Date Posted: 02.10.2020
Urban Land
“The fossil fuel-free future is arriving, starting now,” says Mithun partner Anne Torney in an Urban Land magazine story about the momentum behind all-electric development in California. The City of Berkeley made headlines with its restriction on natural gas in new residential construction last July, and more than 50 cities are considering similar measures throughout the state.
Mithun’s experience with all-electric development stretches further back to the planning and design of High Point, a Seattle public housing redevelopment that was built in 2009 without gas lines and saved the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development more than $500,000 in utility fees annually.
Mithun’s six all-electric multifamily housing projects currently underway in San Francisco’s Bay Area—including Balboa Park Upper Yard, Casa Adelante at 681 Florida, Casa Adelante at 2060 Folsom, Hunters Point Shipyard Point Blocks 52 and 54, Maceo May Apartments and Willow Family Apartments—are delivering savings through technology advances in heat pumps and other products, and the significant cost savings to be found in avoiding gas infrastructure altogether. Equally important are the resilience and health benefits for residents, and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with beneficial electrification.
“With solid benchmarking data we’re compiling over the next three to five years, we anticipate even more evidence-based design iterations from project results and experience that can make all-electric, sustainable design a first choice,” Anne confirms. The future is looking bright.
Read the full article: “The Case for Achieving Climate Goals with All-electric Development” in Urban Land magazine.
