HGV, developed by Perry Rose, one of the Jonathan Rose Cos. Inc., is about 10 minutes from downtown Denver on the former Elitch Gardens amusement park and botanical garden. In creating the plan for the village, Jonathan F.P. Rose, of New York City, and Chuck Perry, of Denver, chose fully environmentally responsible infill development methods to revitalize the area.

The two year-old village's structures were built using recycled and other materials that exceed Colorado's Built Green and Energy Star programs.

Landmarks have been restored to create a strong sense of community, and the surrounding landscape promotes conservation and sustainability of plant life.

To reduce the amount of pollution caused by excessive car use, HGV residents have easy access to mass transit and an EPA-funded CNG fueled car share service, which is recognized as a model for the reduction of air pollution.

"We are thrilled that our efforts to create a truly green community have been recognized by the EPA," Rose says. "From the recycled site location to our use of energy efficient systems in all of the dwellings, we made sure that every aspect of HGV embodied our core belief--that environmentally sound communities can be built for reasonable costs and appeal to a broad market."

Perry notes that environmentally sound development can be financially viable. "We hope many others will follow our lead," Perry says.

In addition to this milestone, the company has received numerous honors for its achievements, including the 2001 Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's Northeast Green Building Award; The Preservation Society of New York State's Annual Preservation Award 2000; the United Nations Habitat II Corporate Best Practices Award; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Preservation Honor Award.