‘Green’ for rent: apartments are a first for OC

January 22nd, 2009, 3:57 pm · 17 Comments · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor

The apartments are handsome, with a high-end feel, and their conversion to “green” came a little bit late. But March 1, tenants will begin moving into Irvine’s 481-unit Main Street Village, Orange County’s first ready-to-rent, certifiably green apartment complex.

At first glance, it’s hard to see much difference. Most of the green features – recycled building materials, energy and water-saving fixtures, subtly altered design – are almost invisible until someone points them out.

The complex’s most unusual feature might be a “community garden,” where tenants can stake out a plot and grow ornamental plants, food crops or whatever they like — possibly the state’s first.

“We’ve looked hard, and we can’t find another rental community with an on-site community garden,” said Todd Morefield, a senior investment manager with the builder, MetLife.

The builder is trying for a silver “LEED” certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), but won’t receive the certificate until six months after all construction is completed in September.

Buying all the necessary “green” materials and consulting needed is so far costing MetLife just under $1 million, Morefield said. But he says it’s worth the price.

“Green-conscious buildings are part of a lifestyle we believe is definitely evolving and coming to the front,” Morefield said.

A tour of the brand-new building and grounds this week began with a restroom near the junior olympic-sized swimming pool: low-flush toilets and low-flow faucets to cut water use by 20 to 30 percent; “occupancy” sensors that switch off the lights if no one is in the room.

The same features are found in the apartment bathrooms as well. The apartments include a variety of hidden ‘green’ features, such as a fan built into the wall designed to pump in fresh air, and carpeting, paint and adhesives made from materials low in volatile organic compounds, a major pollutant.

“That’s to promote fresh air and healthy living,” Morefield said.

Metal, wood and plumbing are made of recycled materials.

“They aren’t manufactured from brand new materials,” Morefield said. “We’re using things that are left over; we’re not cutting down trees.”

Being LEED certified means not allowing smoke or odors to seep through walls; there is extra caulking and extra drywall to improve insulation, and “blower-door” tests to make sure nothing is transmitted between the units.

“Another added benefit is also noise reduction,” Morefield said.

The apartments are equipped with ”energy star” appliances so the complex can get a green building certification from the city of Irvine as well.

In a common room, floors are made of recycled hardwood. An internet lounge includes spare laptops and free wifi — not really a ‘green’ feature, but, like the large, well-equipped gym and small theater for watching DVDs, an extra meant to give the place a luxurious feel.

An indoor-outdoor fireplace is fueled by gas, not wood, to eliminate pollution from wood smoke.

Separate trash chutes keep landfill-bound waste and recyclables apart.

The parking garage is another point of pride for Morefield, though it, too, looks deceptively familiar at first. There are spaces set aside for hybrid cars, lighting aimed down, not up, to cut light pollution, and a simple change that could make a big difference: the lighting on the ceiling is moved away from the margins of the garage, which are open to natural light, and toward the center where it is darker.

That way, electric lighting is confined during the day to the part of the garage where it is most needed, increasing energy efficiency.

And light bulbs? Compact fluorescent, of course.

All that should save tenants 20 percent to 30 percent on utility bills, Morefield said.

One-bedroom units rent for $1,600, and the largest, three-bedroom units for $2,950.

Rent will be a bit higher than typical market value, he said, but little of that is a result of the green features. Instead, the amenities and quality of flooring, cabinets and other features will drive the rents a bit higher.

The builder is trying for the second tier of LEED — silver — because the decision to turn the complex green came after construction had started, preventing the company from including some advanced, architecture-related features, Morefield said. Starting a bit earlier might have earned it the next highest tier, gold.

The very highest level, platinum, was always out of reach for the large apartment complex, he said.

Other green apartments, including student housing at UC Irvine and some government subsidized housing, exist in Orange County. But canvassing by MetLife shows that Main Street Village will be the first complex in the county to be open to the general public and ready to rent.

Share this post:

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

lwps says:

January 23, 2009 at 7:43 am

Very sad to see this “first” in 2009. You definitely know that you are in Orange County.

Karl says:

January 23, 2009 at 7:46 am

A community gardern? It’s about frickin’ time – it’s only THE MOST popular hobby in the nation. God forbid we should eliminate some useless shrubbery and turf and put in something functional. How about using the ENITRE flat roof area, for added garden space. Leave it to Irvine to be the trend setter. $1600 for a 1 bedroom is a bit steep.

never ending fight for freedom says:

January 23, 2009 at 7:51 am

Give me a break, the “green features”, low flow fixtures, tiny vent fans & cfl’s. “add 1 mil”? that means “greening” cost’s $2,150 + or – per unit to follow the same code as anyone building or remodeling any where in Ca.
Save 30% over what?
There are no 5 gallon toilets left anywhere, they haven’t been sold for years, any one can buy cfl’s & open a window for gods sake.
Don’t forget to call hazmat when you break a cfl for the $80,000.00 mercury clean up!
Green schmean.

ttularc says:

January 23, 2009 at 8:22 am

never ending fight,

You fail to mention all the waste that is diverted from landfills, purchase of locally manufactured materials and use of low or no VOC materials. This place probably isn’t as “green” as it could be but at least a developer is starting to see the value of building sustainably. Who cares if it is just a selling point.

sowhat says says:

January 23, 2009 at 8:24 am

just another way to charge an outrageous price for an apartment in an already declining economy…

sunnsea says:

January 23, 2009 at 8:35 am

No solar panels? All that roof space wasted, soaking up the sun all day long? Sounds like a marketing ploy rather than really “green” development. Anyway, the rents are about $400 too high for the current market.

bpsqwerty says:

January 23, 2009 at 9:00 am

mostly marketing gimmicks… “preferred parking for hybrids”. which means the better parking is only for smug people who like to pat themselves on the back. sounds just like shopping at Fresh & Easy.

