On February 27, 2018, another Moving Forward development began its journey toward developing energy-efficient affordable housing with integrated transportation solutions. Pedcor Companies was joined by state and local officials, as well as partner organizations, to celebrate the groundbreaking of 34 new affordable housing units in Bloomington, Ind.
The development, called B-Line Heights, will be an affordable housing development targeting residents with 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), and will include a number of unique features including solar panels (pending regulatory approval), above-average construction techniques to create a tighter building envelope, and mechanical components that will help reduce the energy consumption by tenants. B-Line Heights is located in the heart of downtown Bloomington as part of the new Trades District.
Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton attended the event, and said emphasized the importance of having affordable housing central to their downtown and “new economy” at the Trades District.
“Bloomington is the kind of place that wants that mix of affordable housing in the heart of the city, in the heart of the economy, and in a sustainable way,” said Hamilton.
B-Line Heights affordable housing development. Design schematic courtesy of Pedcor Investments.
The Moving Forward program, an initiative of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and Energy Systems Network (ESN), focuses on reducing the total cost of ownership for residents by looking holistically at costs of owning and maintaining housing and transportation. In addition to IHCDA and ESN providing expertise, along with ESN’s global network of subject matter experts, Purdue University has supported the program through energy modeling out of its Center for High Performance Buildings.
ESN’s President and CEO Paul Mitchell shared that the building science is just one component of creating a new model for affordable housing development.
ESN President and CEO Paul Mitchell describes the “science- and physics-based modeling” required to design such an efficient development.
“The next series of challenges is how do you wrap around services for the people that are living in these developments so that you’re not just making a build environment sustainable, but you’re making the lives of those in the development as sustainable as possible as well,” said Mitchell.
The event included state and local officials from Senator Todd Young’s office, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch’s office, the City of Bloomington, as well as leadership from ESN and Duke Energy, the utility provider for the property.
“[This project] is an excellent example of what can happen when private and public institutions come together to combine with innovation and community spirit.” – Melody Birmingham-Byrd, president of Duke Energy Indiana
The Moving Forward program currently has six developments in progress across the state, including Posterity Heights in Fort Wayne which broke ground in September 2017. Other properties in progress include Indianapolis, Lafayette, East Chicago and Gary.
