The Village on Stanford affordable living boasts energy efficiency

Representatives say new housing sure to save residents some dough

DAVIDYOUNG@COLORADOAN.COM • JUNE 16, 2010

Motioning to a flat-screen monitor displaying the energy output of new solar panels installed as part of a $10 million renovation to a Fort Collins’ affordable apartment complex, Jeff Valloric, construction manager with the Fort Collins Housing Authority, or FCHA, noted the system had produced the equivalent electricity of 24,000 light bulbs Tuesday.

The savings was just one example of new sustainability measures in affordable housing.

Federal and state representatives champion the newly retrofitted The Village on Stanford, 2631 Stanford Road, as one of the most energy efficient in the country.

“This is an example to all American cities your size,” said Rick Garcia, Rocky Mountain regional director, at a media tour of the complex Tuesday. “This is the future.”

The 80-unit affordable-housing complex built in 1969 underwent an extensive $10.1 million acquisition and yearlong renovation, while residents continued to live there.

Upgrades included a net-zero clubhouse, geothermal heating and cooling and energy-efficient building designs, such as new windows and doors.

The project was funded through public and private partnerships, including FortZED, The Atmosphere Conservancy, or TAC, working in partnership with the Fort Collins Housing Authority, 1stBank, the Governor’s Energy Office, and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

Tom Plant, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, lauded the cooperation among all parties to communicate and complete the pro-ject.

“(This is a) fantastic story all around as a model for the country,” said Plant, who believes net-zero energy structures, like the clubhouse, are the future of building.

The clubhouse’s electricity is provided by photovoltaic panels. Water is heated by thermal panels, creating 90 percent efficiency. All appliances are Energy Star rated, reducing energy use and thus utility bills for residents, who represent citizens earning 30 to 60 percent of the region’s average income.

The project during the next 20 years will prevent more than 1,000 tons of greenhouse gas from being emitted and save $118,000 in energy costs, according to the TAC.

The improvements are expected to generate more than $4,000 in cost savings annually for the housing authority, said Alex Blackmer, executive director of the TAC, who dubbed the project “more art than construction.” Blackmer said he is currently in talks with the Loveland Housing Authority and Milliken Housing Authority to do similar projects.

Janice Tyler, 52, resides at The Village on Stanford with her husband, Ronnie. In November, Tyler moved from New Hampshire into the apartment and said she really likes the upgrades.

The fact that they remodeled the complex with the environment in mind is good for the tenants’ well-being, said Tyler, who likes the solar energy and skylights in her unit.

The Village on Stanford is an example of a larger effort by the FCHA to establish energy-efficient affordable housing in Fort Collins. In 2009, the authority began incorporating “green” building practices into all of its more than 700 properties.