SWEETWATER CERTIFIED AS LEED FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT
The neighborhood plan for Sweetwater, a community located in Hailey Idaho, was awarded certification by the United States Green Building Council for their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) pilot program. Sweetwater is one of the first forty neighborhoods in the world to receive this sustainable certification.
This compact, 22-acre, pedestrian-oriented community was planned to provide workforce housing for the Sun Valley tourist area. The plan was the first of its kind in the Sun Valley area for its scale and density and was designed to smart growth and sustainability principles. As the plan was starting construction, Sweetwater was accepted into the Pilot program for LEED ND with no major changes required to achieve certification.
Sustainable features of the site include:
• Treated and infiltrated 100% of stormwater runoff on site, ensuring recharge and quality of underlying ground water.
• Incorporated exterior light fixtures, designed to reduce light pollution and increase night sky visibility; street lights and signals are energy efficient fixtures.
• Reduced surface parking by placing most parking within garages below residential units – lessens stormwater runoff and the heat island effect and encourages walking in the neighborhood that led to an innovation credit within the LEED ND program.
• Planted over 1000 trees and provided cool roof colors on buildings to reduce the heat island effect.
• Maximized the efficiency of existing roads and utility infrastructure by creating a compact mixed-use development on an infill site served by transit.
• Sensitively integrated the neighborhood into the scale and building pattern of Hailey, achieving recognition for responding to the historical and vernacular pattern in planning and building design.
• Designed the development around a central park with a rich variety of greens and a series of pedestrian and bicycle pathways to foster a sense of community and connect to the greater area.
In addition, Sweetwater’s central community building is on target for LEED-NC (New Construction) Silver certification. This building uses reclaimed siding; interior finishes with high recycled content and low VOC content, high energy and water efficiency.