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Developers assumed Frederick city's Historic Preservation Commission might throw up some obstacles for "green" building in the Historic District, but the commission instead provided a stepping stone by approving 15 of 40 housing units for the HOPE VI development on North Bentz Street.

In a story published in the April 15 edition of The Gazette, Mike Murphy of Nexus Energy Homes based in Annapolis, said he anticipated some problems overcoming the commission's objections to putting solar panels on homes in the Historic District. His fears haven't manifested so far. Murphy did not return calls for comment for this story before The Gazette's press time.

Mayor Randy McClement (R) said in an interview he had a talk with members of the Historic Preservation Commission, and asked them to be less subjective and more customer friendly in their decisions.

Following a series of July workshops and meetings, the commission approved solar panels and other energy-saving features to seven duplexes along North Bentz Street, and eight townhouses on Lord Nickens Street. The approval, 4-1, did not follow city planning staff's recommendation. Lisa Mroszczyk recommended approval of solar panels on all but one home because it is a corner lot that is visible from both North Bentz and Lord Nickens streets.

The Frederick Housing Authority, which manages the HOPE VI program, has plans to develop a total of 54 units, all planned as homes that are designed with a "net zero" goal. Under normal lifestyle conditions, the homes will have averaged zero on the electric bill, according to the Nexus Energy Homes literature. The HOPE VI program tears down the country's oldest public housing eyesores and replaces them with a mix of subsidized and market-rate housing. The project is expected to cost $72 million. Frederick city chipped in $4.1 million, and the rest is paid for through bank loans, tax credits and in-kind services, said Kevin Lollar, director of development for the Frederick Housing Authority

Lollar is enthused about the upcoming completion of the HOPE VI project on the site of the Hanson-Taney public housing complex, and the advantages of green building.

"HOPE VI is about building healthy community relationships with everyone," he said. "By building the Nexus Energy Home, we at the housing authority can proudly say that we recognize that a healthy environment is a part of that community."

The commission has approved only one solar-paneled home in the Historic District recently, on Chapel Alley. The approval came in part because the panels were relatively hidden from public view.

Key components of a green home include an emphasis on resource conservation, including power and water, and energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. Recycled products are used in carpeting, countertops, bamboo flooring and paints that use fewer "volatile organic compounds." The ventilation and filtering system makes the air quality "exceptionally clean," according to Nexus Energy Homes.

Green homes cost more to build, but the price of the Nexus homes are on par with average home prices in Frederick city, Murphy said in April.

Other features of the green homes approved by the commission include substituting wood lap siding and trim with fiber cement siding and trim. Fiber cement is the closest material to wood lap siding because it is installed in a similar manner and can be painted, according to city planning staff.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 8, Lollar said.

kheerbrandt@gazette.net