There Goes the Neighborhood

Word on the retail streets is that the shopping center industry is lagging behind the green movement. But a closer look uncovers something quite different—that developers may just be leading the way.

In July it was announced that 321 North, a mixed-use redevelopment in Plantation, Fla., had been accepted into the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development pilot program. The project’s acceptance puts 321 North among an elite group involved in evaluating the standards set forth by the program’s rating system, which will be the first national rating system for neighborhood design. According to the USGBC, only communities that protect and enhance the overall health, natural environment and quality of life by reducing vehicular traffic, promoting pedestrian foot and public-transit activity and promoting efficient energy and water use are accepted into this program.

“The LEED for Neighborhood Development program is designed to go beyond the single green building approach and focus on design and development on a communitywide scale,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC. “Our pilot projects are pioneers—paving the way for the development of smarter and healthier communities.” The program is a collaboration of the USGBC, the Congress for the New Urbanism and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Currently in the approval phase, 321 North will be built on a 33-acre site strategically situated in what is slated to become the City of Plantation’s urban core. The $350-million residential, office, shopping, dining and entertainment project will spring from the redevelopment of the largely vacant, enclosed Plantation Fashion Mall, owned by U.S. Capital Holdings, and surrounding office and hotel components. The mall will be largely demolished and reconstructed in an open-air Main Street format. Upon completion, 321 North will yield approximately 525,000 sq. ft. of retail, office components and residential space. The development is an integral part of the City of Plantation’s master plan to build an urban town center, called Plantation Midtown.

Applying green building standards to an entire community is no easy task. According to project architect Jonathan Cardello, the learning curve has been the greatest challenge.

“I think that any professional who is working on a project of this scale, with the neighborhood development component, is learning,” he said. “The municipalities are learning, the architects are learning, the engineers are learning. We are taking each piece and determining how far we can take it toward a green, sustainable strategy.”

The green strategy includes features such as highly efficient mechanical and plumbing systems, energy-efficient glazing, paints and finishes that enhance indoor air quality, the incorporation of greenways, links to public transportation, open spaces, an onsite filtration pond, and a heavily vegetated parking structure that will help mitigate the heat of the sun.

As the architects and developers drive the project, they are quick to realize that the future tenants may not adapt to the green notion so easily.

“Green retail is in the early stages in general, relative to other sectors such as office,” said Paul D’Arelli, legal counsel for 321 North and the first and only Florida-based attorney with the designation in the USBGC Web-site directory of LEED Accredited Professionals. “The USGBC is now developing a special application of the LEED Commercial Interior rating for retail, and surely we will see growth in that area as the data seems to suggest increased sales in daylit stores, energy efficiencies and healthier workplaces for employees.”

“321 North is a stepping stone,” Cardello added. “Hopefully this project will contribute to making future projects easier and more accomplishable. And it will help the City of Plantation take a significant step toward becoming a sustainable community.”