14th and U to Go Green

• June 28th 2010

by Mark Wellborn

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The U Street Corridor may be getting an energy-efficient makeover in the coming years.

On Friday, Housing Complex reported that Living City Block, a part of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a think tank that focuses on the “efficient and restorative use of resources,” has zeroed in on a couple of city blocks around the corner of 14th and U Streets NW in the hopes of getting property owners to make neighborhood buildings more energy-efficient.

Here is how it works, according to Housing Complex:

Living City Block puts in the “soft costs” of bringing in property owners, studying the project area, and coordinating with local politicians and government agencies to integrate power, water, and waste systems. Since the businesses themselves need to put up the capital expenses, though, the initiative depends heavily on making the business case for things like solar panels, geothermal heat, energy efficient piping, and permeable sidewalks.

The project is already in full swing in the Lower Downtown section of Denver where the goal is to reduce energy use 50 percent by 2012. It will be interesting to see if business owners in the U Street Corridor buy into the plan.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.production.logicbrush.com/articles/blog/14th_and_u_to_go_green/2208.