FOSTER CITY, CA—In California, 14 properties are certified sustainable, seven of which are multifamily. The IREM Certified Sustainable Property is a sustainability certification program that focuses on the role of exceptional real estate management in green building performance. IREM's sustainability certification provides properties with recognition for resource efficiency and environmental programs.

Property management firm Woodmont Real Estate Services has earned three more IREM Certified Sustainable Property designations at multifamily communities managed by the company near Sacramento, the Wine Country and on the Peninsula, according to its CEO Ron Granville. The three new IREM-certified sustainable communities are the Vineyards at Valley View (El Dorado Hills), The Lodge at Napa Junction (American Canyon) and Sand Cove (Foster City).

Vineyards at Valley View is near Folsom Lake, mountain biking trails and some of Sacramento's largest employers. The Lodge at Napa Junction is located at the gateway to Napa Valley, while Sand Cove is one of the longest-tenured communities in Woodmont's management portfolio comprised of more than 12,000 apartment homes.

Sand Cove was the first multifamily property in California to be awarded the designation in 2017, making it two consecutive years in which Woodmont had firsts in California. In June 2016, Waterford Place in Dublin, CA, which is also managed by Woodmont, received recognition as the first apartment community in the United States to be designated as a Certified Sustainable Property.

A spokesperson from IREM's headquarters in Chicago reports that since Woodmont had the first Certified Sustainability Property in the US more than a year ago, 94 US properties have earned the certification, with 47 being apartment communities. Jeff Bosshard, president of Woodmont's multifamily division, says pursuing IREM's Certified Sustainable Property designation is good for business on many levels.

“Foremost, sustainability is good for the environment and our clients consider it advantageous that their portfolios have sustainable features in them,” Bosshard tells GlobeSt.com. “Yet by far, it's the residents that really like living in sustainable communities. They tell us when they look for a place to live that conserving energy, water and using recycled materials is important to them. So for a property management company, it becomes another marketing tool.”

To earn the certification, a property must first meet key baseline requirements, and then earn necessary points across energy, water, health, recycling and purchasing categories. Tenants and residents increasingly associate environmental performance with quality, so the certification presents a prime opportunity to showcase responsible real estate management.

Instant Insights /

Multifamily Portfolios Increasingly Include Sustainable Features

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