Loudoun-based attainable housing developer Good Works and Maryland-based Green Street Housing on Friday plan a groundbreaking for Waxpool Apartments, a 52-unit affordable apartment building and, they say, possibly the most energy-efficient building in the county.
According to the developers, it will be the first building in Loudoun County certified by four separate green building programs: National Green Building Standard Silver, U.S. Department of Energy’s EnergyStar Multifamily New Construction standards and Zero Energy Ready program, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Indoor airPLUS. Those certifications variously examine energy, water and resource efficiency, renewable energy use, lot development, operations and maintenance, and indoor air quality.
“As of right now, I think it is safe to say the Waxpool project is certainly in rarified air; less than three in the state would be a good guess,” Conway Energy President Chris Conway stated. His firm will be responsible for monitoring and testing throughout construction to ensure the building meets all those standards.
“It will require about 700 pages of documentation to get this building fully certified,” he stated.
All 52 units at the four-story Waxpool Apartments building will meet Universal Design standards, and 236 rooftop solar panels will provide more than 150,000 kWh of onsite power generation, offsetting nearly 70% of the projected need for the building’s common areas and public lighting. Parking will be underneath the building.
It also provides all of the county’s required Affordable Dwelling Units for the Waxpool Crossing development, plus 39 more, altogether three times the number of ADUs required. It is financed in part with a $2.5 million loan from the Loudoun County Housing Trust Fund.
The apartment building is planned at the corner of Waxpool Road and Ashburn Village Boulevard, less than a mile walk to the new Ashburn Metrorail Station. In addition to a playground on site, the building’s future residents will also have access to the amenities of Waxpool Crossing including a basketball court, outside grilling area with a fire pit, a larger community playground, bocce ball court, trike track, dog park, and walking trails.
“Once upon a time, attainable housing had a bad reputation for being poorly built,” Good Works Managing Partner Kim Hart stated. “While keeping our construction costs within the strict limits of Virginia Housing, we are proving that new construction in Loudoun County can still be green and sustainable. I hope this will help attract young people to our industry and make those who live here feel very proud.”
“The unit mix at the project consists of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units,” Green Street Housing co-owner Tom Ayd stated. “Our goal is to provide workforce housing to those individuals and families who will be attracted to this location so close to the Metro.”
Occupancy is planned for late fall of 2023. The waiting list for new residents will open next summer.
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