The solstice welcomed the turning of the year and a new house at Green Street. #87 will be completed in the next few months. We’ll post pictures of the progress as we can. On the outside, the house needs primarily siding, a deck and the west porch. On the inside, the basement needs finish and equipment and stairs up. The upstairs needs wall finish where the modules tie in, flooring, tile in the shower, and a few fixtures set. We love the light pouring in the windows, and the gentle views.  It has a wonderful feel to it. 

At least a quick update is in order for anyone interested in the project.  89 Green Street is complete ! 87 Green Street will be up in the early Fall ’11. Currently, its foundation is complete and the general grading around the building is done. We have set a foundation for 93 Green Street, enabling completion of the northerly corner of the project this fall. Additionally, the base of the street has been paved, as has been the first stretch of sidewalk. A lot has gone into getting the project this far.

The overall goal is to make it easier for people interested in the project to be able to better visualize the circulation and layout, and to see a few completed designs settled into the site. We’re excited about the progress made, and how well it is beginning to look.

Work on #89 Green St. continues and will be largely complete at the end of this year. #87 is also under way, and will be taking shape in late winter, its foundation already in place. These two adjacent houses will give a good sense of the organization of the neighborhood, and how it fits onto the site. Our solar trackers are producing well and have settled in to become an ‘energetic’ part of the landscape. Here’s a shot of the first house:

We are excited that a row of “AllSun Trackers” solar panels has been placed along the Charlotte Road, to generate electricity for homes in Green Street. Solar trackers a recent development in renewable energy systems to harness the sun’s energy through photovoltaic cells.

Think of solar trackers as sunflowers – each panel, mounted on a stem er pole, tilts at the most efficient angle to catch sunlight, and swivels, following the sun’s path from east in the morning to west in the evening. They generate up to 45% more electricity per panel than fixed solar installations such as on a roof.

Green Street Solar Trackers

The trackers are becoming a common sight around Hinesburg and surrounding towns. There are several dozen of them around the NRG business on Rt 116 in Hinesburg.

Our trackers are placed for maximum light in the winter when the sun swings low to the south, and they will not interrupt the view from any of the houses in Green Street.

A neat feature of the panels is that each has a little wind gauge, and if the wind gets strong (usually from the west) the trackers will lay down flat until the wind lets up.

We can go online and see a report of how much electricity our group of trackers is producing.  If you would like to learn more, here is the website of the manufacturer in Williston, Vermont: www.allearthrenewables.com . They, and NRG, have some interesting jobs too.

Here is one at close range. This photo was taken while the tracker was facing west.

Green Street is now in finishing the first phase of excavation for the road and sewer connections. Construction on the first 2 homes will start shortly.

Welcome to the Green Steet Blog.

Green Street has won a housing endorsement from the Smart Growth Vermont Collaborative. ““This project received a high score from our review committee,” said Smart Growth Vermont
Executive Director Noelle MacKay, “due to its mixture of housing types, integration of
community spaces, proximity to key services, and the village core and clustered design that
protects farmland and wetlands.”

We are excited about the endorsement. All the houses will be eligible for an Energy Star home rating at a minimum, and it is expected that they may earn LEED and Vermont Builds Greener standards as well. More info on that to come!