Green Building

NEF Invests in "Green"

Some people are surprised to find the affordable housing industry at the forefront of innovative, environmentally sound development, but our efforts have long been about high-quality, high-impact projects, the kind that help build dynamic sustainable communities, the kind that anchor long-term growth and nurture local opportunity.

At NEF, we have been fueling life-changing low-income housing for nearly 25 years, with projects like Lexington Farms Subdivision (below) and Near North Apartments, an acclaimed Chicago SRO and winner of an AHF Readers' Choice Award in 2007. Both are standouts for the quality of their housing and resident services, but they are also among the greenest projects in the country. View more developments in NEF's diverse portfolio of green investments.

Lexington Farms Subdivision

Ground breaking solar/wind powered modular housing in Jerseyville, IL

100 Percent Self-Sustaining Green Modular Housing
Lexington Farms is designed as a "net zero" energy community. Each home is equipped with sufficient solar modules to produce 75 percent of estimated energy needs, and three wind powered generators will be installed to supply the remaining 25 percent of power needs. The use of wind and solar powered TWAIN Street Lighting Systems, which are 100 percent self-sustaining, provide lighting for the neighborhood from sunset to dawn.

Innovative Financing
In one of the most tumultuous times in the history of the LIHTC program, sponsor Capstone Development, was able to be creative and flexible to attract multiple sources of financing to this innovative project. The tax credit award came from the State’s federal disaster credit allocation pool. In addition, IHDA provided $1.5 million in 1602 Exchange funds to make the project feasible. Due to the multiple energy features of the development, Capstone also qualified for an energy grant from the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, as well as nearly $700,000 in federal 1603 renewable energy grant funds.

Impact on Residents
Lexington Farms offers 32 affordable new homes with cutting edge renewable energy resources to low income families in Jerseyville, where one-third of all families earn less than $25,000 per year and the median family income is 36 percent lower than the rest of Illinois. No other area rental community can compare with the quality, size and lack of utility cost that Lexington Farms has to offer. Amenities include a clubhouse/resource center building, computer room and common area. The site manager coordinates community gatherings, and residents are always kept up to date with current information from area service agencies.

Resources

Special Report: Building Green Sustainable Communities
NEF, Inc. and our parent, LISC, have together invested in grants, loans and equity in a wide range of green projects, the majority of which involve affordable housing. Green is part of LISC's broader Building Sustainable Communities agenda to make low-income communities good places to live, work, do business and raise families. Read more about how LISC and NEF are supporting green building, green energy and green jobs that have a clear on-the-ground impact in the places we work. Read more about how we are working to build sustainable communities.

Green Development Center
LISC's Green Development Center provides financial resources, technical information, partnership opportunities, and education to LISC programs and the community development field to support the use of green design, construction, and management principles in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Learn more.

Green Rehab Guide for Multifamily Properties
The Green Guide for Rehab is an accessible and in-depth tool to help affordable housing owners and their consultants integrate green building and energy efficiency into the upgrades of their multifamily properties. Bay Area LISC developed the guide with Build It Green, a Berkeley based non-profit organization promoting healthy and energy efficient housing. The 58-page guide contains four sections site condition and systems, building construction, mechanical systems and interior spaces with advice on incorporating the green building principles of energy efficiency, water conservation, resource conservation, and healthy indoor environments. It also looks at the cost and cost-effectiveness of green strategies to assist affordable housing developers in making decisions about which measures to include in their rehab projects. Access the Guide.