I’m not sure who would pay more to live here. I say give it a month, there will be weed growing in these gardens. “most popular hobby”? ya, OK. that just means old people have nothing better to do. I bet walking is more popular – we all do it some time.

Seriously? says:

January 23, 2009 at 9:02 am

Who hurt you people? Why do you have to be so cynical? OC gets its first development that’s even thinking about using recycled materials and you have to pick and poke? Let’s celebrate even the small steps. Come on, let’s get together on this.

snarf says:

January 23, 2009 at 9:04 am

I’m sure their intentions are honorable, but $2950 for a 3 bedroom apt, $1600 for a one bedroom apt, in this economy? Would the demographic slice who could afford this rent have the time or interest in staking out a plot of land in the on-site community garden to grow crops or ornamental vegetation? Just a thought….

by the way if this is anything like the place I currently live (which at a glance, it is), the roof probably absorbs a lot of heat which means your apartment will be absorbing a lot of heat and you’ll be running your air conditioner all day long. the author could have gone into some kind of detail explaining how or why this is beneficial. the diagram doesn’t really tell us why a less reflective roof is good!

January 23, 2009 at 9:24 am

85% or more of the population thinks that golobal warming is real – 100% of OC Register readers think that nobody should do anything about it.

January 23, 2009 at 10:55 am

ttularc;
YOU can do anything YOU like to “stop climate change”, the fact is there is nothing anyone can do to make a d@*n bit of difference.
So go have another glass of algor koolaid & go DO everything YOU can to save the planet, Just leave us out of your cult. 85%? you just pulled that # out of your ars. 85% of the people in your little cubical world maybe.

January 23, 2009 at 11:11 am

Wow, you are an amazing person. Actually, I am a card carrying Republican and I haven’t seen his movie so the Al Gore reference doesn’t really apply to me. Why don’t you tell me exactly what would be wrong with less resource extraction, less energy use, clean energy, growing a portion of your own food, buying locally, and being a decent member of society? I just don’t see an argument against moving towards a more sustainable society. Some polls show 85%, some show 40%, all are trending upwards. Get on board – and I am in the A/E industry so really I am doing what I can to make the world a little better.

http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/poll20071114/

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/26/opinion/polls/main2731709.shtml

Climate change says:

January 23, 2009 at 11:16 am

Climate change may or may not be happening. It is nevertheless our responsibility to be good stewards of the earth’s resources. This apartment project appears to be making an effort to use recycled materials, divert waste from landfills, and use energy responsibly. Can’t we celebrate that?

Nate says:

January 26, 2009 at 10:48 am

I agree with ttularc. Just because you want to make smart, green, often money-saving decisions doesn’t mean you’re a liberal tree-hugger.

thegreenevangel says:

January 26, 2009 at 1:09 pm

It is true that here in OC, as in the rest of the nation and world, instances of “greenwashing” may occur. It is also true that those involved or responsible should be honest in their motives and intentions in what is presented to the public. Therefore, the perspectives of the so called “cynics” who have blogged are useful in giving a reality check on who really profits from such undertakings. Also, the perspective of the “fanatics” should not be ignored if they are willing to explore possibilities for a better life for themselves and the ones they love. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and passion is respected from whichever side it comes. However, if we lose sight that we’re all in this together, then nobody wins. True reasonability allows one person to differ from another in opinion yet have mutual respect for one another after having REALLY looked at the situation from the others viewpoint AND UNDERSTOOD that viewpoint. It is up to each individual to make sure there is room in their own selves for listening and understanding, peace and respectful resolution in service to one another. To not serve is to not live.

Green Mom says:

January 29, 2009 at 11:27 am

I’m really excited that more sustainable living spaces are even an option in the ever sprawling OC. Clearly, a great deal of thought and planning went into this project and they considered all of the sustainable options with regard to peoples priorities. The utilities will be much lower than comparable homes and living in a multi-family residential building which is in walking distance to many things is the greenest living investment. I can’t wait to check it out!

Orange County Register

‘Green’ for rent: apartments are a first for OC

January 22nd, 2009, 3:57 pm · 17 Comments · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor

Reader Comments

17 Comments

Recent Comments

Blogroll

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

16th annual People’s Choice

ADVERTISE OPTIONS

CONTACT OCREGISTER

OCR SERVICES

NEWS YOUR WAY

ADVERTISING

PARTNERS