For anyone who doesn’t know UT was invited to participate in the bi-annual Solar Decathalon hosted but the US Department of Energy in Washington DC last year.  It’s a very prestigious honor to be invited to participate and UT placed 8th out of 20 teas competing.  Basically, they are tasked with building a sustainable net zero home that is affordable and functional and then have to market the home as well as entertain in it.

Living Light is the name of their home and it will be coming to Nashville around the 21st of Feb for an event at TVA and then be moved for Centennial Park for the public to tour through April 1.  Here is a link to the events and open times for the duration of it’s time in Nashville.

For more information on the actual decathlon and what the judging criteria is and the winner here is my blog about the event.

The City Paper announced yesterday that a bill has been introduced to Metro Council to allow for chickens to be kept at Urban dwellings.  From a Real Estate perspective, I hear there is some trepidation about having any kind of livestock in densely populated neighborhoods because the smells, sounds, and sanitation could affect property values.  It’s a fair question and fortunately many cities have had chicken ordinances in affect for years and should be a good indicator of whether this is an issue.

First though,  let me clarify that there are currently well over 65 US cities including Chicago, Phoenix, Miami, NYC, Seattle, Baltimore, etc.. that allow back yard chickens with varying degrees of limitation and regulation.  Secondly, let me also clarify that hens are small, quiet, don’t require a lot of space, eat bugs and other pests, and in general are well suited for city living.  You cannot and should not compare them to say owning a cow or even dog for that matter, even their waste can be used in compost as opposed to doggie doo.

What about Real Estate?  I  spent about an hour looking on line for some evidence of chickens affecting property values and could not find a single article or example of this being an issue.  My more or less scientific approach was to then take this recent article from Forbes on the top 10 housing markets that are appreciating in value to see which if any of these cities allow for chickens.

Here are my results:

• Indianapolis, IN -   Chickens are legal, no limits on amount and roosters are allowed as well.   Chickens are subject to normal pet ownership laws.
• Springfield, MO -  Voted October 2010 to allow for backyard chickens
• Denver, CO – chickens have been allowed for some time.  They even have an annual event the “tour de coup.”
• Albuquerque, NM -  allows up to 15 chickens and one rooster.  You may even slaughter for food. (not my bag but noteworthy none the less)
• Colorado Springs, CO – 10 chickens and no roosters.
• San Antonio, TX – you may have up to 5 livestock animals (including sheeps, goats, pigs, cows) and of that number 3 can be chickens without a permit.
• Nashville, TN -  TBD (seriously we are the only ones on here who don’t allow chickens)
• Austin, TX – Up to 10 chickens allowed and they do a funky chicken coop tour
• McAllen, TX -  you may have up to 6 per acre
• Raleigh, NC – no limit on number of chickens kept

Interestingly enough, I thought for kicks that I would use this article on America’s ten sickest housing Markets to see if these cities allow for chickens.  I was actually a little shocked!  Of the 10 cities listed, only 3 of them allow backyard chickens.    I am not suggesting that chickens are a catalyst in driving market value but I think I have safely proven that they don’t appear to be hurting it!

If you would like more information the best source locally is UCAN (Urban Chicken advocates  of Nashville).  In addition,  here is a FAQ from another city that I think answers just about every question I have heard locally.   I realize this bill may not be for everybody but I always cringe when objections are raised that are inaccurate or uninformed.   Regardless of where you stand,  this will be up for debate and your council person is looking for your input in the coming weeks.

The current owners of 5th and Main have announced their intention to auction 25 of their units Sat November 5th.  Units will begin at 95k and go up in the upper 200′s for the town homes.     The reason this is noteworthy in the sustainability realm is because project initially was built to achieve LEED Silver certification.  While there has not been money or a consistent building owner to follow through with this in the last few years, I have personally seen the many green features.  They have included water source heat pumps for heating and cooling, large low ‘e’ coated windows, green vegetation roof top garden, use of indegenous plants, preferred parking for fuel efficient cars and carpoolers, low VOC carpets and paints, and much more.

With pricing now potentially well under 150k, close proximity to downtown, modern urban design,  this is a very cool opportunity to but enjoy the benefits of greener living in an unheard of price point.

