By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Guy Bazzani is at it again. After years of advocating for green building, he and Baird Hawkins of Lake Drive Development have teamed up to construct—maybe—Michigan’s first zero carbon-footprint structure.
The building will replace the Fifth Third Bank building at Lake Drive and Carlton Street in Grand Rapids. Demolition of the bank takes place this month, with groundbreaking planned for early February.
“We’re investigating whether we can do this as a zero-carbon footprint building,” says Nate Gillette, architect with Bazzani Associates. “It will have a complete geothermal heating/cooling system. And it will have zero storm water runoff with a two-part system. We’ll replace the pavement with green space to absorb the water, porous asphalt and an onsite cistern to collect rainwater for irrigation.”
Gillette stresses that the carbon neutral status is a goal, not a given.
The three-story, 30,000-square-foot building has six retail bays on the main level. Twenty apartments on the upper floors include 18 two-bedroom units and two one-bedroom. Gillette says a property management company submitted a letter of intent for all 20 apartments and, if the deal goes through, will lease the apartments at market rate.
The developers will pursue LEED certification.
“Because of the amount of residential in the building, the US Green Building Council is requiring that we classify it under LEED for Homes,” Gillette says. “If the main floor tenants want LEED certification, they’ll have to do a separate LEED for Interiors build-out and certification for their space.”
The current bank building sits toward the center of the lot, surrounded by an asphalt parking lot.
The new building will hug the sidewalks along Lake Drive and Carlton, with parking behind.
The project garnered state and local tax capture of some $365,000.
Source: Nick Gillette, Bazzani Associates
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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