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equinox
southern lights
orchard gardens
acme
gold dust
lenox flats
high sierra
fireweed court
strawbale homes
emma court
best
practices
charrettes
1% for art
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EQUINOX
1515
Liberty Lane Missoula, Montana
 
PROJECT
BASICS
homeWORD’s 10th affordable housing development, Equinox,
is located in Missoula, Montana. Sitting along the beautiful Clark Fork
River, Equinox houses 100% of households
below 50% Area Median Income (AMI), with all
35 units targeting a mixture of incomes at 30, 40 and 50% AMI. Completed
in July 2009, this building is the first phase of a mixed use development – the
second building will house commercial tenant spaces as well as apartments
targeting
various income ranges. Equinox provides a mixture of studio, one-
and two-bedroom units. With the goal of providing accessibility for all,
each unit is designed to be accessible or adaptable, and the overall
building and
site meets
universal
design
principles. Equinox demonstrates
a practical application of homeWORD’s Mission Statement as a safe,
healthy, affordable community designed and built using sustainable design
concepts and construction practices.
INNOVATIONS
This
eco-friendly building is built on a former “grey field” site.
The previous development (an old bowling alley) had paved approximately
90% of the parcel with asphalt paving, all of which was reclaimed
for recycling during the deconstruction process. Located near the
intersection
of Russell St and Broadway Ave, bordering the Westside Neighborhood
of the City of Missoula, the area has been referred to as “Gateway
to Downtown.” homeWORD developed Equinox to be a model development
for this area, partially responding to the City of Missoula’s
Urban Renewal District plan that defined the area as “blighted”.
With Equinox, the area has begun to be revitalized and redeveloped
into a vibrant neighborhood with a mixture of residential buildings,
commercial
businesses, and public services. Equinox also includes restoration
of the riverbank and riparian corridor, as well as public access
to the
north bank of the Clark Fork River, bordering the site along the
south edge.
SUSTAINABLE FEATURES
- Re-development of an urban grey field
- Native and adapted plants
in landscaped areas
- Drought tolerant landscaping
- Photovoltaic Panels provide up to 12.8 kW for site and building
common areas
- Gray water collection system – reclaimed
water from lavatory sinks, showers, tubs, and clothes washers
will provide water
for underground drip irrigation in landscaped open space between
buildings
- Efficient landscape irrigation
including rain sensors and irrigation controls
- Energy efficient windows
with Low-E coating, exceeding code requirements
- Super efficient insulation with recycled content mineral fiber
and spray foam insulation to reduce air infiltration and heat
loss
- Energy Star appliances
exceeds the IECC 2003 Standard by 30%
- Water conserving plumbing
fixtures, water and energy conserving front loading clothes
washers
- Light pollution reduction standards for exterior lighting
- Construction waste management;
including asphalt, land clearing debris, cardboard, wood, metals – 90%
of construction materials recycled or re-used
- Recycled content materials;
steel, and other metals, gypsum board, carpet, resilient flooring,
concrete, countertops, and insulation
- Healthy interior air quality with low/no VOC paints, primers,
adhesives, and sealants
- 40% fly-ash concrete in
building foundations, flatwork, and site paving; 100% fly-ash
concrete in portions of building footings
- Wood products are either
sustainably harvested Good Wood, certified FSC, salvaged/reclaimed
wood, or engineered framing materials
- Kitchen cabinets are a medium density fiberboard (MDF) panel
manufactured from 100% recycled wood waste made without formaldehyde-containing
additives
- Countertop finishes contain
recycled banana peel fibers with formaldehyde free resins
- Healthy Floors; linoleum
and recycled content carpet
- Light-colored, reflective
roofing reduces heat island effect and energy costs for building
cooling systems
- Super high-efficiency heating and cooling systems
- Individual metering for dwelling units encourages energy conservation
among residents
- Community Room and on-site
recycling facilities and Resident Green Manual
- homeWORD EZ Pass program to encourage and support the use of
mass transit
- De-construction of existing
building – nearly
40 tons of demolition material diverted from landfills through
recycling
and re-use
- Compact fluorescent lighting throughout, motion sensors for
common area lighting to reduce energy use
- Covered bicycle parking in four areas to facilitate alternate
means of transportation
NEIGHBORHOOD
Equinox Lanes is centrally located and close to several amenities and
services at the north end of the Russell Street bridge. A walk-in
clinic, restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, St. Patrick’s
Hospital and Western Montana Clinic are all within one mile of the
site. Downtown Missoula and the major shopping area on Reserve Street
are within 1.5 miles of the site. Both areas provide access to retail
shops, pharmacies, banks, post offices and restaurants. The site
is also 2.33 miles from Hellgate Elementary School for grade K-8
and 3.8 miles from Big Sky High School. Equinox is also on three
Mountain Line bus routes, and within ¼ mile of the Greyhound
bus station. homeWORD's participation in the EZ Pass program also
serves Equinox, providing each homeWORD tenant a free bus pass during
the time they live at Equinox. This program promotes the use of public
transportation as a way to save money and reduce carbon emissions
into the atmosphere.
FUNDERS & PARTNERS
- Anonymous Donor
- Beaudette Consulting Engineers
- City
of Missoula Office of Planning and Grants- CDBG
- City of Missoula Office
of Planning and Grants- HOME
- Garden City Builders
- Housing and Urban Development
Neighborhood Initiative Funds, 2008 Consolidated Appropriations
Act
- MMW Architects
- Missoula Housing Authority
- Missoula Redevelopment Agency
- Montana Board of Housing
Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
- Montana Department of Commerce
Multi-family Program
- Montana Home Investment
Partnerships (HOME) Program
- NeighborWorks Montana
- Professional Consultants Inc.
- St. Peter, Warren & Dyrud,
P.C.
- US Bancorp Community Development
Group
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