces the demand on furnaces and saves homeowners up to 30 percent on annual heating expenses.

“It’s a project with a wide spectrum of benefits,” said Initiative Foundation President Kathy Gaalswyk. “There’s some immediate financial relief for low-income families, but it also helps the environment and saves public funds that would otherwise be used for energy assistance. Hopefully, the federal weatherization efforts will make even more of an impact.”