Georgia mixed-use project is slated for LEED neighborhood certification

Savannah, Ga. Developer Melaver said Thursday that is mixed-use redevelopment of a 27-acre parcel near Savannah, Ga., has earned the designation of the state’s first neighborhood to be certified as a green-building development.

Sustainable Fellwood will be presented with a LEED-ND (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development) Silver certification upon the completion of the entire site. 

With nine LEED-certified projects representing over 1.5 million sq. ft. of commercial and residential green-building experience, master developer Melaver proposed the tax-credit project in 2007, which now serves as the forerunner for all of Georgia’s mixed-income building projects.

The Sustainable Fellwood team worked with Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs to re-write the state’s 200-point scoring program, used by the DCA to evaluate and prioritize tax-credit proposals, to provide significant incentives to LEED projects.

The $50 million mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood redevelopment broke ground in Sept. 2008, and celebrated the completion of its Phase I development in May 2009.

Sustainable Fellwood is the site of Savannah’s first public-housing project, and is a principal component of the historic city’s Westside Development Revitalization Plan. The development, said Melaver, is a showcase for environmentally responsible, affordable housing, with engineered “in-community” livability and access to public transportation.

The community-created project with the Housing Authority of Savannah features multi-family buildings, single-family homes, a senior-housing facility, retail and commercial/office space.