Sustainable

DevelopmentDCA’s Efforts to Incentivize Green Affordable Housing

Emma French, DCA Summer Fellow August 3, 2016

What is “sustainable development”?

Sustainable

development

recognizes that growth

must be both inclusive

and environmentally

sound to reduce

poverty and build

shared prosperity for

today’s population and

to continue to meet the

needs of future

generations.

2

How does it relate to affordable housing?

Sustainable

development practices

can:

1) Make the housing

last longer

2) Reduce utility

costs

3) Improve the

comfort of

residents

Research Questions

1. What is “sustainable development” according to the QAP?

2. How has DCA’s sustainable development incentive changed

over time?

3. How has the incentive influenced the way in which LIHCT

properties are developed?

4

QAP “Sustainability” Scoring Sections (2000-

2016)Scoring

Categor

y

Sub-Category 2000 2001 2002200

32004

200

52006

200

7

200

82009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Project Characteristics 6 15 15 16 20 18

Energy Efficiency

Requirements4 8 6 6 10 10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Project Design

(only

landscaping)

2 7 9 10 10 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Architectural Enhancements 20 22 26

Enrgy Effcncy +

Indr O2 Qlty

Rqurmnts

-- -- -- -- -- -- 12 14 14 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

LEED-ND

Designation-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Project Design

(only

landscaping)

-- -- -- -- -- -- 8 8 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Sustainable Development 6 6 3 3 3 3 4 3

Sustainable

Communities

Certification

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 4 3 3 3 3 3 3

Sustainable

Building

Certification

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

Energy Efficient

Building

Certification

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Integrated Design

Review Charrette-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 --

5

2000

Project Characteristics

Exceed Georgia Energy Code

Preserve existing trees on

site

Upgrade front entry

streetscape

2004

EPA EnergyStar

Must meet DCA Architectural

Standards

2006

Architectural Enhancements

2007

EarthCraft House

2008

LEED Home/ND

Enterprise Foundation for

Green Communities

2009

Sustainable Development

EarthCraft

House/Communities

3

7.5

8.3 8.2

10.4

8.5

10

11.5

13.5

5.25.6

3.7 3.8 3.83.4

4.3

2.9

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Pe

rce

nt (%

)Percent of Total QAP Competitive Points

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Perc

ent

/ N

um

ber

of cate

gori

es

Year

Change in the Percent of Potential QAP Scoring Points that are "Sustainable" and the Change in Total Number of Scoring

Categories

Percent of Total Potential Points that can be earned by SustainablePointsNumber of Scoring Categories

6

Distribution of Sustainable Development Certification Programs

Used by LIHTC Recipients (2009-2015)

7

EarthCraft

Multifamiliy has

consistently been

the most popular

sustainable

certificate

program since

2009.

Nearly all LIHTC-

funded projects

since 2009 have

earned

sustainability

certificates.

2119

21

13

16

20

28

6

11

8

11 11

43

23

1 1 12

31

0 01 1

31

0 01

0 0 0 01

0 0 0 01

0

3133

32

2729

30

35

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

NU

MB

ER

OF

LIH

TC

RE

CIP

IEN

TS

YEAR

EarthCraft House Mltfmly EarthCraft Communities LEED for Homes LEED NeighborhoodEF Green Communities EnergyStar v3 Total Funded

8

Site Planning Construction Waste Management Resource EfficiencyDurability and Moisture Management Indoor Air Quality High Performance Building EnvelopeEnergy Efficient Systems Water Efficiency Education and OperationsInnovation

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Num

be

r o

f P

oin

ts C

laim

ed

2012

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13Num

be

r o

f P

oin

ts C

laim

ed

2013

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17Num

be

r o

f P

oin

ts C

laim

ed

2014

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24Num

be

r o

f P

oin

ts C

laim

ed

2015

Claimed Sustainable Points for LIHTC-Funded Developments (2012 –

2015)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Nu

mb

er

of P

oin

ts

LIHTC-Funded Property

Planned vs. Actual Sustainable Elements in 2012 EarthCraft Multi-Family LIHTC-Funded Properties

Site Planning ACTUAL: Site Planning Construction Waste ManagementACTUAL: Construction Waste Management Resource Efficiency ACTUAL: Resource EfficiencyDurability and Moisture Management ACTUAL: Durability and Moisture Management Indoor Air QualityACTUAL: Indoor Air Quality High Performance Building Envelope ACTUAL: High Performance Building EnvelopeEnergy Efficient Systems ACTUAL: Energy Efficient Systems Water EfficiencyACTUAL: Water Efficiency Education and Operations ACTUAL: Education and OperationsInnovation ACTUAL: Innovation PLANNED TOTALACTUAL TOTAL 9

Conclusions

Sustainable development certification is now ubiquitous among

LIHTC developers

DCA’s emphasis on sustainability appears to have decreased

since 2008

The way we define “sustainability” is subjective

More research is needed to understand the impact of green

affordable housing

10

Sources

World Bank website – Sustainable Development http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/sustainabledevelopment

Green Affordable Housing Coalition http://www.greenaffordablehousingcoalition.org/

U.S. Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org/advocacy/campaigns/green-affordable-housing

“The Impact of Green Affordable Housing.” Southface and the Virginia Center for Housing Research. January 2016.

8 Affordable Chicago Eco Apartments Achieve Economies of Scale http://inhabitat.com/8-affordable-chicago-eco-apartment-buildings-achieve-economies-of-scale/rosa-parks-apartments-landon-bone-baker-9/

What is Sustainable Development? Definition and Examples http://www.7continents5oceans.com/what-is-sustainable-development-definition-and-examples

11

12