Housing with natural drainage wins EPA awards

Two Pacific Northwest HOPE VI developments that combine well-connected street networks and natural drainage systems were among the winners of the 2007 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement presented by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The New Columbia HOPE VI project in Portland received the award for “overall excellence” and the High Point HOPE VI development in Seattle received the award in the “built project” category during a ceremony Nov. 14 in Washington, DC. Both developments show how New Urbanism can incorporate the most up-to-date environmental methods, reducing stormwater runoff.
The Housing Authority of Portland teamed up with others to redevelop the distressed 82-acre Columbia Villa housing project into New Columbia, a neighborhood whose housing ranges from low-income rental apartments to market-rate, owner-occupied detached houses. The Portland urban design firm Urbsworks helped connect the previously isolated project to the surrounding street grid. The number of dwellings on its site increased greatly, from 462 rentals before redevelopment to 854 rental and owner-occupied units afterward.
A “green street” design includes about 100 planted pocket swales that absorb stormwater. As a result, 98 percent of all stormwater is now taken care of on site, preventing further contamination of the Columbia River Slough. A 28-member Community Advisory Committee conducted Sunday morning design workshops so that residents could have a hand in shaping the new development.
In Seattle, a dilapidated, crime-ridden hilltop neighborhood was redeveloped, using green building principles, into the mixed-use, mixed-income High Point development. The number of units rose to more than 1,700 from 716 while the condition of Seattle’s most significant salmon stream improved. Water entering the stream from High Point is now said to be “as clean as if it had percolated through a natural meadow.” SvR Design included grassy swales, porous concrete sidewalks, and front-yard rain gardens in the makeover.
The state of Vermont won an award in the category of “policies and regulation” for its Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, which since 2002 has invested $84 million to help build more than 3,000 affordable homes, preserve 44, historic buildings, and conserve more than 37,000 acres of farmland, natural areas, and recreation lands. The Housing and Conservation Board “reframes housing, land conservation, and historic preservation as complementary — rather than competitive,” EPA said.
The Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, which includes the village of Hyannis, won in the category of “waterfront and coastal communities” for directing growth to the downtown, reconnecting the waterfront to the downtown with walkways and bike paths, and linking public transit to main streets and residential neighborhoods. The town was cited for having an economic development plan that “encourages mixed-use development, walkable and diverse neighborhoods, attractive streetscapes, and arts and cultural activities.”
The New York Borough of Manhattan won in the category of “equitable development” for its Abyssinian Neighborhood Project in Harlem. The Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) has built more than 200 affordable housing units (with another 200 planned), created 15,000 sq. ft. of commercial space for five local businesses, and produced 33,000 sq. ft. of community facilities. In a neighborhood once marked by vacant lots and abandoned buildings, ADC has helped reuse land and buildings and clean up environmental hazards, EPA said.