Projects

Belmar Community
Belmar, developed by Continuum Partners, is a 22-block mixed use development on the site of the former Villa Italia Mall. The developers are dedicated to energy-use reduction and the responsible use of limited natural resources. Belmar used the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) criteria to guide the design and development of many buildings in the project. A three-story mixed use building with office over retail space was the first building of its type in the nation to receive a Silver-level LEED certification. The buildings that house Whole Foods, Mile High Wine & Spirits, and two adjacent mixed use buildings and retail spaces have also subsequently received a Silver-level LEED certification.

The project has been designed to reduce automobile reliance and to promote pedestrian and transit activity. There are multiple regional bus routes that circulate through the site with multiple stops (previously, no routes penetrated the 104 acre site). All on-site housing has been built with high quality, sustainable materials and energy conservation technology, ensuring high levels of energy efficiency and green building. The McStain town homes were built to exceed Energy Star standards. The Harvard Courtyard Homes were built to conform to the requirements of the Environments for Living program. 

Belmar has worked with Waste Management to implement an expanded single-stream recycling program for all residents as well as office and retail tenants. Continuum Partners has also spent in excess of $4 million in cleaning up water and soil contamination on site (PCE, PCBs, hydrocarbons) as well as removing asbestos and hazardous materials from the former buildings prior to demolition and recycling. Much of the construction material from the demolition of the original mall structure has been recycled. 88% of all materials by weight and volume from the original site have been reused. 100%, or in excess of 2 million square feet, of asphalt originally on site was milled into more than 40,000 tons of base material used for temporary roadways and the base under building slabs. Over 200,000 tons of concrete from the original mall slab were crushed and reused on site, the weight of which is equivalent to approximately two aircraft carriers. All steel, copper and aluminum was taken to recycling centers. Glass, doors, windows and light fixtures have been reused in Continuum’s downtown headquarters office as well as the on-site sales and leasing office at Belmar.

Belmar Solar Array
The most visible examples of alternative energy in Belmar are both the wind farm on the developments northwest parking lot and photovoltaic structures on top of the parking garages.  Four photovoltaic arrays will be installed over the next 5 -7 years and cover over 190,000 square feet. The plan is for the system to supply all the electricity for the garages and sell the excess energy it generates back to the grid. 8,300 solar panels will be installed on the roof of three parking garages (installation scheduled for August 2008). The 1.7 megawatt array will generate approximately 2.3 million kilowatt hours of clean electrical energy per year.  The power output will offset approximately 5% of the total Belmar power consumption. Solar powered pay-and-display parking kiosks are used to manage 350 on-street parking spaces.

Belmar boasts wind turbines on top of street lights, solar-powered parking meters and some of the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in Denver. The Belmar district also features a small urban wind farm with 14 turbines powering lighting for a large parking lot.  The wind farm has the potential to generate 700-900 kilowatt hours of electric power per month.  Approximately 130 mature trees from the original site were transplanted to a temporary nursery site and replanted in the Belmar district. All outdoor lighting has been designed in cooperation with the International Dark Skies Association to preserve and protect the nighttime environment and reduce light pollution.

Creekside
The Lakewood Housing Authority recently developed Creekside as a community for low to moderate income seniors. Creekside is designed to benefit both seniors and the environment, and features the largest solar collecting system on any residential building in Colorado. A 25,000-watt solar panel system on Creekside's roof will provide electricity for the building, reducing the amount needed from power plants, and heat exchangers were installed in recapture heat from wastewater left after taking a shower or doing laundry.

.Department of Transportation Building
Lakewood's first LEED-Silver building was completed in 2004. At the time this project was built, no other building in the state of Colorado had achieved a higher LEED rating.This office building was constructed along the Union Corridor and includes a 128,000 square foot three story office building and an adjoining 113,000 square foot two-level parking structure.

Federal Center
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Rocky Mountain Region awarded a $6.9M contract on May 29, 2007 to SunEdison for the design and construction of a solar park at the Denver Federal Center (DFC).  The park will consist of photovoltaic arrays located on a six-acre site adjacent to 6th Avenue in Lakewood, Colorado.  Construction is expected to start during late summer/early fall of 2007, with electric generation beginning mid-December 2007.

Golden Hill Office Centre
On January 14th, Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy unveiled the new photovoltaic system at Golden Hill Office Centre, owned by Propp Realty Management.  RMH Group along with Namaste Solar Electric worked together to make this the first registered LEED-EB building (leadership in energy and environmental design for existing buildings) in Lakewood.  Congressman Perlmutter also highlighted key sustainability features of the project and discussed green initiatives he is spearheading in the US Congress.  Golden Hill Office Centre is located at 12600 W. Colfax in Lakewood.

 WIRED Grant
The Metro Denver WIRED Initiative recently announced award recipients for its Workforce Innovation Grant program. It awarded approximately $2.5 million to 10 area partnerships proposing innovative talent development solutions to address industry workforce shortages in thenine-county Metro Denver and Northern Colorado region. Lakewood-based International Center for Appropriate and SustainableTechnology (iCAST) was one of the Metro Denver grant recipients. " The WIRED grant’s focus on the energy sector has clearly been a catalyst for the Colorado legislature, state government, and many organizations to begin to work together on improving training for the future energy efficiency workers we need," explained Herb Rubenstein, CEO of iCAST. "Colorado is blessed with many small businesses that work in this area. Each one cannot on their own afford to train the workers they need to meet the demand for their services and
WIRED training will serve as a catalyst to help meet the growing demand for energy efficiencyworkers." The Workforce Innovation Grant addresses industry needs through education and job trainingand placement in WIRED’s four targeted industry clusters: aerospace, bioscience, energy, and
information technology - software.

• Solar industry growing in Jeffco: Abengoa; Ascent Solar, PrimeStar etc.

• ·         Belmar Solar Array

• ·         LEEDS Certified Buildings—Golden Hill

• ·         Solar farm at the Denver Federal Center
•  
• Working on Yet:

• ·         WIRED grant project with iCast, CESC and Jeffco Workforce Center

• Solar industry growing in Jeffco: Abengoa; Ascent Solar, PrimeStar etc.

• ·         Belmar Solar Array

• ·         LEEDS Certified Buildings—Golden Hill

• ·         Solar farm at the Denver Federal Center
•  
• Working on Yet:

• ·         WIRED grant project with iCast, CESC and Jeffco Workforce Center