Sustainable builder Catamount Constructors, Inc. (Catamount), nears completion of Sustainable Fellwood / Phase I, the first LEED certified housing development built in the Savannah metropolitan area. Owned by the Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS) and master developed by Melaver, Inc. in partnership with Parallel Housing, Progressive Redevelopment, and Vanguard Developers, Sustainable Fellwood is a mixed-use, affordable housing redevelopment comprised of multiple phases.
When complete, the project will include 220 multi-family mixed-income units, a 100 unit senior housing facility, 13 single family homes and a 40,000 square foot commercial space all built around a 4 acre park. The redevelopment has been registered under the LEED-Neighborhood Development program. Occupancy is scheduled to begin March 2009. Additional collaborators include the City of Savannah, CHSA Development of Savannah and Lott Barber, Architecture and Planning.
A privately held commercial general contractor with offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Denver, Colorado, Catamount provides contracting services to owners and developers nationwide with services that include general contracting, construction management, LEED construction, design-build, cost estimating, conceptual budgeting, scheduling and value engineering. Markets served include LEED / sustainable, multi-family, retail, industrial, office, automotive, faith-based and hospitality.
"It’s been a privilege to be a part of this pioneering project," said Keith Rane, Catamount’s Director of Hospitality and Multi-Family. "Our enthusiasm for building and operating green is matched only by our enthusiasm in having the opportunity to deliver a project that is affordable, energy efficient and socially relevant," Rane added.
Earline Wesley Davis, HAS’ former Deputy Director and current Executive Director since 2007, welcomes the introduction of green building practices to the area of Savannah in which she grew up. "The eco-friendly rehabilitation of one of Savannah’s oldest public housing neighborhoods is exciting to watch," said Davis. "Fellwood’s immense attraction is its cost-saving features and unique design that lends itself to maximum privacy for every resident, a feature that is rare in affordable housing projects," Davis concluded.
HAS was organized in 1938 as a public housing authority in accordance with the Georgia State Housing Authority’s Law of 1937. HAS’ mission is to effectively and efficiently address the housing needs of Savannah’s low income population while focusing on the educational, job training and economic self-sufficiency needs of the residents of public housing neighborhoods and the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Sustainable Fellwood was accepted into U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Pilot Program in June, 2007. LEED-ND’s rating system integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development’s location and design meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable development.
For additional information on Sustainable Fellwood, please visit www.sustainablefellwood.com or call 912.236.0781.