SAN MATEO, CA—A LEED for Neighborhood Development program founded by the US Green Building Council was created for more sustainable well-connected neighborhoods. It goes beyond the scale of the buildings to consider the entire community. The projects targeted are those that protect and enhance both the overall health of members, quality of life and the environment, GlobeSt.com learns.

The rating system encourages best practices by considering: do the location and design reduce vehicle miles traveled, are jobs and services accessible by foot/public transit, are buildings following green infrastructure practices, and do public areas include parks and green space?

One of the first in California to be part of the pilot program is a transit-adjacent community, a 12-acre mixed-use development named Station Park Green. It was the second project in the nation to be certified as such, and achieved a Stage 1 Gold rating.

Because the LEED certificate aims to better connect communities for the new way in which people want to live in urban areas, Station Park Green was a good candidate. Located on the site of a former Kmart, it is currently under construction with the intent to appeal to the evolving live/work/play lifestyle. Station Park Green was one of the first to essentially meet all of the must-have amenities for a live/work/play environment: four buildings of 599 units surrounded by 2 acres of parks, 10,000 square feet of office space, 25,000 square feet of retail space, blocks away from Trader Joes and community-serving retail and restaurants, along with the YMCA, and located across from the Hayward Park Caltrain station, allowing residents to connect directly to San Jose and San Francisco.

Station Park Green is planned as a model transit-oriented village centered by a large park, and activated by residential entrances and retail. The park will extend into the residential blocks through a network of pathways, residential courtyards and gardens.

The development was called “a stunning plan for transit-oriented development” by the National Resource Defense Council, GlobeSt.com learns. The project has been supported by the Greenbelt Alliance, TransForm's GreenTRIP, the Sierra Club, San Mateo County Economic Development Association, the NRDC, US Green Building Council and the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce. It was designed by MVE Architects and is being developed by Essex. It has a targeted completion timeframe of later this year.

Instant Insights /

Transit-Proximate Site Ranks in Program Rating System

Related Stories

Recommended For You