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Cleveland Housing Trends: We Continue to 'Go Green'

By Carole Cohen

Real Estate Agent with Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office

July 06, 2007 05:25 PM

green blades of grass for green building What if I told you that you could buy a new home, wind up paying less than $600 a year on natural gas fuel costs, be within walking distance to the Rapid Transit? And buy this home for less than $130,000? You'd say I was not of sound mind? Well you'd be wrong, this time anyway lol. There is a new green housing development getting ready to break ground (maybe as early as late August) between W. 58th and Pear Avenue. This is exciting news folks. One Design's ECCO House was selected to do the project.

This is also the site of Cleveland's Eco Village which has always had as it's goal Transit Oriented Development (TOD) near a West Cleveland transit stop. The Eco Village Townhomes are luxurious and consist of about 20 town homes. They have been there long enough to have gone through some resales. They have been popular and currently none of them are for sale. One sold this winter for $210,000. They have fabulous floor plans indeed.

But how cool is it, that a more affordable option is being built? I'm not clairvoyant, but I predict they will sell well, especially since only five of them are being built on this parcel.

This to me is what tax abatement should be about...promoting green, TOD development. For more on the story you can go to a well written article in the Sun Newsby Ken Prendergast who I know would have been very excited to cover this story. He is a strong supporter of public transit as well as The Cleveland Hub Initiative/3C Corridor Plan.

For those of you who like to follow sustainability issues, green housing initiatives and transit oriented development updates, you might have been doing so on the Eco Village Website. It still exists, but they have focused their efforts now on Green City Blue Lake. The website has a sharp new look and is loaded with information. I hope you will check it out.

I'm also hoping the success of this project (yes, I'm hopeful!) will bring even more development of this nature to our area. My new mantra is: price points lower than $300k please. For more information you can also contact The Cuyahoga County Land Trust.

Peace Out - 3C

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Derek and Mariana Wagner

The Artisan Group- Keller Williams Premier Realty - Colorado Springs, CO

The Artisan Group - Colorado Springs REALTORS®

WoW! This is very cool! I hope that more cities offer green-opportunities for real estate, like this.

Jul 06, 2007 05:28 PM

Carole Cohen

Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH

Realtor, ePRO

Mariana wow you are fast! lol I am so excited at the price points. There are people who live in this neighborhood who actually might be able to afford them!

Jul 06, 2007 05:29 PM

Kaye Thomas

Real Estate West - Manhattan Beach, CA

e-PRO, Manhattan Beach CA

Carole- I think we are going to see more of this type of earth friendly construction everywhere..it may be a little more expensive up front but the downline cost savings should be significant.

Jul 06, 2007 06:16 PM

Carole Cohen

Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH

Realtor, ePRO

What's that phrase, the train has left the station? :-) Thanks Kaye

Jul 06, 2007 09:25 PM

Lenn Harley

Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA

Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

The "eco" market is growing far too slowly. But, as natural gas prices continue to fluxuate and increase, builders will eventually get the message and start building the homes that will save fuel. Same thing with the autos. The auto industry has to build the dang things.

The market is there for green homes and green autos. We just need some green politicians who can think beyond putting us all on bikes to travel 40 miles to work in the morning.

Mmmm. It's 7:07 a.m on the 7th day of the 7th month in the 7th year of the 21st. Century.

Jul 06, 2007 11:08 PM

Monika McGillicuddy

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty - Hampstead, NH

Southern NH & the Seacoast Area

We need more of this in NH.

That is a pretty low price Carole, I'm guessing they will probably sell real fast.

Jul 07, 2007 01:04 AM

Carole Cohen

Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH

Realtor, ePRO

Hi Lenn, the timing on your comment makes me also think about the fact that it is Live Earth Day today; thanks and I agree with everything you said.

Hiya Moni, I can't get over the price myself.

Jul 07, 2007 01:55 AM

S. Leanne Paynter ☼ Broward County, FL

United Realty Group, Inc. - Davie, FL

Davie, Plantation, Cooper City & Weston Specialist

Carole, I just love reading about all the "green" building that is going on around the country... it gives me hope! The whole "green" movement has really been taking off in the past couple of years (finally!!!). Just the other day a friend of mine told me that while on a 2-day business trip to DC he rented a Ford Escape hybrid, put 300 miles on it and only spent $20 on gas! Awesome!!!

Jul 07, 2007 02:18 AM

Elaine Reese, REALTOR® in central Ohio

Real Living HER, Powell Ohio - Powell, OH

Informative article! We're just beginning to hear snippets about 'green houses' here - mostly from the June Parade of Homes.

Jul 07, 2007 02:56 AM

George Souto

George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT

Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Carole, my fuel bill for one month in the winter is almost that. The only thing that you could get around here for $130,000 would be a Condo, and not a very big one at that. Keep us up to date on what happens with these.

Jul 07, 2007 08:07 AM

Jeff Dowler, CRS

eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA

The Southern California Relocation Dude

Fascinating!. Thanks for sharing this Carol. You cannot buy a garage for that money! LOL. Happy 7/7/07 - did you check out the Live Earth Concerts on-line?

It's refreshing to see more and more of this type of environmental concern in our housing. We clearly need so much more of it.

BTW I will do the Meme post soon - have been giving it some thought. :)

Jeff

Jul 07, 2007 08:43 AM

Jay McGillicuddy

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty - Exeter, NH

Real Estate Broker

Interesting that more areas don't adopt housing like this. I do think that it is coming and we will benefit by it. I do agree with Lenn something has to be done wit the auto industry and I Know they can build more fuel efficient autos.

Jul 07, 2007 11:48 AM

Rick & Ines - Miami Beach Real Estate

Majestic Properties - Miami Beach, FL

Carole, you don't know how happy this makes me....when I think "Cleveland", I think of everything but green....so I am very happy to see this is changing. Thanks for letting us know.

Jul 07, 2007 12:50 PM

Carole Cohen

Howard Hanna Cleveland City Office - Cleveland, OH

Realtor, ePRO

Leanne: I love that story about the inexpensive fuel use in DC. It really seems like everyone is seeing the light on this.

Elaine: We need the Ohio Hub! I'm hoping there will be a string of new green building in Columbus too.

George: I have a small house but yes, that bill would only be for two months in the coldest part of my winter. It makes me want to convert my house too!

Jeff: I did my own concert, some friends invited me along to Blossom Music Center which is like Woodstock or Wolf Trap and it was very pastoral, especially since it was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I really had a chance to feel close to nature listening to him on a picture perfect night on the lawn at Blossom. I will have to check out the Earth concerts though I bet they were amazing.

Jay: I agree with her too! The U.S. auto industry had to be pulled in kicking and screaming about how expensive it was to retool cars. And once again they missed the boat and are now playing catch up. While I was at Blossom tonight, we pulled into the lot next to a mini cooper. The owners were still there so I talked to them (I love that cute car lol) They get an average of 37 miles a gallon which is not bad. Everyone near us in the lot started talking and most were saying hybrid cars will be their next purchase. LIfe is good if that is true

Ines: Yes, the Industrial Age left us with amazing architecture but it's time to come into the new world lol

Jul 07, 2007 04:37 PM