E+Positive: Energy, Environment, Equity

Green Building Program: (Abridged) Summary

The E+ Green Communities Program is seeking to advance Boston’s green building and renewable energy efforts to the next level by creating deep green, energy positive, healthy, and sustainable communities. E+ Communities expands upon the Mayor’s E+ Green Building Program, which is bringing a new generation of ultra-efficient, energy positive deep green residential prototypes to Boston’s neighborhoods. This program is a pilot initiative of the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development (DND), Office of Environment & Energy Services, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority and in partnership with the Enterprise Foundation.

Mission Statement

Principals:

• Engage the community in an inclusive and transparent planning process.
• Work in partnership with the Mission Hill Community.
• Respect existing uses while promoting innovation and sustainability.

Goals:

• Redevelop parcels with new housing, mixed use housing/commercial or commercial and light industrial uses that enhance neighborhood sustainability while retaining community gardening and arts elements.
• Develop productive and interactive landscapes that engage people and seek to create relationships between the built and natural environment.
• Demonstrate the feasibility of Energy Positive Deep Green multi-unit housing.
• Build energy positive deep green buildings.

Community Vision

Honor and Grow Community Spaces and Uses:

• Draw upon existing community garden and art site uses to inform and animate proposed new uses and buildings including strategies that creatively engage the community and celebrate site and neighborhood sustainability.
• Expand and enhance existing community gardening uses and permanently establish a community garden.
• Developers are encouraged to take inspiration from the historic use of a portion of the Parker Street site as an Art Park, and incorporate art elements into the project design including the creation of interior and green spaces nodes for education, performance, gathering, and art installations.

Enhances Neighborhood Sustainability:

• The sites should be a new model for sustainable neighborhood development and energy positive, deep green buildings that dramatically reduce building and transportation energy use and adverse environmental impacts.
• Connect new site uses with existing neighborhood uses and nearby assets that promote sustainability and restore the site to its best productive use.

Increase Safety and Vibrancy:

• New residential development should add to the existing mix of ownership housing in the area. New residential development on Parker Street should reflect the character of adjacent residential buildings. New residential, commercial and/or light industrial uses on Terrace Street should add to the vibrant mix existing uses along Terrace.
• New uses should increase safety, bring more active uses, and provide passive surveillance “eyes on the street” both for the site and adjoining streets.

Reduce Transportation Impact

• All new buildings and uses should promote pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit use by only using the minimum parking necessary to allow new uses to flourish and calm existing traffic.
• Provide appropriate connections and access points between the Parker Street community garden site and the Terrace Street development.

Location

Program Partners

The E+ Green Building Demonstration Program is a City of Boston initiative supported by local and national sponsors who will assist with promoting the initiative and recognizing selected submissions for innovations in design and construction that advance the goals of E+ Green Program.

Sponsors: EverSource – National Grid – US Green Building Council – Massachusetts USGBC Chapter – Boston Society of Architects