You are free to preview the units in the coming weeks and there is a block party this Saturday if you would like to get to know the community.  In addition, you can finance a unit but you have to use the current owner’s preferred lender.   I believe the primary reason for this is that the current building owner wants to see the potential buyer pre-approved prior to auction with a lender they can guarantee will follow through with the loan.  Condos are a different lending animal than single family homes and can way laid in the underwriting process.

Can I get an Amen?

I’ll even settle for a WOOT from all you agnostics.  Late last week the Appraisal Institute released this statement about the creation of an optional green features evaluation addendum to Fannie Mae Form 1004 which is the appraisal form used by appraisers for Fannie, Freddie, and FHA.   As noted in this release, the contributory value of green features have not up to this point been a “part of the equation,” so this is a huge boon for the green building industry.

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It’s been a Year in the Making and it’s finally here!

Last spring a group of involved citizens, community leaders, sustainability insiders gathered at Lipsomb University to sit in round tables and identify opportunities Nashville has to become a more sustainable, healthy, and vibrant city to live in.   The plenary sessions were held all day and the turn out was phenomenal.  In the fall, we were invited to the Farmers Market to see a compilation of the many proposed projects and ideas from our sessions.  From here we were given 10 sticky dots to place by our personal biggest priorities (more than one dot could go by a particular thing).  Again, there was a fantastic turn out and lots of media and excitement surrounding the event.

This Thursday at 11am  Mayor Karl Dean in conjunction with the Land Trust for Tennessee and Nashville Naturally will be unveiling Nashville’s Open Space plan.    It is a huge step in creating some cohesive direction on where we want Nashville to go in terms of beautification, energy efficiency, parks,  pedestrian accessibility, historic preservation, and even sustainable agriculture.    The process was thrilling to be a part and even more thrilling to see the extent and time taken to get a thorough polling of public input.    As I said to the press at the time these sessions were going on,  creating a healthy sustainable Nashville will likely stimulate economic development and increase property values in addition to the health and quality of life benefits as demonstrated in other city case studies.

Please think about attending at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center this Thursday at 11am and prepare to be amazed.  In addition, big news for the Shelby Bottoms Greenway system last week.  Mayor Karl Dean and the Land Trust for Tennessee have committed to the Purchase of the Cornelia Fort Air Park.  This will add over 100 acres to the Bottoms current space and will provide more vital space for people and nature to interact.   If you are interested, you may donate towards the 1.2 million purchase here.

I’m stepping out of my Urban Comfort Zone

If you follow my blog and I’m thrilled if you do, you probably notice I don’t talk about much outside of the city other than local farms.  This is due in part to my heart being in the city but also due in part to my primary interest in sustainable design and smart growth.  In general these concepts are being more commonly applied in our urban and urban light communities that already have access to public transportation, bike lanes, parks, and city services like recycling.

Imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this announcement by Transit Now Nashville about a community being developed in the Lebanon area that is specifically being designed to utilize the Music City Star commuter train.  In addition to housing, it will feature green spaces, commercial and retail development to serve it’s population, and pedestrian friendly design throughout the community.  Hamilton Springs is not only the first of it’s kind in the state, it can serve as an example of how sustainability and a less car centric community can be created well outside of a city center.  Communities centered around rail service is not a new concept, just throw in some old movies, you’ll notice it used to be the norm.

It will be interesting to see in the coming years if more developers take advantage of some of the incentives the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan suggest will be available to private businesses whose mission is to compliment and/or create access to mass transit.  I for my part will be watching this community closely and posting updates as I hear them.

Volunteers are needed to canvas neighborhoods and invite residents to sign up for the evaluations.

I recently had the privilege of hearing Laurel speak and the areas that have been identified as follows:

1) child literacy – particularly early intervention prior to 3rd grade

2) environment

3)flood preparedness and prevention and recovery from the May 2010 flood

You may register as a volunteer individually or register as a group and you will be matched with opportunities that meet your interests and skill sets that you then may apply for.

The site has been selected, designers hard at work, and fund raising under way.  They are looking for support on Facebook and in addition there are a number of ways to get involved listed on their website including donations.