Two Giant Leaps in the "Green" Direction

This last month has been very productive on the green building homefront.  We've made two giant leaps in the right direction!

First, we're very happy to announce that we have solidified a program with the city of Johnson City that will allow a person to apply for a green building permit for residential or commercial construction at a discounted fee rate.  Then, upon satisfaction of green building requirements, a green Certificate of Occupancy will be issued.  The city manager, Pete Peterson, the head of the building department, Phil Pinzola, and Herman Marcom, the head building inspector, have been fantastic to work with and should be commended for their efforts in working with us to get this program in place.  The proposal will land on the agenda for city council's approval in the September meeting, and the program should be off and running by the end of year - pending some revisions to the current permit computer system.

Second, we've made a proposal to the Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia Multiple Listing System to implement "green" input and search fields into the system, and their response was, "Let's do it!"  That all sounds like a mouthful, but it basically allows for three important things: (1) the Realtor will have the ability to input green features of a property into the system (including type of certification), and (2) it allows folks searching for property to search using green features if they have an interest in doing so. And, most importantly, (3) it allows appraisers to begin to see documented value in green attributes of real estate.  On a side note, if you're looking for property, visit TCLewisProperties.com and click your region, then "Property Search" to input your specific search criteria.  Anyway, we're working out the final details of the proposal now and Karen Randolph, who serves as chair of the MLS Board, is anxiously awaiting to implement our green initiative.

Things are looking more and more green in the Mountain South, and it's fantastic!  We appreciate all who have worked on making these two big steps possible, and I'm always available to answer any questions about green building or real estate.  So, until next month, have a great September!

T. C. Lewis & Co. Project Getting Some Press

It's been a long time in the making for a certified, four-star rated, green community in Northeast Tennessee to begin to see light at the end of the tunnel.  Developer Cory Lewis started the project in 2006, and is now beginning to finish up infrastructure in the first phase with intentions of breaking ground on the first home in the community late this year.  "We've experienced a lot of obstacles with this project, some expected, some unexpected, and others self-inflicted, but we've rolled with the punches on it, and our plans have transformed to overcome problems.  Nobody said that developing green is easy, but it's just what we should be doing," says Lewis.  Carolina Cove is now a private community with eight lots in phase one, eight more in phase two, and twelve more in the final phase.  "We never lost sight of our overall vision of this community - especially the green aspects.  The low-impact development, the features and amenities that encourage folks to be outside, and the signature style have all always been at the forefront," explains Lewis.  The style is "rustic craftsman."  Lewis has coined the term after slowly starting to fuse the new with the old on projects while always keeping things traditional and timeless.  "We feel that what people, including my wife and myself want is a modest size and priced home that has a smaller carbon footprint, is less invasive, but has all of the amenities and technological features of a large, half million dollar property.  So, those are our intentions at Carolina Cove.  The homes will pack a punch with a lot of amenities for the money."  Home prices will start at around $200,000 and run up to just over $400,000, but according to Lewis the homes aren't the only part of the community that boast some big features for the money.  Carolina Cove welcomes homeowners with a private, gated entrance and a large waterfall made from boulders found on-site.  There is a walking trail throughout the property that runs roadside before dipping over into the green space at the rear of the community.  The walking loop is approximately a mile.  There are a couple of different native-landscaped, sitting areas for gathering with family or neighbors to take in the sunset and beautiful Boone Lake views.  The community features a cookout area for homeowners, along with a stone fire pit in the cul de sac.  "The entire community is certified green for its development, it's a certified wildlife habitat, all homes will be certified green, and we hope that the folks that choose to make Carolina Cove home will live green," Lewis adds.  Carolina Cove is located in Johnson City, Tennessee, and there is a ribbon-cutting and cookout planned for the opening of the community late this year.

-Anne Goepel, Living Green Magazine

Check out the video of coverage of the commuity under construction from CBS by clicking HERE