Mueller Austin Among Best Green Real Estate in U.S.

By DeeinAustin™

We've been celebrating our own Green Week here at the Texas Realty Blog.

• Monday, we provided some background on the topic and pointed to green certifications and events that are coming to Austin and Texas.
• Wednesday was an addition to our popular Gotcha Guide™ series where we gave you 5 Quick, Easy Green Home Fixes that you can do today for low cost.
• Today, we'll honor top green real estate communities and why they are successful.

CAN GREEN BE AFFORDABLE AND LOOK "NORMAL"?

Some of my clients are custom green home builders who specialize in infill development.

It can be challenging to build a high-quality, beautiful green home in an existing neighborhood while trying to keep prices affordable. If you find a good green custom home builder, the home won't look odd for an area...or too cookie cutter. Affordable development is often achievable through tax incentives and programs.

These green real estate developments took it a step further and built entire green communities that are sustainable, diverse, and walkable, the principals of new urbanism.

Many made strides that set the bar for other home builders and developers in this arena.

TOP GREEN REAL ESTATE COMMUNITIES THAT DARED TO BE DIFFERENT

Here are my favorites from Natural Home Magazine's Top 10 Eco-Friendly Neighborhoods.

• Greenbridge, Chapel Hill, N.C A downtown redevelopment project that promotes human and ecological health. About 75 percent of the materials from the original demolition have been reused.

• Stapleton, Denver A former airport, Stapleton is the largest urban-infill redevelopment project in the United States, with 47,000 acres of reclaimed land a few minutes from the center of the city. The development is in the LEED pilot program.

• This 340-acre brownfield redevelopment on the former Charleston Naval base will house 7,000 families when it's complete. Homes are being built to LEED standards with solar and geothermal energy available.

• Pringle Creek Community, Salem, Ore. The community integrates 130 carbon-neutral /net-zero residences with LEED-certified retail and community buildings.

ON THE LIST...MUELLER AUSTIN, STILL ONE OF THE TOP GREEN COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S.

The Mueller Austin redevelopment made the list, of course. I'm on the City of Austin advisory commission for the 711-acre redevelopment. Mueller was most closely modeled after Stapleton, Denver.

Mueller Austin includes several lakes, a vibrant town center, and integrated transit to keep the community connected while reducing the need for multiple family cars. The Seton Children's Medical Center at Mueller is among the greenest hospitals in the nation. Seton also moved their headquarters to Mueller, which will host University of Texas' medical research facilities. The new Austin Children's Shelter breaks ground next week at Mueller.

• 3-Star Green Homes are Currently Available from Standard Pacific at Mueller.
  
• 5-Star Green Homes are Now Available from Streetman Homes at Mueller.

Read about the rest of the top green real estate communities at Natural Home Magazine's website. 

LIKE THIS TOPIC? HERE'S ADDITIONAL GREEN READING

• Top 10 Green-Friendly Neighborhoods.
• Modern prefab homes can be a good green solution.
• Austin Green Builders: Clark-Wilson and Mantissa.
• Texas encourages better green business practices.
• Is Hutto, Texas the next new urbanist metropolist?
• Galveston and the Texas Coast answer to new urbanism.
• ADDED: Mueller redevelopment called Austin's new "Eco-Hood".

Comments

[Dee Copeland]

Received via email: "
Dee, great article about Mueller. What a terrific community. I visited the Streetman Homes there because they are the only 5-Star Green builder.....what a great home. They are really beautiful....so much warmer than most Green homes in Austin. Thank you for sharing this community with us.....keep up the blog!"

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My reply: You're right. The Texas Hill Country Modern style is very nice and blends in with surrounding neighborhoods. For people who like this modern take on Crafstman, the Mueller development could be for you.

[Dee Copeland]

Received via email" DeeinAustin, I had no idea the homes at Mueller were so nice….and green! I thought it was only lower priced homes. The Streetman Homes you showed are really sweet! What a great thing for people wanting a home in Central Austin that is nice and not over priced.
Thank you for sharing……I'm a big fan!"

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My reply: James, Mueller is the largest, most sustainable neighborhood in Austin. I hope to see others develop the building practices implemented there. I'm very happy to have been appointed to the City Advisory Board for Mueller. Austin had a lot riding on this redevelopment and looks like it was worth the gamble.